Thursday, April 14, 2011

LINKY PARTY! Unlike Babies, We DO Come with Care Instructions!

My aunt so graciously agreed to stay at my place with the dogs during my upcoming travels.  Don't get me wrong, I COMPLETELY love Pet Paradise Resort and so do Nugget and Oscar.  But it gets PRICEY!  This is the first time I've dared to leave Oscar with a sitter rather than board him where I'm sure he'll stay out of trouble.  I'd been previously asked to share our list of care instructions in a blog post and since I have them out, I thought I'd do just that.  Our friends at Mayli the Labradane had a similar post not too long ago.  I took great comfort in knowing I'm not the only dog mom to leave a ridiculously long set of care instructions.  There's obviously no hiding the fact that I'm an overbearing dog mom!

What to do with a Nugg and an Osc
From the overprotective, control freak dog mom

We eat twice/day.  We get a little less than the full blue scoop at each meal.  We are usually hungry by 7:30am and 5pm and we’ll probably let you know it!  We are asked to “Sit” before our bowls are set in front of us.  Nugget’s bowl is on the left, Oscar’s is on the right. 
We both have to be taken out on a leash.  The people upstairs called Animal Control on us for being off leash.  We don’t understand because we were here first!  (Mom won’t let us, but we’d sure like to lift our legs on their black Kia and little grey Hyundai)…
Mom lets us out on the patio with the gate up if the weather is nice.  We like to get some fresh air and bark at every leaf that blows through.  Our harnesses are hanging by the door if you’d like to take us for a walk.  We do very well walking together on the coupler.  Should we need to go somewhere in the car, our seat cover is on top of the crate.

Oscar
I’m a naughty dog, so I have to go in my “house” anytime you’re not home.  Don’t worry, I go willingly – just point to the crate and say “Go in your house, Oscar”.  I always get a biscuit after I’m settled in.  And Nugget gets one, too.
I like to shred paper, eat pens and steal all of the towels from around the house.  You’d be amazed at the mess I can make in the time it takes you to shower!  The moral of the story is that you should keep everything out of my reach (like on the roof) and always zip all bags and purses.  I am the counter-surfing champion of the world!
I MUST potty first thing in the morning, just before bed, before you leave and immediately when you come home.  I poo three times a day: first thing in the morning, just before dinner and just before bed.  If not given enough time to do my business outside, I will do it in the house.  I have a really stinky hiney, so ideally we like to hit the trifecta outside.  My favorite place to pee-pee is the row of bushes on the right of the sidewalk when you’re leaving the apartment.  Just tell me to “go potty!” and I’ll be quick.  While we’re just hanging out, I’ll let you know I have to “go”-  my whine will become tinged with a hint of urgency.  If I have an accident, Nature’s Miracle is under the sink in an orange spray bottle.  I’ll be praying for a miracle if mom finds out!  The towels in the dryer are for cleaning up my messes, muddy paws, etc.  The dirty ones go in the pink laundry basket in front of the washer.
I whine and carry on if Nugget is hoarding toys or if you’re not paying me enough attention.  Just let me on the couch to snuggle and I’ll settle down.  I also prefer to sleep on the bed at night.  Situate me at the bottom and we’ll both be comfortable!

Nugget
I get free run of the apartment because I’m a good dog.  I potty whenever it’s convenient for you and always outside.  I don’t always have to go out when Oscar goes.  (He’s a piss ant).
I like to steal toys from little brother and make him cry.  For that you’ll need to swat my bum (even though I won’t feel it…).
If storms are in the forecast, please give me one of my 3mg Melatonin pills.  Also, I like to hide in mom’s closet if there’s loud thunder.  (You’ll see I have a bed already in there).
I won’t always sleep on the bed with you, but you can bet that’s where I’ll be camped out while you’re gone!  So don’t be alarmed if it looks like someone was tap-dancing on the bed while you’re out – it was me!

Since we shared, now it's your turn!  What types of things do leave on your list for your alternate caregivers while you're away?  Come on... don't make me feel like that dog mom all by myself! Link up below!  No requirements, but feel free to send your friends our way!  



4 comments:

  1. I totally leave a long list for sitters too. :) No worries. :)

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  2. The Mister's parents have watched Jack overnight for us twice now. We leave them instructions, which are never followed, and then I have to deal with the consequences when I get back.

    The instructions are really, really simple:

    1. Don't feed him any people food. (They have so far fed him chicken soup, macadamia nuts, AND grapes. The latter two are potentially toxic to dogs.)

    2. Pick up his water dish after his last trip outside for the night, or he won't be able to "hold it" overnight. (They did not. He peed on their floor while they were sleeping.)

    3. When you're walking him and he starts to pull, stop dead in your tracks and say "easy". Don't move forward unless the leash is loose. (They heard this as "when he pulls, run along behind him so he learns that pulling gets him where he wants to go and AJ can start training all over again.")

    and finally,

    4. Don't play rough with him. He gets overexcited and forgets about bite inhibition, and will come back and try to herd The Monkey (who is 6). When we returned, The Mister's dad had scratches all over his arms from roughhousing with Jack.

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  3. We leave Sophie Wophie at Grandpa's house...he's 94 and loves the little munchkin to pieces, so have hadn't gone away or anything in ages so haven't had the need for a sitter....oh well!

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  4. This was a great idea for a Linky! Don't worry, you are definitely not alone with your instructions. When we leave Gus with a sitter, they're handed several (!) pages of instructions, what if's, vet info, etc... It's better to be safe than sorry.

    We're hopping by from the blog hop. Hope you had a great weekend!

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