We had the "ingenious" idea to get a family dog a few months ago. Being the compassionate bunch that we are, we thought we should do the "right" thing and adopt an older, unwanted dog.
What were we thinking???
We adopted "Rambo", a 5 year old cocker spaniel, who had been rescued from a puppy mill. He spent his entire life trapped in a tiny cage, only to emerge when it was time for him to "breed". He had been mistreated, and was very skittish around people. Still, he was a very gentle dog, and absolutely gorgeous, so we decided that he should be the next member of our family.
For the first couple of months, Rambo would not come near us at all. He would hide in the backyard, and the only sign that he was alive is that his food was eaten each day. Recently, he has taken quite a liking to R, and the feeling is very mutual. She LOVES this dog. He won't come to her, so she drags him by the collar, claws scraping, across the wood floor to a comfy cuddling spot. And once he is there, he will stay there with her, laying in her lap. It is the only "normal" thing this dog does.
The past few weeks in Florida have been very unusual. We have had several consecutive nights where the temperature has dropped below freezing. This means that plants get covered, pools get turned on, and animals come in for the night.
But, what to do with a stinky, unlovable, scared-to-death dog that pees from fright when you come near him?
We have been shutting him up in the bathroom overnight. He sleeps on the rug in there, and he stays warm. But, there is one problem...
He poops. A LOT.
We have tried everything. We will leave him outside until nearly 11PM to give him plenty of time to do his "business" before bringing him inside. He only eats ONCE a day... in the morning. So there should be no reason for him to poop in the bathroom, where he SLEEPS, each and every night.
Those of you who know me, know that I am VERY picky about smells, and making sure that my house smells GOOD at all times. This new arrangement with the pooping dog does not make someone like me very happy. Not when I have a putrid smell waiting for me each and every morning.
Jay and I decided to try one more thing to keep him from pooping at night. We are going to block him into a tiny corner, much like a small cage or kennel, and give him only enough space to lay down in.
No space to move = no space to poop. Right?
But, how do we make this happen? Well, my friends, we had to get pretty creative because, let's face it, we are desperate to escape this stinky conundrum. We went into our storage area and got out a bunch of boxes, trash cans, chairs, etc. and stacked them up all over the bathroom in a way that he cannot possibly get around them to poop. Yes, it made a huge mess in the bathroom, and it looks terrible. But, desperate times call for desperate measures... and we are very desperate.
Will it work?
We shall see.
If it doesn't, this stinky dog might just have to find himself another home.
:o)
R & B can sometimes get into quite a number of tiffs and spats. R is the typical oldest child - very responsible, but erring on the side of bossy sometimes. And B is the typical pesky little brother. Jay and I have had our share of times where we are forced to act as mediator between the two.
