Well, yesterday he did. It's hard to believe we've had him for 14 weeks now. To fill you in on our 14 weeks together I'll start by saying he's smart, very smart!
We use to leave him out in the house....first mistake! He was good for the most part until we had to go into the city and it took longer than he felt we should be away from home. In that time he decided I didn't need my alarm clock anymore. He chewed the electrical cord while it was still plugged into the wall! We are lucky he didn't get hurt or burn down the house!!! OK so that wasn't so smart.
Photo taken around 4 months old.
After that we decided we would start leaving him in the bathroom when we went out. I use to have a dalmatian and he did wonderful when he was a puppy and I left him in the bathroom while I was away. But like kids, dogs have their own personalities! The first time we were gone longer than he thought we should be gone (another trip to the city) he chewed the tube that brings the water from outside into the toilet tank. Apparently it wasn't able to withstand puppy teeth. By the time we got home the bathroom was flooded and it was out the door and through the hall. Indy seemed to be smiling as he sat there soak and wet water spraying up above him. Hubby was less than thrilled...I laughed. I looked at it as there was no real damaged, just the tubing needed to be replaced and the water mopped up. Hubby purchased an all metal tubing for the toilet and when we had to leave puppy again we turned of the water.
Another time he turned on the faucet in the tub. I'm not sure how, but it wasn't on strong mostly a good trickle, so no flooding. But the next time he turned on the water we were having problems with the pipes clogging up. In fact we were waiting for the plumber to come out and fix it. This time we weren't gone too long just dinner and groceries. Of course puppy turned on the water again...the hot water to be exact. Our hot water heater or the boiler as I refer to it gets the water so hot it comes out boiling. How Indy turned it on and didn't get burned still amazes me. But of course it flooded the bathroom again. He also clawed at the vanity which looks pretty bad, but I have an idea on how to fix that. I mopped up the water and sat with little T to relax a moment. Then the plumber showed up....Did I mention the plumber is friends with the landlord! He saw the vanity I'm sure. I was panicked that I would be getting a call from the landlord, but we didn't. He is a super nice guy and he knows we are handy. He also mentioned he wanted to update the bathroom. I think it still has the original everything since the day it was built in 1950.
So that was the last time we left him. Mainly because last week we took him in to have him neutered. One of his testicles didn't drop and the doctor assured us it was probably just within reach and it would be no extra charge. HA I warned him if there is only a 5% chance it would be in the abdomen than it would be in the abdomen! Guess what, it was in the abdomen! the 20 minute operation turned into a hour and 10 minutes and they wanted to keep him overnight to make sure he was still and quiet. When we picked him up the next day one of the rules was to keep him quiet...excuse me he's a puppy! There is no keeping him quiet! I will admit that he is a whole lot more quiet with only burst of excited moments, unlike the Irish setter I had when I was 10 years old! She had one speed full throttle! She had boundless energy. If you ever seen the movie Funny Farm with Chevy Chase you'll understand. They bought a dog, an Irish setter and let it out of the car when they got home. The dog ran and ran and would make a cameo later in the movie...still running. That was Holly! So when it comes to energy levels Indy is mild with only short bursts of frolic.
Photo taken 9-26-2013 almost 6 months old
Since I don't want him to bust his stitches or turn on the water and get his incisions soaked he has been going everywhere with us. Hubby thinks it's going to last forever, I have to remind him he IS still a puppy. Indy has become happier about car rides, actually jumps right in. I'm a little worried it's not helping his separation anxiety any. With me working from home it's not helping that I'm home all the time. In fact the other day we went grocery shopping and had to play tag team. I went in the store first while hubby, little T and Indy waited in the car. I filled up the cart with dinner and breakfast foods and anything else I had on the list then I called hubby (aah the cell phone age!). He came into the store to get what he wanted and I went to the car. Indy and little T did great, but hubby informed me that when I left the car earlier Indy started crying and barking...he never barks!
That will be our next trick to tackle, dealing with us leaving. We'll start with short trips without him....5 minutes at a time and work our way up to longer time apart. I'll also wear him out before we leave. Hopefully getting him tired enough that he won't have the energy to rearrange the house.
I think that should have you up to date on Indy. He is a good boy, my shadow. He keeps me company during the day and since my son is getting older, he is filling a void of the mothering that little T doesn't seem to need anymore. Next time I'll "talk" about something other than puppy. Promise!
So this is Indy and this is Sheila
Here's Little T with Indy. In case you didn't know all big dogs think they are a lap dogs! This photo was actually taken the beginning of August, so Indy is a little, OK a lot bigger now!
