Looks Like Puggie Got Off the "Naughty" List

I am happy to report that Puggie got herself off the "Naughty" list, which is good because I don't rightly know the dog equivalent of coal in the stocking. Actually, "naughty" is not really the right word to describe her behavior of late. Puggie is simply acting like a mischievous puppy again. Who knew that a three pound weight loss coupled with cooler weather could transform my snorty couch potato pug into the playful pup she once was? For the first two years of her life, John and I were convinced that she did not sleep because we NEVER saw her snoozing. These last two years I don't think we ever caught her awake. Due to this re-emergence of puppy pug, we now have a dog that cannot get enough playtime, belly rubs, fetch....you name it. Needless to say, she is driving me nuts. Keeping up with the girls is hard enough without adding a newly recharged pug into the mix.

Normally her energy would not annoy me so much. Unfortunately, I am majorly sleep deprived and sleep deprivation makes me downright edgy. This week has been worse than usual. In addition to the typical breastfeeding rousings, I have been up due to Angela's ear infection pain and Alice's night terrors. I feel like the walking dead. While running errands yesterday, I actually looked at concrete sidewalks with longing. They seemed like such an inviting place to lay down and rest a while. Needless to say, having the pug jumping all over me when I finally do sit down has not been as welcome as it normally would be. It also seems like every time I turn around she has been engaged in some misdeed or another . The big "you freaking dog" moment of the week came when I caught her in the basement eating the ornaments Alice and I made from bake-doh. Apparently, they were so delicious that she is now stalking the Christmas tree with the pug equivalent of panther like stealth (read: no stealth at all). I never would have thought that flour, salt, water and non toxic paint would be so delicious; however, considering that the dog is not above noshing on a shitty diaper, I guess anything is a step up from that.

And then on Tuesday Puggie got herself back into my good graces. Alice, Angela and I were in the living room playing and watching television while waiting for John to return home from work. Angela is now sitting up independently for stretches of time. I was periodically handing her toys to entertain her when Puggie came into the room with her favorite scrunchy dog in her mouth. She walked over to Angela, placed it on her lap, and sat down, waiting for Angela to play with her. Angela whacked the toy a few times and laughed. This resulted in the infamous "pug head tilt" as the dog tried to process how exactly this is fun. She decided to try a different track. After leaving the room for a moment, Puggie came back with her green soccer ball. She placed this next to Angela in the hope of a more rousing game but was disappointed once again. After a while, she sprawled herself next to the baby and let Angela pet her (read: whack her roughly due to a lack of fine motor development and delicacy).

The sweetness of the moment made me remember all the good that is in "that damn dog." She is so patient and tolerant with both girls. John and I often comment how we could not have a better dog, especially with two little ones running about. Puggie just takes everything in stride. For instance, last week the dog was enjoying gnawing on her rawhide. Angela decided to get in on the action and gum the dog's hind leg. The dog paused to see what was going on and then resumed her bone chewing. She never runs away and hides from Alice even when their games get too rough for my taste. Just yesterday, Alice was chasing the dog with a pirate sword. They were engaged in a game of hair stylist and she wanted to cut the dog's hair. A few minutes after telling Alice to stop with the sword, I went to check on the two. There was Alice combing the dog's hair with a comb she found and the dog patiently sitting there allowing Alice to play her game. "That damn dog" is my faithful babysitter, persistent face cleaner, and determined crumb hunter. I could not have a better pal. Sharing motherhood with her has brought more smiles and sweet moments than I would have thought possible.