Monday, March 24, 2014

Puppy Mischief and Bucket Lists

   I’ve thought a good deal about mischief recently.  Mostly, I have been recalling puppy shenanigans.  I thought these stories deserved being told on Mischief Monday hosted by Snoopy’s Dog Blog, My Brown Newfies, and Alfie’sBlog.  These three pet bloggers know mischief and prove it each Monday with hilarious stories.  Be sure to hop over and see what their crazy canines are doing.
   As most of you know, we have our granddog, Pierre the Westie living with us.  He will be moving in with his mommy and daddy in August.  That means Bentley will be an only dog.  While he loves having our undivided attention, I know he needs a little friend.
   It’d be great to have all of the breeds that I love, but I’d be on an episode of "Hoarders" in no time at all.  I want a puppy because I love everything about puppies.  Well, at least, that was my initial thought.  Seriously, what’s not to love about a puppy?  They are sweet, adorable, funny, and perfect little creatures.  That’s when a small voice in the back of my head, that I ignore when it comes to puppies, started reliving my previous puppy experience.  Bentley is our seventh dog, so we have had quite a few puppy years.
   Since my adorably innocent looking Basset Hound, Bentley was a puppy six long years ago; I tend to forget some of his mischief.  I really want another Basset Hound puppy.  I have been thinking about how precious he was as a little guy.  Then, I remember the time when he was about four months old.  He had been such a big boy with
Tucker, our Golden Retriever, teaching him how to behave in the house.  We were going to drive to the local convenience store, which is about fifteen minutes round trip.  I told my husband that we should just let Bentley stay loose in the living room.  Tucker was in there and they were both snoozing together.  If I woke him up to put him in his kennel, he’d be sad and cry.  After all, what could he get into in such a short period of time?  We soon found out the answer to this rhetorical question.  Obviously, fifteen minutes is enough time for a very small Basset Hound to pull the living room carpet up from the corner and chew the padding into a million tiny pieces.  We walked in and Tucker came to stand beside as we looked at Bentley sitting in a pile of padding chips.  His ears were dragging the ground and the look of absolute pride shown on his face.  Tucker looked at the mess and then at us.  I could almost promise that he shrugged as if to say, “What did you expect me to do?  I told him to stop.”  Bentley returned to going into his kennel anytime that we left after that incident.

   Remembering Bentley’s mischief has made me realize that getting a new puppy is like deciding to have another baby.  In your mind, you think of another baby and you recall the scent of baby lotion, cooing, baby kisses, and first smiles.  Somehow, the memories of morning sickness, colic, and poopy diapers fade away.  It’s the same way with puppies.  You forget the accidents, the chewed furniture, shoes, carpets, and glasses.  It’s a good thing to remember what a handful a new puppy is, but all it takes is one little tail wag or a tiny puppy kiss and all of the troubles fade away again as “puppy fever” rears its head.  I have never gotten “baby-fever” when I’m around a new baby.  If you show me a puppy though, watch out, because I will suffer a great bout of “puppy fever.”  I’m going to write my next few Monday Mischief posts about some of the funnier “OH MY DOG" puppy moments over the coming weeks.
   I have to share some human mischief with you.  Well, actually it’s not so much mischief
as it is a checked off item on my Bucket List.  Last week for my birthday, my son, and his wife surprised, shocked, and thrilled me with two tickets to see Sir Elton John in concert!  Yes, music royalty live and in person!  Holy Cow!!  We’ve not been to a concert in quite a while, so we were excited.  Plus, it was ELTON JOHN!  He has been one of my favorite singers forever.  It was the “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” tour and he sang every song I loved from the original album.  It was a bit sobering to realize it was forty years ago!  It was a sell-out concert and the majority of people were our age.  I’m sure his crowds have mellowed since the 70’s, but when I looked at the sea of people dancing and singing along, I knew that just like me, they were remembering back to the first time they were “hoppin’ and boppin’ to the Crocodile Rock!”  Thanks again to Dustin and Jackie for an incredible gift!  And of course, thanks to Elton John for three hours of non-stop awesomeness!

                                                           

26 comments :

  1. Whoops! How funny. We couldn't help but giggle reading your post.

    Some people don't realise how hard puppies can be!


    Happy Monday Mischief!

    Louise & Bernie :)

    berniethefrenchie.blogspot.com

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    1. Although it wasn't funny at the time, it is really hilarious now!

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  2. I'm a sucker for puppies too. Am I the only one who thinks they smell good?

    So happy you got to see Elton. My husband and I saw him a few years ago when he toured with Billy Joel.

    --Woofs (and purrs) from Life with Dogs and Cats

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    1. I love the way puppies smell too! Oh, that concert must have been incredible! I love Billy Joel!

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  3. Oooh, the ever familiar puppy fever :-) Luckily I have good self control or I'd be on one of those hoarding shows. What a fantastic gift you received! I say you raised that son right and he picked the right wife... great gift givers!

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    1. Thanks! I am very lucky to have great grown kids! If it weren't for my husband's self-control, we'd have too many dogs! BOL!

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  4. I can send you Bailie when Pierre leaves, or even today if you like...little sisters are overrated! Mom says I would miss her, but she can be such a pest, I'm not sure about that. How about a GBGV puppy? You are right, puppies are a lot of work and tend to turn things upside down for a while, but they have so many positives, it outweighs the negatives. It will be interesting to see what happens on the subject at your house :)

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    1. Emma, you know that you would miss your silly sister. My mom would LOVE to have a GBGV puppy! She thinks you girls are so precious. I think that you are cute and I love your new haircut! <3

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  5. Puppy memories and Elton John! Doesn't get better than that! What a great birthday gift!

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  6. Ah Bentley!!!! You crazy pup!!!!
    I know what you mean about puppy fever!!!! And baby fever. I suffer from both! My youngest is 3 years old now (human child BOL) and any time I see a little tiny baby I think back when she was so tiny, and I SO want another baby! Same with puppies! I am excited to hear you are thinking on getting another dog though!!! Even if it not a pup! I gotta say, I was happy when we adopted Koda because he has already grown out of most of the puppy stage but he is still under a year old. But the downfall was we did not get to see him all tiny and fluffy. Good luck with thaT!!
    And congrats on your concert! What an amazing gift! I would love to see Elton in concert!!!! Such a talented man!!!
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

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    1. I had friends that would get baby fever every time they were around one. I never wanted more than the two we planned but puppies...I'd have a whole pack!

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  7. How awesome. I would love to Elton John. Holy cow, that was 40 years wasn't it??!!

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    1. He was remarkable and played all of my favorites. It sure doesn't seem like 40 years ago!

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  8. Puppies do a lot of things good and bad. But overall they are beautifull. And an Elton John concert... How lucky can you be. Have a great day.

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    1. Thanks Laika! Puppies are like crack! One puppy leads to looking for your next puppy! HaHa! Yes, I am a very lucky mom!

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  9. Too bad we don't have carpeting in the house. I could've made so many holes!

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    1. Golden Retrievers don't tear up carpet, do they? LOL!! Tucker, our Golden ate our wall but that's another post! : )

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  10. Oh my gosh... puppies. There was a puppy at the shelter today that I fell in love with. So sweet, soft and snuggly!! I even took some selfies with him he was SO cute. But.... puppies are such a pain! Luckily I resisted him! :) How fun to see Elton! Very cool!

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    1. Shelter puppies are even MORE tempting! I'm proud that you resisted. BOL!

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  11. Ah yes, puppyhood. I'm thinking of getting another dog in the next few years but I am not looking forward to all the mischief. I wish Niles could just live forever because honestly I've got her trained exactly how I like and the idea of going through all that again is exhausting!

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  12. What an awesome gift! Happy belated Birthday!

    Ha ha ha! After bringing Küster home, I realized that puppy breath has some kind of amnesiatic affect on us and makes us forget a lot of their misdeeds. It's the only logical explanation!

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  13. We've never had a puppy... I don't know if I'm up for it! They're certainly cute though.

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  14. I know getting a more mature dog is the way to go. We asked the rescue to contact us when they had a dog at least 1 year old for us. Then the puppy photos arrived...and here comes trouble with a capital T whose name is Toby. You couldn't be more right about puppy fever! Now I'm vowing never again. But when I see one, who knows?

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  15. Oh, Elton John, so cool!! I love going to concerts and seeing performers from "back in the day".

    I hesitated about getting a puppy too. It had been 9 years for us since we'd had one, but I think my expectations were pretty realistic still. I don't regret it a bit, even though there are times Luke has me pulling my hair out! Plus, you know, squeeeee....Bentley was such a cute puppy, basset hound and beagle puppies are the cutest! Well, they're all cute but there's something about those big hound dog ears on a puppy.

    I never got the baby fever thing either. But if there's a puppy around, I'm there. It's funny, at the store I work at, my co-worker goes nuts for new babies, but she doesn't bother to let me know if there's one in the store anymore....but if someone brings in a puppy, she knows to call me from my office immediately! LOL
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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  16. How nice your looking at getting a friend for Bentley after Pierre goes home. Puppys are so much fun. What a nice surprise on the tickets, sounds like you had a great time.

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