When Enough is Enough

It wasn't when Baker had an accident on the carpet...

...it wasn't when he spewed dog snot all over the house...

...it wasn't the begging at the table....

...it wasn't the constant trail of water coming from his water bowl...

...it wasn't the muddy doggy footprints...

...it wasn't when he chewed the kitchen chairs...

....it wasn't the vomitting on the carpet....and the rug....multiple times...

...it wasn't when he started snagging things from the counters and table...

...it wasn't even the barking every.single.time he was put outside.

Enough was him whining every morning around 5 am (sometimes around 3am as well)....always waking us and usually Libby as well.  I need sleep!  I expected the chewing and barking and accidents and messes, but getting up multiple times a night??  No.  I did not consider that aspect of doggy ownership.  (For the record, he was well over a year old and capable of going 7-8 hours without a potty break.  A call to the rescue gave me the advice to "throw a shoe at him" when he tried to wake us up.  Uhmmm....no, no I don't think so.)

So Baker returned to the rescue yesterday.  He actually seemed very happy to get back.  While we feel bad that it didn't work out, he was a spoiled rotten pup during the month he lived at our house.  He packed on some much needed pounds, got good medical care, learned some fun tricks, and got lots of lovin'.  I suppose the rescue may have benefitted as well since they basically got a sizable donation from us in fees and supplies. ;-)

I have no doubt he will be adopted soon; he's a good lookin' puppy!  And we learned a valuable lesson - perhaps we are just not dog owning people.  At least not dog-and-toddler-owning people.  Not that I'm nervous about Libby being around dogs, but just the work it takes to make sure toddler and dog are both staying out of mischief.  It's an exhausting, 24/7 job!  In any case, there will not be another canine in the Smith house for many, many years.  Well, not one that stays, anyway.

I don't miss the constant surveillance that Baker required, but I do miss the happy furry greetings. 

So, we have decided to get a pet that doesn't need as much work - a cat.  Independent, quiet (relatively), small, able to go extended periods without needing to be let out of the house.  Yes, I think a cat will fit our lifestyle much better.