Just another night at 3780

Saying that Jake and I love our dog is an understatement.  We are obsessed with our dog.  And by obsessed, I mean we are abnormally infatuated with this 19 pound Boston Terrier that was introduced into our lives nearly 2 1/2 years ago, named Tank.

So, what prompted this blog?  Moments like these...

Scene: 8:29pm and a DVR'd episode of Billy On the Street: Funny or Die is playing.  Jake is laying on the couch in his fleece jacket because he refuses to set the thermostat higher than 62° and I'm on the chair playing on my new MacBook Pro, lovingly named Watson.

Jake: Would you rather Tank be soft and have a not so cute face or keep his cute face and not be soft?
Me: Cute face, I don't care as much if he is soft.
Jake: Really?  I don't know about that.

a minute later...

Jake: Would you rather Tank not shoot bunnies (aka fart) or not beg for food?
Me: Easy. Not fart.
Jake: No way.  I'd rather he not beg for food.

another minute later... 

Jake: Would you rather Tank have his cute eyes and face and lose his floppy ears or get buggy eyes and an ugly face but keep his floppy ears.
Me: Lose the ears.
Jake: Seriously?  Why?
Me: Buggy eyes lead to more health problems and I don't want an ugly dog.
Jake: (to Tank) Mom did a good job picking out the cutest Boston Terrier with the best ears and face.

end of conversation.

I won't even get into the details of this past Sunday where me, my Dad, and Jake were at one point all sitting in the living room begging Tank to come sit by us.  Don't even worry about the fact that we paused a movie to have this weak moment.  He chose me, but who's keeping track?

PS After I read the draft of this post to Jake he told me he didn't say any of this and that, for the record, Tank ended up choosing to sit near him Sunday.  

midweek confessions

I'm going to attempt week two of participating in midweek confessions over at a friend of mine's blog.  I don't feel like I have anything outstanding to share, but I'll give it my best shot.

-On Saturday morning I woke up to a clicking sound that I thought was Jake clipping his toenails.  Odd.  After listening to it for what felt like forever I got out of the bed determined to make him stop and save the little bit of his toenails that I assumed were left.  To my surprise, when I opened the bedroom door I was hit with a drop of water.  Yep.  I looked up and saw that we had a leak coming through our attic and it was slowly making a pool of water right on the carpet (I'm using "pool" lightly, it's more for dramatic effect).  Jake had to climb into the attic, move around our Christmas decorations, and temporarily patch it with duct tape.  It worked... and all I can say is I'm seriously glad it was a leak and was not an aggravated attack on Jake's toenails, they are short as it is.

-When I run with Tank I slow him down.  It's sad really.  He just looks back at me, encouraging with his little eyes to come on.

-Speaking of running, I tripped (and fell) on my run after work.  It wasn't the best way to kick start my running-after-work-routine,  but it happened and I hit the ground hard.  I ran walked away with a welt on my side, scratched hands, and a busted earphone.  For the record, I did eventually shake it off an ran another mile and a half.  But still... embarrassing.

-Still no computer bag.  Hopefully my luck changes before my two work trips in April.

dog ownership: it's not always a walk in the park

Having a pet is a serious undertaking and I wouldn't recommend it unless you truly love animals and are 100% committed to caring for them financially, physically, and emotionally.  Depending on the kind of pet you choose, they can require a lot- so if you aren't prepared then don't even think about it.  Don't take this to mean that I don't love Tank or in some way regret getting him, because we absolutely ADORE him... but he is a lot of work.

 Tank on the couch while I'm blogging... I just fluffed the cushions.

Over the past few weeks Tank has been a HOT MESS.  We noticed a growth on his front paw just before the holiday and I told Jake we'd need to keep an eye on it in case it started getting bigger.  Of course, Jake did not want to have to bring him into the vet over something like that and quickly dismissed it until a couple weeks ago when it started growing by the day.  I made an appointment and learned that it was some type of immune response to a cut/bite/scratch/who knows and would eventually go away on its own.  Needless to say, I'm glad we had it checked out because it continued to get bigger and bigger and we would have totally freaked out if we didn't known what it was/wasn't.

That same growth was the cause of several other issues including blood on our couch, duvet, and sheets.  Yep... it burst not once, but twice as a result of him playing and got everywhere.  Awesome, right?  The stains on the couch have lightened in color, but are still there and the sheets are still a work in progress.

That's not all though.  Recently, while taking a shower Tank somehow managed to get a corner of the bath mat under the door and started eating it.  No joke.  I came out of the shower and noticed the rug had been pulled under the door and when I opened it, carpet shavings were just sitting there.  Bad dog.

Speaking of carpets, he also has a habit of shredding the rug in front of our door whenever we dog sit Peanut (Scott and Hannah's sidekick).  This has happened twice now and we've only had Peanut twice.  The weird part is that we dog sit for friends a lot and this only happens with Peanut in particular.  I'm onto rug #3 and I plan to put it away the next time Peanut comes to visit.  I should have learned my lesson the first time around, but we honestly thought Peanut did it since Tank had never chewed on rugs before.  Shame on us.

Lastly, his hair loss.  Poor thing.  We took him in for this little issue awhile ago as well and all they could say is that it might be stress related.  Strange.  Anyway, we got him some stuff to put on his dinner each night to help and it's been working.  We officially ran out and learned that the replacement bottle is going to run $60 and will last about 3-4 months at a time.  That might seem reasonable to some of you, but that's not his only expense each month.

I'm not sure why I took the time to vent about Tank because I'm obsessed with him, but I guess I've just been feeling a little more tired than usual so all of these incidents seem monumental at the time.

What I can say is that writing this blog reaffirms that I'm content with just one dog (for now) despite getting the below photo from Tank's former home that they have a new and final litter.

time for an upgrade

It’s been decided.  We are going to have to get a king size bed.  I absolutely, without a doubt, can’t take it anymore. 

This isn’t the first time you’ve read about this trouble in my life, but I’m hoping it’ll be the last.  Actually, let’s save the last official topic-related post for when we announce that we’ve officially ordered a new bed or had a successful night’s sleep in it.  Yes, that sounds more realistic.

The main thing you need to know is that neither Jake nor I are sleeping well.  Jake swears that Tank is the problem but since I mentioned this trouble once well before we got Tank, I’m not convinced.  I will say that Tank certainly contributes to the problem, but he can’t be the sole cause.   Not to mention that at this point I don’t know that I can break him of sleeping in the bed.  Not only would it break my heart, but when he cries and scratches at the door it’s unbearable- thus why he currently comes in and out of the room as often as he pleases (don’t judge me, you’ve never had to listen to him).  His current routine has him getting out of bed at 5:45am with Jake, going potty, eating breakfast, then coming back and crying at our bedroom door until either Jake or I lets him back in.   It’s awful.  But that’s enough about Tank; let’s talk about the other 4 letter word that contributes to our sleeping troubles, J-A-K-E.

Jake goes to bed super early (usually around 9:30 folks) so of course I don’t go to bed at the same time.  When I do finally decide it’s time to sleep, I go into to find him sleeping diagonally across the bed or he’s somehow taken over all 5 of the pillows on our bed.  Talk about terrible.  Every night I have to nicely ask him to scoot over and some nights when he is sleeping more soundly I have to yank a pillow right from under him.  I mean it is a battle to get a spot on the bed.

I can’t think of a better solution than a bigger bed and since we have a queen now, the next step is a king.  The best part is Jake is in totally on board.  He has trouble sleeping too and desperately wants more room… and I think more pillows.  The biggest challenge will be me having patience to slowly get a new bedroom set; we can’t buy everything all at once and I’m sort of weird about bedroom sets matching.  However, at this point sleep deprivation has taken over and I’m fairly sure I’ll get over that quirk fast.

I really like these beds (and overall room styles)...

 

snowed in

Virginia Beach saw around 14" of snow over the holiday weekend, which is crazy if your familiar with the area.  I've lived here my whole life and can honestly say I've never seen it snow that much.  The best part was how it stayed white.  Most of the time when it snows in VB it quickly gets dirty from traffic, etc. but this time since it fell on the Sunday following Christmas no one was working to clear the roads and no one was really driving... people were just outside enjoying the snow!

We (more like Jake) tried to play with Tank in the snow, but he wasn't interested at all.  As a matter of fact, he took the initiative to walk himself back to our front door and when I let him in ran right upstairs, jumped on our bed, and nestled himself under the covers.  Usually he has to be wherever Jake or I am and he especially loves to be outside, but snow and rain are his exceptions, so we've learned.

On another note, while we enjoyed the blizzard outside, we weathered the wintery season inside our apartment as well.  Yes, thats right, we had NO heat.  About a week ago we noticed our old school heater wasn't working very well, which isn't surprising really.   After I heard some interesting and new whistling sounds come from it multiple times I decided to actually call our complex to have it checked.  On the 22nd I called and that day they came out to take a look.  The guy told Jake everything looked fine, but when he went to show Jake how to properly use the thermostat he couldn't get the heat to turn on at all.  I think Jake got a bit of satisfaction out of this, seeing as how the guy was basically suggesting we didn't know how to work the thermostat.  Anyway, he said there was in fact something wrong with it so he'd have to tell the complex.  The next day we got a call that they'd be replacing our heater entirely and would install it on the 24th.  We hung around the apartment all day only to have no one show up and received word that this was in fact the case at 7pm; they rescheduled for Monday.  Keep in mind that this was an exceptionally cold weekend... the same weekend we got 14" of snow!  Monday comes around and there is no word from the installer, our complex calls to say that they won't be doing any jobs because of the weather.  At this point I'm pretty mad and so is Jake.  We've spent our entire vacation dressed in layers, wearing socks at all times, and with multiple blankets on the couches and our bed.  The complex sends over their main maintenance guy who after a few minutes reports that our heater isn't broken it just need to be cleaned so it can run smoothly.  No joke, thats what he said.  As happy as I was to hear it wasn't going to be another day without heat, I was mad about needlessly going without heat for days.  Time that wouldn't have been wasted if the first service guy knew a thing about heaters.  And that isn't an assumption I'm making, its a fact!  This guy told us that the other maintenance guy who answered our initial call wasn't good with these issues, more specifically saying, "Eddie doesn't know anything about heaters, it just isn't his thing."  Isn't his thing?  Then why did they send him to answer the call about our heater?   I don't think I'll ever be able to answer that seeing how sending him defies logic.

Nevertheless, we had a lovely Christmas and even enjoyed an extra day off because of the snow!  I watched some movies I got for Christmas, baked and ate cookies, and cuddled on the couch with Tank.   Vacation days don't get much better than that.

I've also been lying

So, we just recently told our apartment community that we have Tank... and by "told" I mean admitted it, after being confronted with a notice on our door.  Don't judge me.

I don't know why I let this tiny lie omission of the truth perpetuate to this point, but I did, and I'm embarrassed.  In case you haven't already figured it out, Jake is what some might call, frugal.   And I use that term lightly, because Jake doesn't mind spending money on things he understands or values, its anything that doesn't fall into those categories that he has huge issues with.  So as you can imagine, Jake was not excited about the non-refundable pet deposit and monthly fee; thus why we waited to say something.  But that is neither here nor there, because its out in the open now and the fee is non-negotiable.  Period.

Jake’s way of coping with this fact is to send me the following text message:

"Merry xmas.  I’m returning your presents and putting tank in a box"

Please excuse any errors in the above, I wanted to keep it authentic.

This is life though; you win some, you lose some, and you spend too much money on unavoidable things.  And I don't want to hear this could have been avoided if we didn't get a puppy in the first place.  Number one, that is just a ridiculous thing to say and number two, owning a puppy was on my 30 Before 30... which you know isn't optional.

Could you walk away from this face?  If you say yes, you're a liar and no friend of mine... or Tank's.

 

Club Tank

 I try not to talk about Tank a ton, but let's be honest, I LOVE to talk about him and this newest story is definitely worth sharing.

To set the proper foundation I have to start by telling you that our apartment is beside the playground which we have to walk by every day.  When we got Tank in July, school was out for summer and the kids at the playground loved seeing him (I can't blame them).  At first, Jake and I thought it was cute that they were so excited about him, but after noticing the excitement wasn't dying down with time we started to get a little annoyed.  After a few weeks, it got to the point that when we got home from work they would walk up to us and ask if Tank could come outside.  It was then that we started to dread taking him out.  I am not exaggerating when I say that they swarm us like little bees and physical block us from walking Tank.  Once one of the girls tried picking him up and dropped him, which didn't go over well with Jake.  Are you starting to get an idea of what life's been like???

On my sister's birthday a friend of mine offered to let Tank out after work so that I could head straight to dinner and not be worried.  I was short on time, she wanted to help, and her kids love him so it was a win win.  As I handed her my keys I cautioned her about the neighborhood kids and how they can be overbearing.  I kid you not that it was the first thing she brought up to me the following day at work and her daughter sent me a text that night referring to them as the "Little Pink Gang"!  So true, I couldn't have named them better myself! 

Recently (aka yesterday) after work my patience was challenged yet again!  I was walking down the sidewalk and talking on the phone when I heard them yelling to me about Tank.  I started thinking to myself that they can't possibly expect me to answer them 1.) because I'm an adult and I don't have to answer to punk kids and 2.) because I'm on the phone... obviously!!!  Finally, after I walked past them without answering they realized I was busy.  When I got inside I avoided taking Tank out as long as I could.  Usually we take him out right away but I just couldn't handle them again, so I kept an eye on him and prayed he wouldn't tinkle inside... and he didn't.  Once I mustered up the courage and more importantly, patience, I took him out.  I was supposed to be meeting someone in the parking lot and had to actually ask the kids to please wait for me to come back so I could meet my friend, and then repeat myself because they wouldn't move.  After a few minutes they came and found me in the parking lot. U N B E L I E V A B L E.  But wait, it gets better.  They approached me with a sheet of paper that said, "Club Tank" across the top with names and rules underneath it.  They explained to me that they started a club and wanted to show me the rules and who was in it.

Rule #1: We can pet Tank at least once a day.
Rule #2: Tank comes outside to play after school.
Rule #3: (I don't remember it, because I was still in shock about this club and that they were telling me about while I was in the middle of talking to a friend at their car in the parking lot).

How does one respond???  I just laughed and told them they'd have to tell me about it later when I wasn't busy.  Seriously... I want to say something but they are KIDS.  Old enough to be annoying sure, but young enough to be super sensitive.  I would make a polite comment to their parents, if any were ever around, but their gang is completely unsupervised until almost 8pm.  Maybe that's part of the problem.

I really don't want to be mean, but it's too much.  I hesitate to walk my dog because I don't want it to take 5 minutes to get more than a few feet from my door but there is no other way outside.  And I don't want to be mean to them, because I am the adult and they're just kids.  Jake and I need to talk about this more.  Our original plan was to talk to one of the older siblings or this little guy in the group, but the siblings have been non-existent since school started and the little guy has become the ring leader for Club Tank.  Any suggestions???

where has the time gone?

It has been far too long since my last post and that one slipped in after too much time as well! 

Its quite busy here but we knew walking into the Fall that we had plans every weekend.  However, having that understanding and handling it are two different things!  The worst part is that in the midst of the chaos, there haven't been too many noteworthy moments!!!  At least now you know why my blog has been slacking.

This weekend Jake has a triathlon at Smith Mt. Lake, so we're traveling that way and will be staying with friends in Roanoke.  I'm not sure when we'll get in or when we'll head back, but I am sure that the weekend will feel way too short.  A perk is that we will bringing Tank along!

I don't remember if I blogged about this or not, but at the end of August Tank took his first trip with us to Charlottesville.  After hearing our friends Jeff and Elizabeth were bringing their dog I convinced Jake that Tank should be able to come too.  With hesitation, he agreed but made it perfectly clear this would be a test and would determine his inclusion on future trips.  

Well, I'm proud to say Tanky Tank passed with flying colors.  He slept with me both nights in my sleeping bag and was very well behaved at the wineries.  Jake couldn't deny this so Tank has officially earned the right to travel with us... as long as the people we're visiting don't mind!

Trust me, we're not going to be those people who can't be separated from their dog, BUT when you're traveling pretty much every weekend you sort of feel bad pawning them off!  Right???

week two: mid-week laughs

E, Myself, and I is back this week with her blog series, "mid-week laughs" and I decided to participate again! If you're a blogger, feel free to partake!  This week's topic is:

_________ makes me laugh about MY PET!

I'll go ahead and fill in the blank with...

His big dog personality makes me laugh about MY PET!

 Just to give you an idea of his size.

My puppy Tank currently weighs in at about 5 lbs. with the potential to reach 17-20 as a full grown adult.  However, judging by the way he carries himself and the large dogs he tends to associate with you'd think he was working up to 100.  His favorite neighborhood dog is the German Shepherd Great Dane mix and his most recent friendship is with our friends' French Mastiff, Gus.

I know its been said that smaller dogs tend to be this way, but I'm convinced Tank takes this to a whole other level.  Combine his belief that he is way bigger than he is with his alpha dog personality and you get t r o u b l e!  Take a look for yourself.

 

Vet Nightmare

I don't want to become that dog owner who obsessively talks/writes about her pet, but I think when noteworthy things happen in regards to Tank that they should be shared. So without further ado I want to talk about his first vet appointment on Friday.

Long story short, it was a total nightmare (in case you didn't gather from the title of this post). He went in for some shots and a check up and came out with a trauma he would spend 30+ hours working past.

I knew it was going to be a rough appointment when he screamed just at having his ears cleaned. Don't get me wrong, if someone shoved a Q-tip that far down both of my ears I'd react too, but that was just the beginning. Next came the shots in different locations and finally a dose of liquid through his little baby snout. It was too much to watch and apparently too much too endure at just 4.6 lbs.

When we left he seemed ok, just frazzled. However, by the time we got home he was ready for a nap in his crate- something very unusual for him. After giving him some alone time, I tried engaging him with his favorite toy fish, Mr. Griggles. No such luck. He didn't want to chase him, chew on him, or even lay near him. All he wanted to do was sleep in his crate away from me and Jake. Whenever we touched him or tried to pick him up he would scream and whimper. Naturally after witnessing all these symptoms of distress, I cried. He was traumatized and I was the one who put him through it.

When I noticed that Jake was alarmed as well, I called the vet. They asked if he exerted any of the symptoms they requested I watch for and I said no. They assured me at his size and with what he had done that it was natural for him to be sore. I vowed to give it just over 24 hours before I brought him back in. Sure enough, Sunday morning he stopped whimpering when touched and was all about Mr. Griggles...what a relief!

He is acting completely normal and has gotten lots of extra love this weekend. Now all I'm worried about is his next appointment in three weeks! Thank goodness I scheduled it for Jake's day off... its his turn to bear it!

a work in progress

Tank is exactly 7 weeks old and Jake and I have been proud owners for officially one week (and a day). Despite having pets before, it has been interesting having a puppy and actually being the primary caregiver. We both have learned a lot...

First, never again will I be fooled into thinking that kids can have pets... their parents can maybe, but they can't. I remember being on the other end of this argument in middle school when I begged my mom to keep our lab puppy, Emma (originally purchased for Dani, which is an entirely different story) promising I would take care of her. My Mom tried explaining to me that I couldn't care for Emma at that age, but I was determined to prove her wrong... and in her wise way, she was determined to prove me wrong by letting me experience first hand that I was utterly clueless past playtime. Lesson learned. I mean I am almost 25 and I'm still wondering if I'm actually a qualified pet owner.

Second, I've come to find that puppy teeth are extremely dangerous and are most attracted to quick moving hands, feet, and sometimes faces. Tank in particular thinks this is the best game ever. Wrong. I think both Jake and I would go as far as to say that's the worst game ever. Our little piranha, he's a nightmare.

Third, if a puppy looks like he has to pee then he probably has to pee. Seems simple enough, but when you're taking a dog out constantly for lack of a yard it gets tiresome to keep bringing them in and out and in and out and in... you get the point. Another lesson learned after Tank peed in the apartment 5+ times this weekend. Now we know.

Fourth, Boston Terriers are gaseous... even as puppies. I thought the coast would be clear for awhile with this common breed "issue", but I was wrong (are you seeing a pattern?). Although it hasn't happened as often as Jake has blamed him, Tank does already pass gas and it is gross! How could something so sweet and small let out something so awful?

It's been an interesting week full of lessons, sleepless nights, & bites... but we survived and Tank is still adorable.

Photos courtesy of Meme Tomasulo

Tank's Arrival

Yesterday Jake and I drove to North Carolina and back to pick up Tank! We hit the road early to make it there by 3 but gave ourselves enough time before leaving to tie up any loose ends. I don't know why I was dead set on doing things like vacuuming before Tank arrived, but I was, and I did. We packed his "go bag" and excitedly started our trip.

Our original plan to stop and eat in Greensboro was altered when we realized how far it was when lunchtime hit. We stopped in Hillsborough instead, which was a decision made out of hunger... not always the best kind. I found a restaurant named "The Dog House" on the GPS, so in the spirit of our trip's purpose we agreed to try it. We had already decided beforehand that we didn't want to stop at a chain, so this seemed like an exciting choice. After I entered it into the GPS, Jake immediately got frustrated because he realized it wasn't taking us the shortest way. He complained and I offered to just forget the idea altogether (really hoping he wouldn't stop at Wendy's instead), but we kept on route. Finally Jake saw it in the distance (not where the map took us) and it was a hot dog stand. I'm not joking- it was actually more like a shack near a car dealership... which on top of everything was closed because of the holiday! It was hysterical (to us anyway)! We kept driving to another place called Bandino's. Honestly, even if the stand had been open I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have stopped, it was that s h a d y.

But enough pre-Tank details, I know what you want to hear about! We met the family who had Tank at a steakhouse parking lot in Yadkinville, NC. Their whole family was there and Tank was right in the front seat with Amanda, the puppies' care taker. I could barely hold in my excitement. I jumped right out and went immediately over to their car. She met me pretty quickly and without hesitation handed him to me. I was in love with him instantly. I held him in his blanket and kissed his lil face. After a few minutes, Jake very excitedly asked to hold him too. I couldn't believe I had been hogging him up until that point. I didn't feel too bad though- he had been talking to the owner about shots & food... very important details to know! We got back in the car after about 30 minutes of chatting with their family and gushing over our new puppy! We forgot all about the crate and let him cuddle in my lap. Jake was looking at him so much we both worried we would crash; at one point he was trying to take a picture- while driving!!! Crazy, I know! Anyway, Tank rode all the way home without a single yelp. He was such a good boy! Now bedtime was another story, but I'll skip it and go straight to pictures. He is so cute!

Tank Update

I assume you all are as eager to meet Tank as we are, but we've still got a few more weeks! The July 4th pick up date has been confirmed and we both have that Monday off already for the holiday, which works out perfectly. I mean honestly, how could I go to the work the next day anyway???

We're coordinating borrowing a crate and soft carrier for the trip and I've started acquiring a few things here and there to help him settle right in and feel at home! I also wanted to mention that one of Jake's patients is the proud owner of two boston terriers and Jake is already making sure to get training tips at each visit... thus the final decision to crate train. I'm sure there will be other life-saving insider tips and tricks we will be sure to incorporate as well, but time will tell!

I just can't wait! I'm hoping my business trip and the two weddings we have coming up will make the time fly by! For now, here are some current pictures! Oh, and I did I already mention we're almost 100% decided on Tank for his name? Well, we are.

after much anticipation

I wanted to wait to share the news until I had all the details worked out, but who knows when that will be and I'm just too excited!

This past weekend, Jake and I sent in a deposit on a puppy! After much debate, we went with a Boston Terrier and he will be 8 weeks on July 4th! Dotson (his temporary name) currently resides in NC so we are still working out the details for picking him up, but rest assured he will be home sweet home at some point in July. The family seems very nice and turns out they live close to my grandpa in the boonies...small world.

Here are some pictures of him, he is just a bitty baby right now, but we'll have updates with photos as he grows!

This is the whole litter, he is at the bottom of the dog pile.

He is the little guy on the right with the dot.

His first solo photo.

Already up and checking things out.

Names we're tossing around include:

• Tank
• Samson
• Boone

Personally, I'm happy with any of the above and think we need to meet him to see what fits!