So, we recently rescued 10 Pitbull puppies from being put down in Galveston, TX. It's been a bit of work.... I'm not going to lie! (If you haven't shared it yet go to- https://www.facebook.com/SafeinAustin) If only they were as easy to clean off as a human baby I would put diapers on everyone and avoid the poop mania that I wake up to every morning! (excepting any and all pee pad donations, asap!!!) After the nine hour car drive on Friday and then building make-shift shelters for all of them inside and outside of the house on Saturday; I'm pretty beat!
This morning, again, I woke up and found myself inside the puppy playhouse knee deep in #1 and #2 and got to work cleaning. I keep looking at their sweet little faces, in order to help keep the gagging under control! :/
Fortunately for Texas, but unfortunately for me, it is raining today! Pouring down rain means no sending the active little guys to the "outside resort" and constant clean-up duty for me! (Sending the kids into the pen of poop to try to clean up, tends to create MUCH bigger problems than I started with..... lesson learned!!)
We had a special birthday party to attend today, so I got everybody cleaned up, tucked in and we set off to Main Event for some bowling and laser tag. Even though it was raining we let Angel come along (typically when it's raining (which is Never!) we leave her at home because, you know, the whole wet dog thing!) but she has been a bit flustered with meeting a new church full of people on Sunday and not really understanding her role in regards to the new dog and puppies that have come into our home. She REALLY hates it when she is left at home, so I knew it wasn't the best idea to separate her and Jackson this morning! (Angel is my seven year old son's Autism Service Dog! If you haven't been following their journey you can find it here- https://www.facebook.com/SnugglebugsAngel)
I took a shower and actually put some clothes on that would be considered too dressy for the gym; (which is my normal attire) including some cute wedges that I haven't had a chance to wear yet!! Once we got to Main Event I realized that many people thought this would be a great rainy day activity and immediately felt the hesitation from Angel and Jackson. I also realized right away that this was Angel's first time in a bowling alley and she was not thrilled about it.... at all!
Angel is always looking out for Jackson; well, all of us really. I'm constantly encouraging her to just lay down and relax. But her guard dog instincts just won't have it. At a bowling alley/arcade full of children there are a LOT of sounds and people that she is concerned about!
Everyone got started bowling and I did my best to find Angel a place she could chill out and still see Jackson. Everything seemed fine until I turned my back for a second and suddenly there was a flash of white flying past me and galloping across the bowling alley! She weaved in and out of people, tables, and obstacles like she was on an agility field and headed right for the front door! I was, of course, yelling to my friends to watch the kids and "gracefully" galloping after her. She was in the parking lot by the time I got to the front doors and I saw her panick when she realized she didn't know what car was ours! (We are still driving the rented car I had to get to go pick up the puppies with!) She was frantically circling car after car, I'm assuming trying to find a scent, as I was making my way over to her shouting things I encourage myself to avoid saying in front of the children! ;)
Picture this (with a large audience watching)- Me, in my new wedges, in the pouring rain, galloping across a parking lot, yelling profanity at my son's Service Dog who has decided she is going home even if she has to drive the dang car herself..... (I should really have my own reality show!)!!
I managed to get her, remind her that she is NOT in charge, that sometimes you have to do things that you don't want to do, that it's not ok to run and hide, and that she will have to do some chores to earn some money to pay for my now ruined shoes! (Sometimes I mix Jackson and Angel up!!) ;)
(I have mentioned before that I 100% believe that I got my Aspie son an Aspie Service Dog and that is why they are so PERFECT for each other, Right?!!) And then I got Jackson's permission to take Angel home for some alone time; something Jackson also needs a lot of to help clear his head.
We were able to enjoy the rest of the party and Jackson did a great job, although rock climbing is not his thing apparently! (Who would have thought?! ;) ) We tore that place up and left four hours latter with all kinds of cheap ridiculous things that you pay crazy amounts of money for them to buy with the stingy game's awarded "tickets"!
The rain continues which is awesome, except that the big dogs have been holding it all day long in order to avoid getting wet (What??? You Are A Dog... Ok, this may be my own doing! Can you say spoiled??!!) so that could REALLY add to my already busy potty maintenance! YIKES!!
So, basically, today is not much different than any other day in our house! It's best described as Crazy, Fun, Chaos!!
Serveral times today I thought of the Parenting movie with the grandmother that tells the very insightful story about how life is like a roller-coaster. How some people choose to be on the Merry-go-round which just goes round and round, but she likes the roller coaster! The twists and turns make life so much more exciting and worthwhile!! (She tells the story as the family is headed out to a school function and when the wife mentions how smart she is, the husband looks out the window and says "Oh yeah, then why is she sitting in our neighbors car?"!!) I think I need to rent that tonight!!
PS- If you are new to our service dog story you should know that I am fully aware that what Angel did today is NOT ok. To quote another movie- Angel, "it's not that you are a bad person (or service dog), it's that you made a bad choice"!! Our journey is full of Amazing Miraculous Moments... and moments that make you want to cringe! She's not a robot. And in order to do what she does for Jackson I don't want her to be. So.... remember what your mama should have taught you and "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all"! Thanks!
