In which I mention the dog(s)

Tonight I am dog-sitting for my parents. They are going away for a few days next month, and I will be watching Milo. He’s staying here tonight so that I can see whether he will be able to stay here, or if Bella and I will have to go stay at my parents’ house.

I can tell you right now that he's not staying here again.

Maybe it’s not fair to judge him on his first time here. He’s out of his comfort zone. I'm okay with the rough-housing with Bella. I can put up with the pacing, and his neurotic need to jump up to look out every single window. Bella did that too when we first moved in. 

But Bella didn’t pee on my bed.

Not 30 seconds into his visit, he lifted his leg and sprayed my 650 thread-count duvet cover. I bought it in an impulsive moment online before I moved in, before I blew through half my savings, and realized I needed to furnish this new life with furniture from Craigslist and table cloths from Goodwill. 

The thing is, between working full-time and hanging out with my family and friends, most of the time I spend in this new house is in that bed. And it’s damn comfortable. The sheets are just as thread-county (and expensive) as the cover on the down comforter. It’s like sleeping in a cloud, if clouds were warm and dry instead of cold and wet.

Thanks to Milo, it is still like sleeping in a cloud. But only if clouds were made of pee.

My back yard has also received a thorough soaking, but I expected that. Milo is a natural outdoorsdog. He bounded through the ivy and the pine needles and scaled the boulders. 

Milo, ever-vigilant, guards the house from cats. Bella guards it from sticks.

Although he's a total klutz indoors, outside he has an elegant grace which only augments the complete clumsiness of Miss Bella, who gets tangled in the ivy and slips in the pine needles. Today she tried to jump from one small rock to another and completely lost her balance.  

 

Moments after this photo was taken, she stood on the racquet and it flew up, rake-like, and smacked her in the face. 

I'm glad they both enjoy the yard so much - it is a big part of the appeal of this property. I walk the fence daily to make sure there are no signs of digging, and everywhere there are signs that it will be a beautiful spring. Already there is more green than I ever thought capable in this arid, high desert prairie. But my new house is near the forest. I am surrounded by trees much taller than the house. Most of the trees are pine, and never completely drop their needles. But there are plenty of leaf-less trees to hint of even denser foliage to come, and relief from the relentless summer sun. 

No sun tonight though.

What makes a house a home.

I’m alone tonight, in my little cottage. Bella is spending the night with my parents because I have to be at work tomorrow at 7, and because I’m supposed to spend the day driving to a few of the more remote areas of the county. With all that driving, I won't feel like getting up 45 minutes early to drop the dog off before work.

It doesn’t have to be like this.

The yard is fenced. I did that with my dad. He manned a sledgehammer and pounded in the stakes. I bought a staple gun, and a neighbor donated the no-climb wire. We only had about 15 feet to cover, and now Bella has a big back yard all to herself (although possibly shared with a skunk). 

So, yeah. There’s a fence. But there’s also the barking. And I don’t know if she barks only when she knows I’m inside or if she continues after I leave. I don’t know because I haven’t left her yet, but really, how do you find out the answer to that question? People offer advice – about voice-activated recorders, motion sensors and nanny cams. All expensive experiments, when I could just park down the street with the windows open, just like Animal Control does when investigating reports of a nuisance dog.

I’ve received plenty of advice on the Dog Alone in the New House Problem (and I'm definitely not looking for any more). But the solutions I’ve been offered vary and often seem impractical or cruel or… I’m just not there yet.  Solutions like a crate, shock collar, and training -- the ever-elusive training. The dog sits on command, she lies down, she can shake hands, and occasionally she stays. Yes, barking is still a problem. So is jumping. So is helping herself to a snack from the fridge.  We’re working on it. 

* * *

I actually intended this entry to be about something else. Today I moved my books and journals from the office in my parents shed.  It was a giant pain, and I regretted not being more organized on the day I moved the furniture, because then I would have had help with the 50 billion boxes of books instead of moving them today all by myself.

Anyway, they’re mostly unpacked. By which I mean, they are out of my car. Some of them are on the bookshelves. There’s still a lot to sort through, but I’m working on it. The thing is, I thought when I brought over the books, and especially once I unpacked the journals – I thought that would mean I was finally home. I thought it would feel less like I was house-sitting and more like my own place. But when I went to get the books, I left Bella behind for the night.  And as much trouble as she causes, it doesn’t feel like home without her snoring  in the corner.