I haven’t given an update on Puzzle the Puppy lately but that does not mean she has been quietly chewing on her bone and out of trouble. On the contrary…..
It was about 15 minutes before we were to sit down for the Thanksgiving meal I had been preparing for a day and a half. I was distracted by the turkey and Puzzle the Puppy was on the prowl. She had just been spayed 3 days before and we were attempting to keep her “quiet”. Oh, foolish, foolish humans!
The downstairs bedroom of our new home smells like cigarette smoke so I have been working hard to remove the odor. Febreze? Did not even touch it. Then, I remembered someone telling me coffee would do the trick. I filled a bowl with coffee beans and stuck it under the bed. I was just pouring the gravy into the gravy boat when my 12 year old came into the room with the bowl, now half empty, in his hands.
“I caught Puzzle eating coffee beans,” he said.
My husband and I ran to the computer and Googled “What to do if your dog eats coffee beans.” The reply: induce vomiting at soon as possible. Then, we Googled “How to make your dog vomit”. The reply: Syrup of Ipecac or two teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide. We had the hydrogen peroxide so while the rest of the family sat down to say thanks and carve the turkey, I grabbed the dog and headed to the upstairs bathroom.
“You guys go ahead,” I said. “I’ll be back later.”
I squirted the peroxide in the puppy’s mouth. She liked it and swallowed (of course). Then, I waited and prayed.
“God, please let this work. We don’t have the money to go to an emergency pet clinic on Thanksgiving day and if this dog dies, the kids will be heartbroken….”
Then, I heard it. Like some subterranean creature rising from the deep the rumblings began….
The end? About a cup and a half of coffee beans on the bathroom floor. Puzzle the Puppy was fine. I rubbed her head and told her she had earned a time out. In her crate she went. I went to the top of the stairs and yelled, “It worked!” which was met by a chorus of “Yeah!” and “Thank you Jesus!!!!”
You would think the dog would never want to touch coffee again. On the contrary, she now runs into the kitchen every time she smells a cup brewing. Go figure.
Here is a picture I took of her a couple of months ago. She went through a stage where she would sneak into the bathroom, grab the end of the toilet paper and run around the house. One day, I took a photo of her. Every time I see it, I just think, “Can’t we all just get along?”
I thought I had a little bad puppy! I think I’ll go kiss her and ask for her forgiveness for the things I say about her. Although bringing my bra outside in front of workers might not be forgiven too easily. Read my blog “Airing Dirty Laundry” if you want to read the story.
Ah, yes, the Toilet Paper Train . . . it’s only a stage, I promise you! I have Maltese, which, when they are puppies, can fit in a tissue box and are all too easily mistaken for tissues themselves, and yet, with vim, vigour and relentless determination (and a set of springs in their hind legs, I am positive) they too made the leap to capture the toilet paper tail and show me just what a fascinating interior decorating tool it could be!
Mine also have been known to enjoy pencils, socks, and less mentionable items of undergarment and paper product. When they were in the toilet paper stage we just moved the roll higher until they forgot about it, but you have short people in the house so that might not work . . . maybe put it in a box, so it doesn’t roll off the spool so desirably? lol! Whatver you do, please give my hugs to Puzzle, who got a wonderful mummy to understand the difference between a “bad” dog and a puppy who’s just being a puppy!
(two of my three may also be sending her cheers, tips and encouragement, but don’t pass those along, she will get quite the wrong idea)