Our New Puppy

Well, we have a new puppy in our house. However, like everything in our life, this puppy is atypical; not the kind with four legs and a button nose, although this one tends to give slobbery kisses with her tongue. My darling 2 1/2 year old daughter has decided she is puppy named Rex. To give you some background, Rex is a 10 year old puppy Lauren met at her Aunt Maryanne's house, in PA, and, at one point, was deathly afraid of touching her. Well, the times have changed: Lauren is no longer afraid and barking like mad. Now, the house is filled with the sound of screaming kids and a barking dog.

Our Rex puppy likes to sit on our lap so we can rub her belly. We scratch her head. She has even dumped her dry cereal out on the floor so she could eat like a dog. It is not uncommon for her to eat "doggy treats" out of our hands. If "Rex" is feeling particularly mischievous she will put her brother's Pokemon cards in her mouth and carry them around the house, which incites a small army of boys chasing after her. Well, chasing after their card, as she well knows. Sometimes, she morphs from "Rex" to monster puppy. Her barks and growls become deeper and she might try to nip. When our Rex needs attention, real or perceived, she stands up on the couch and starts barking. Loudly. Persistently.

We are having some issues, since our puppy does not like some of our rules, such as, "no puppies on the bed" rule, or "dirty puppies still need to take baths." My personal favorite of the rules seems to be the most fun to break, which is the "no slobbering on Mommy" rule. (I know it is because I hate my face being slobbered on by one child, let alone three others who magically become dogs so they can slobber on me too, so my reaction makes the game that much more fun.)

While this puppy is the process of being housebroken, I am relieved not to wake up to the morning surprises real puppies tend to leave behind for their humans to clean. Also, I can take Rex to the park or shopping(usually minus the leash), and still lay her down for naps in the afternoon. Another upside is that when Lauren is done being Rex puppy, she is a dancing princess that likes to wear dresses that flounce, while simultaneously practicing her boxing, head butting, and karate kicking skills. All in all, I would say we have a very normal little girl/puppy growing in our house who likes to rip things apart and causing chaos.