Adventures in House Sitting Part 2

No, we're not back at my mother's house (though I'm sure she wishes she was back on Hilton Head!) This week, we've been tending house and four legged children for my brother-in-law and his fabulous wife (he's fabulous too, but it's more of a kick to hear her reaction to said compliment :)

Sadly, no pictures to be posted yet as I can't find my camera! Devastating, I know. It's around there somewhere. Of course, Tallulah could have confiscated it and hidden it away with her collection of other random items: socks, mismatched shoes, underwear.... This is the first clepto-dog I've ever met! The other day, I found one of my sandals and one of Jon's sandals half way inside her carrier. Cocking her furry little head up at me as if to ask, "what's wrong with that?" I certainly couldn't scold her. Well, ok, so I did, but not terribly so!

I'm not a little dog person. I grew up with Irish Setters and Labs. The smallest animal I've ever owned is an 18 pound cat that now resides with my mother. To move her would be terrifying. She doesn't like change and to this day, she doesn't know she's a cat. It would kill her to find out after 14 years she's not the Queen of the World! Sudden cardiac arrest to be sure.

Tallulah and Phyllis (or Lulu and Philly as we have so endearingly dubbed them) have been a riot! They are constantly underfoot, love to leap at table's height during all means, and yap incessantly at the slightest noise. Philly is the big sister (a gazelle-like cross between a miniature pinscher and a dachshund) and remains the calmer of the two. She is my reading buddy, hopping up onto the couch whenever I curl up with a hardcover and nuzzles her way into my lap. She's a burrower, something my husband tells me most little dogs are. If there's a blanket, stack of dirty clothes, or pillow laying about, she'll wedge her way underneath and burrow until she's in the most comfortable position. Oh, and she sleeps in the bed. With us. VERY funny! She makes it a point to curl up right underneath my pillow. Thus, I move her, shifting her to a spot between myself and Jon. Once we're under covers, she burrows down to our feet. I'll wake up in the middle of the night with her in the crook of my elbow! This morning, her nose was resting on my shoulder. I must admit, it warmed my heart.

Lulu is the baby. She's a shi-tzu and she knows it. She flounces, spins in circles, and yaps like the various squeaky toys that litter the living area. She's still a puppy, bless her, so she's still learning the fine art of house breaking. We've learned that her spinning in circles means many things, depending on how tight the circle. A wide circle means, "I'm happy you're here! Let's see if I can trip you!" A small circle means, "Woah! Over drive! I'm trying to see around the massive amounts of hair I won't let the humans trim from my eyes!" A swift, tight circle means poo is coming. O yes. It's on the move. If you let her get to tight circle number two, number two is what you'll get! We're convinced she still hasn't quite figured out her body and turning is her way of saying, "What on earth is going on back there?!? Someone help me!!! O...is that all? Human...clean that up!"

All in all, it's been a pleasant experience. They live on a relatively quiet street and it's dark at night which makes for good sleeping. I say quiet. I mean quiet until the two boxers next door start barking which, in turn, causes Lulu and Philly to bark, which causes us to ask them to stop barking. Ah...the joys of surrogate parenthood!

Happy weekend!
Jen