Sunday, November 18, 2012

Safety & Health

Every night, especially when Jaremy it's gone, I get a bit nervous. But Heavenly Father watches over our little family each night. He cares for my sweet husband as well. For this I am most grateful.

The kids have been taking turns taking the dogs out at night. Last night they slept 7 1/2 hours in one stretch. Excellent! Now if we could just get Adelynn to do that. The potty training has been getting better as well, but boy what a constant job. It requires diligence and complete attention. Even then we've had some misses. It will all come together nicely in the next couple of weeks. During this time though it can be tempting to rethink having dogs, especially inside dogs. So I wrote the reasons we have dogs down. A well-trained dog is a fun addition to life. But if we say at this point it it's simply too much of a hassle the dogs must be outside then they never get trained properly. So when you go outside they jump, bark, chew, steal people food, knock over toddlers, & make such a nuisance of themselves that we have to confine them to a tiny kennel. Then they become a dreaded chore. Yell at the lonely dog to stop barking, feed it expensive food, get pulled on a walk with it, & shove it back in the kennel while wondering why in the world we wanted a dog in the first place.  The kids, especially Jessica, really wanted a dog. And here it's the list of reasons (some just tricks we want them to learn) why a are going to persevere through this demanding phrase of puppyhood:

Protect garden from deer & coons
Protect family and belongings from “bad guys”
Protect runners from “bad guys”
Protect hikers from dangerous animals
“Babysit” runaway toddlers
Pull a cart of deliveries or children
Carry supplies on a hike
Provide comfort as a cuddle companion
Visit nursing home and hospitals
Warn of fire and smoke
Warn of intruder or visitor
Help us learn patience, consistency, and unity while we train them
Encourage runners and walkers by bringing leash
Eat scraps and clean around table
Help Ella overcome fear of dogs
Increase chance of starting up conversation with strangers
Find and bring members of family
Throw things in garbage
Bring diapers and wipes
Find people after earthquake

Well, I am tired and need to be well-rested to start a new week. Good night!

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