LOCKDOWN

I went to the grocery store yesterday and was gone for less  than thirty minutes. I came home and ole Ziggy had rooted through the kitchen trash, eaten my large yellow onion, eaten a  hard back book of my sister's, chewed up a cushion with the stuffing EVERYWHERE and went into the living room  to poop some of his snack out. The day before he ate my sewing basket. Pins and needles were every where and I'm actually impressed he survived. It's been raining so much I hate to leave him outside because  the little dummy won't get in the dog house. He just sits by the back door in the rain.

Today at  work the bartender told me she had a crate they weren't using and offered to loan it to me. She has a Beagle Mix.  I knew it would be a tight fit but I only need it for a half hour at  the most. Here's the thing...He's ten months old and simply hasn't learned how to behave when left alone. He's torn up more things than all  my kids did when they were young and there were THREE of them! I knew the crate was too small once we brought it in the house and Ziggy  stood beside it. He's like a young black Giraffe. But at least I could run to the bank  and not have to spend thirty  minutes cleaning up when I got back home since I had to be back at work in less  than an hour.

I got a few comments on Facebook about how small the crate was. For Pete's sake it's not like I would keep him in this crate for any extended period of time, I simply needed to go to the bank one single afternoon.  We opened the gate and he looked at  it and could almost hear him say "Thank you but NO." We threw a dog biscuit into  the back of the crate and he walked all round the outside trying to get the treat to no avail. He finally peered in  the front and I shoved his butt in. He looked like Andre The Giant in a metal shoe box. He didn't fight it, just simply looked like he knew he deserved to be in there but wasn't thrilled about it. When I opened the gate,  he bounced out. Charlie walked right into the crate and plopped down seeming to also say as Goldilocks did..."This one is JUST right!"

When I went back to work another friend of mine, a hostess said she had a crate she used for her Collie and would be glad to loan it to us.

I've always been opposed to crating but since we've had Ziggy have heard a lot of GOOD things about crate training from a lot of people who love their dogs too. Seems  they find it a comfort zone.

Heck...maybe I need to get ME a crate!

He'll only be in it when no one is at home or the weather too bad outside to leave the dogs out. In hindsight I should have done this months ago.

But then again who else would have taken down my Christmas tree for me? Who else would have helped me get rid of a five pound bag of potatoes so quickly? Who else would have ripped all the carpet out from in front of the door of Massey's old bedroom? Who else would have eaten two full loaves of loaf bread, a twelve pack of hamburger buns and a pack of sub rolls? Who else would have crapped it all back out on my carpet? Who else would have eaten three tubes of toothpaste, two tubes of mascara, one hairbrush and two  complete books? Who else would have chewed up three remote controls within the span of one week? Who else would root through my kitchen trash  on a daily basis?

That Ziggy is just a busy, busy boy! He just "Does" so much  for us that it is simply time for us to give BACK.

We're giving him his own space. One he can call "ZiggyLand" and one we can call "Let's give the vacuum cleaner a rest."

I'm out of options. The dog's  a little demon but the happiest one I have ever met! We come home to a destroyed house and he is always right by his handiwork wagging that tail, tongue hanging out exhausted from all his frantic work and looking happier than any dog I have ever seen.

He won't have to sleep in it. He loves sleeping with Zach in his bedroom and scratches on the door when he wants out in the morning.

He simply needs to learn he can't run a muck and have free reign when we aren't home. He can't destroy what little I have left here. After raising three kids and four dogs in this house we ain't got much left!

I love Ziggy...he is so stinking beautiful  and happy, but he is also SO bad! Ham and Charlie love him too but even THEY know he is ...shall we say "Challenged?"

We're all going to Massey's Honor Chorus Concert  tomorrow night. We will leave Zig in his new digs (the bigger crate) and just take it day by  day.

I feel another blog may be necessary soon as an update!

Til next  time...COTTON