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Saturday, August 6, 2011

A Long Week and My Dog Chased a Runner.

Great title, isn't it?  That's kind of how I feel this morning.

It was a really, really, long week.  The first week back is always for the birds.  It makes me long for summer.  Its also really hard to be the new kid at school, which is what I've been this year.  Everyone has been really great, but there just isn't that feeling of comfort yet.  And being a new media specialist is much different than being a new teacher.  Because a new teacher has their own classroom - that's theirs.  A new media specialist is using a space that the whole school uses and any changes that are made affects everyone in the building.  Its kind of like being a tightrope walker.

So it was a really long week.  Chris is trying to learn the ins and outs of his new job.  Meeting a billion new people a day and trying to remember how to get to his office.  Its a little tricky when the building that he is in used to be a mental facility.  Kind of funny, right?

We've started a sticker chart for Quinn to work on using his listening ears.  At this point, when he listens the first time, he gets a sticker.  5 stickers = a treat.  This is because I am at my breaking point with him - he pretty much refuses to listen to me.  Not so fun.

And then this morning we're trying to get ready for my youngest brother, Matt, and his girlfriend, Chalise to come visit.  They live in Texas and are rarely home.  They're in town this weekend and I am super excited, but we're trying to get all the laundry done and some straightening up before they get here.  Therefore, I did not have time to be screaming and chasing Ike at 9am this morning.

He was finishing up his pee when a lady ran down the hill on the other side of our house and around the corner.  As soon as I saw her, I braced for the barking and the lunge.  What I did not anticipate was Ike snapping his collar and chasing after the runner.  And then I stood there, looking like a jackass with the leash and collar in my hand with no dog.

Mind you, I had just rolled out of bed.  Hadn't even had a cup of coffee yet.  And here I am in my front yard, with my 1995 Berkmar High School student council t-shirt on, yoga pants and birkenstocks.  No bra.  No brushed teeth.  No brushed hair.  Awesome.

I chased after him, alternately screaming for Ike and Chris.  Chris never heard me.  Ike jumped up and bit the back of the runners shorts.  In the cul-de-sac behind my house, where the runner was heading, there was a little girl (toddler age) out in the front yard in her underwear while he dad was cleaning out the car and I saw my life flash before my eyes.  The blood drained from my head and a clammy sweat took over. 

Thank God for these things....
1.  The runner stopped running and started sweet talking Ike who then began wagging his tail.  (Of course, he still chased her when she tried to run again)
2.  He was distracted before he noticed the child in the cul-de-sac.
3.  He eventually settled down enough for me to pick him up and haul his ass back inside.

When I returned to the house and replayed the story for Chris, Quinn said, "No stickers for Bikey.  He not usin his listening ears."

Right you are.

Now you may be asking yourself why he didn't have on his trusty harness.  That would be because he ate through it yesterday.

Have I told you the dog is medicated?

Well, he is.  Clearly that isn't working for us.

He's a gem of a dog, isn't he? 

3 comments:

Emily said...

Maybe you should have gone with the fence instead of the living room furniture. :)

arg said...

Oh, girl, I completely understand. If I leave the house with Brie (my prefect and sweet German Shepherd) and she's not in her gentle-lead a crisis is sure to ensue. Small child, cat, biker, runner, UPS man, FedEx... they all know her by name. :/

Maybe Bikey needs a sticker chart, too. Then Quinn can get a boost by being a better listener than the dog. :)

molly said...

Holy Moly! He jumped up and bit her shorts?? Thank God he didn't bite her ass. (Can I cuss on your blog? If not, oops!) Lucky for her he didn't attack her when she stopped running. I think I would have high-tailed it out of there. I'm glad you caught him. Maybe a fence would be good but it would probably have to be a wood fence with barb wire at the top.
And props to Q for being so clever. "No stickers for Bikey."- Love it! I agree with Arg, set up a sticker chart for Ike. Maybe some competition would get Quinn's attention.
Sorry you had a crummy morning/week, but I did get a chuckle out of the fact you are still wearing your Berkmar HS Student Council T-shirt & Birkenstocks. Nothing's changed. ; )