I heard them talking about going to a kennel. I didn't know what a kennel was so I just assumed it didn't concern me. All I really knew was we were going somewhere way too early.
I am NOT a morning person.
I don't want to go for walks in the morning. I don't want to practice commands in the morning. And I certainly don't want to sit pretty to have my picture taken in the morning.
Oh, I like getting out of my crate at 5am when the alarm goes off so that I can perform some basic body functions, but then I want to be left alone to stretch out on the couch and sleep for a few more hours. And please don't ask me to eat my breakfast before 8:30. I'm just not that into it.
So why were we leaving the house at 8:00?
Doggie Daycare, that's why!
And why does Grandma have that stupid camera on her face at the crack of dawn? Ugh!
Okay. Okay. I know 8am isn't the crack of dawn, but you get my point. It was just too early for all that mess!
Despite my cranky mood, Grandma did get a good picture of me as I headed to the car...
No, I'm not happy in this picture but it is better than what I mostly felt like...
I really like going for car rides but I just couldn't get myself to wake up. Yawn...
So why was I going to Doggie Daycare in the first place? As Grandma explains it, the lady at
Otter Tail Pet Resort requires that certain breeds of dog come and play for a day before they are accepted for an overnight stay.
Grandma assumed that it was to check to see if I would be aggressive. But Ms. Karen said "Nope. Aggressiveness we can handle (within reason). It is the anxiety we need to look at. I've never had a pit bull that didn't have some degree of separation anxiety. If a dog can't relax when it is time to be in the kennel, they cannot stay with us overnight. The constant barking stirs up the other dogs and we just can't allow that. We wear them out as much as we possibly can so that they will be ready for a rest time, but some dogs just have so much anxiety that we can't exhaust them enough."
Grandma and Grandpa really like Otter Tail so they were hoping I would be a polite, quiet guest.
I had a blast! I ran and ran and ran, and I played and played and played. I even picked out my favorite playmate, a beagle. I never did get his name.
Who needs names when a sniff can tell you most of what you need to know? Am I right?
When they came to pick me up, Ms. Karen greeted Grandma and Grandpa outside the front door. They were pretty sure it wasn't a good sign. When Ms. Karen said "The good news is...", they knew it wasn't a good sign.
So Ms. Karen explained to them that I was a model guest... until it was crate time. The word "incessant" was used. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but it didn't sound like a happy word. She said "If Cheesecake weren't such a great dog, we would ask that you not bring her back to us. But she is a WONDERFUL dog. She is fun and smart and cute and loving. So we are going to work something out."
She suggested Prozac and Valium.
So I am going back for Doggie Daycare a couple more times before Grandma and Grandpa want me to stay overnight. In the meantime Grandma is going to work even harder on getting me to be calm in my crate at home.
I usually like homework. I get treats for doing homework! But this "Calm in the Crate" thing really gets on my nerves.
Ms. Karen, if you are reading this... If I didn't like you and that beagle so much, I wouldn't be back. But since you are so wonderful and kind and loving, I'm willing to work on it!
.JPG)
