Oh, when will I learn? It’s happened before… the young dog no longer seeming like a puppy. She’s learned good manners inside the house and out. She’s learned her basic obedience commands. And, she’s soooo sweet and cute. That’s Violet! Really, she’s such a quick learner – always a star in her training classes – and she’s fun to take places because she’s so well behaved. So, it’s little wonder that I become complacent about keeping an eye on her in the house.
Here’s the scenario: I was busy working at my desk while the dogs were all hanging out on our porch getting cooled off by a nice breeze coming in through the screens and lying on the slate floor. As I wrote along on my computer, I was conscious of a soft gnawing sound coming from the porch. I looked out (from my desk I can look right out on the porch) and could see the three setters lying flat out on the slates. Violet was moving around a bit. Knowing that she had several toys out there with her, I simply thought that she was having fun playing with one of them. Such a good puppy, I mused, and just kept right on working. After about an hour, I decided to take a break and sit out on the porch with the dogs.
Gotcha! Caught in the act… Sweet, quiet Violet had been sharpening her new adult teeth on a little side table handmade by an old Swiss craftsman friend of ours up at the lake (prized for its sentimental value). She had pretty much redesigned all four corners and sides. I removed it from the porch before further damage occurred. Once a dog starts chewing on an item, they keep going back. Unfortunately, with the table removed, Violet started on the caned seat of an old rocker we used to have on the porch of our Maine cottage… once again, a piece holding precious memories. But, I told myself, it’s just stuff. And, truth be had, it was my fault. Violet is still a puppy at ten months old and clearly needs more close supervision. Fortunately, I had another porch rocker in the attic to bring down so I could remove the damaged one.
Actually, this incident isn’t as bad as the time Annabelle, at nine months, chewed the underside of the sofa skirt on our BRAND NEW couch (literally, it had been delivered that week) as I stood a mere 15 feet away from her in the same room talking to a client on the phone. She was blocked from my view by the back side of the couch. I had just given all the dogs marrow bones to chew on and all were so quiet as they chewed away. Well… !!!
A word to the wise: Beware the quiet puppy! I hope I’ve now learned my lesson.
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