Bad Dog!

Why do dogs look so frickin' cute when they're all guilty about doing something bad?

Hyde has been missing Deb something fierce. He's moping about the house, staring at the door and generally being just a sad sack of shit because she's gone.

I decided to give him some extra attention yesterday, to make up for Deb's absence. I had plans to catch the matinee of A Streetcar Named Desire, but somehow I just couldn't muster getting dressed and going into work if I didn't have to. (I'll see it when we close, I promise!) So I stayed around the house, tidied up a bit, took Hyde on a bunch of walks and played his favorite game, find the kibble under the cup.

Then we snuggled on the couch together while I read a book that Laura lent me and he blissfully snoozed for a couple of hours. Sounds heavenly, right? I got up to take a shower, leaving him still asleep on the couch.

When I got out of the shower I found him in his bed, surrounded by a completely ripped up book. He had that cute guilty look on his face, but I was not amused. I was totally into that book! And it wasn't even mine-- now I have to buy Laura a new book! Not to mention the fact that he'd chewed up the end of the book-- he could have at least had the courtesy to eat the part I'd already read!

Argh, I was fuming. I ignored his pleas for attention for an hour or so, and that seemed to get the message across: he was a VERY BAD BOY. He curled up in a sad little ball and followed me around with those puppy dog eyes until I decided it was enough and gave him a little love.

Not too much, though.

God, I can't wait for Deb to come back.

Meanwhile, and perhaps because of the stress of Deb being gone, his poo is all kinds of bad again. The vet suggested trying a high-fiber prescription food as opposed to the hyper allergenic prescription food he's on now. Plus a parasite medicine. If this doesn't work, we may have to get an expensive biopsy to determine whether or not he has IBS and colitis. We're keeping our fingers crossed. It's just too much fun to be dealing with this by myself, I can tell you that...

I've never met a dog who was so much trouble and yet at the same time so wonderful. Being a doggie parent is a weird and wonderful thing.