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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

a happy place

When I was growing up, we had a bird. It was a parakeet named Peppy. It was originally Grandma's bird and then we inherited him.

Peppy had a cage that he mostly used for eating and sleeping. Other activities, like pooping, chattering loudly, and general bothering of the humans, were done outside the cage - the door of which was usually just left open so he could roam about the house. I think he thought he was the Alpha.

Nowadays, I live with more conventional pets. A spoiled cat and a dog that's a little nuts, but in a sweet way. Both are surprisingly quieter and less messy than Peppy the parakeet. They are also friendlier, but that's not much of a surprise. I have since learned that domesticated birds are quite notorious for being b*tches, yes even the males, to everyone except for one choice human of the household. The choice human of our house was probably my mom.

Anyway, so China the dog began phase 2 of Operation Heartworm Annihilation this week. Hopefully we have successfully killed off all of the babies and now we're pulling out the big guns and going after the adults. She's under vet's orders to do not much of anything lest a dead heartworm carcass go and clog and artery on its way to heartworm heaven.

Luckily, China is crate trained for when she's in the house. And she loves loves loves that crate! She loves it so much that when I bring her in from outside, I worry about her excitement levels causing that bad thing with the heartworm carcasses as she does her exuberant sprint to the crate.

She loves it much much more than Peppy the parakeet loved his cage.


The door is left open, but she often just remains, happily in her crate bliss.

I'm thinking I want one of these... for myself.
.

6 comments:

agg79 said...

I had a Canary once (named Tweety). Meanest, most obnoxious bird I have known (I kinda think it had something to do with being tormented by 3 boys). Dogs are way better.

Good luck China. Hope the next few weeks pass quickly and quietly. Grayson is starting his 2nd round on Monday so he will be suffering with you. A

And, as neurotic as he sounds, a dog that takes to his crate on his own accord is a well trained dog (IMHO).

Anonymous said...

I have a closet that I am eyeing as my crate...I don't need room to stand...just enough to breathe.

Elizabeth said...

I have one of them. I happily shut the door to it, too! I tell the kidlets that if I'm in the bathroom with the door shut that unless it is an emergency, they can talk to dad or wait. Once in a while I go and shut the door just to have a minute of peace to make a phone call or finish a chapter in a book and sometimes I just go in there to breath.

Good to see that China's doing well!

Duble said...

neil diamond hates his crate so much so that I stopped trying to get him to go into it, but the silly dog, has taken to sleeping under our desk, which is about the same size as his crate.

Neil is a goof

Missing Zygote said...

awwww Abby!!!!! She is such a darling.

Beej said...

I, like Elizabeth, shut and lock the bathroom door. I spend LONG stretches in the tub just to have peace. I talk about getting in my closet a lot, but I've never actually taken a pillow in there or anything.

Hope she's better soon.