The other day, against my better judgement, I left the new puppy Sheldon loose in the house while I dashed out for a quick errand. I usually leave the older dog Koshimi and kitty Owen alone to roam free, but a new puppy is another story. He had been behaving so well, I remarked. And he seemed to really be learning good household manners from his older brothers. So I thought. Well imagine my surprise when I returned home and upon entering the front foyer gazed toward the living room and saw a terrific mess covering the floor. No, actually not just the floor, but every square inch of the entire floor of the house. It seems that young Sheldon discovered the Spanish moss we have covering the soil in all the potted plants throughout the house. He decided it would be great fun to pull all the moss out of each pot, run carefree with a mouthful, shaking his head wildly. Aside from the fact than neither Shimi or Owen have ever touched the stuff, I instantly knew that the culprit was none other than the young Sheldon Gryffindor. As evidence, I found tiny bits of Spanish moss embedded in the poodle puppy's hair. 
above: Owen surveys the damage in horror, unable to utter a sound and seemingly unwilling to navigate through the mess. Every pot had been attacked, stripped bare of it's mossy covering, leaving the otherwise bashful plants naked and exposed.
Sheldon seemed quite pleased with himself and what he accomplished. I looked at Shimi and gave him one of those "You should have stopped him from doing this" looks. He nervously studied his toenails and averted my eyes. I read Shimi's mind: "I told him not to do it but he wouldn't listen. I told him he was going to get in big trouble when you got home." Looking at the young pup, I decided, no harm done, and it was hard to be angry with him anyway, it was my fault for allowing him to have so much free reign at just 12 weeks old. I blamed myself and slowly cleaned up the mess. As I cleaned the floors, Sheldon and Koshimi sat on their little mat and watched me toil away, destroying Sheldon's work of art which he worked so hard to create. Ah yes, I forgot how much work having a puppy can be. But it's worth it.-Rick Rockhill
This is a good post for me. I'm thinking of getting a puppy. Haven't had one in many years. I'm older and hopefully wiser now. Sweet photo. Guilt there.LOL
ReplyDeleteOh my!! That's quite the..um...accomplishment...for Sheldon! I did have to chuckle though, at the thought of the other 2 looking at him in disbelief while he was in the act..."Dude-that is SO not right!"
ReplyDelete:)
When I had a puppy years ago I left him out thinking it would be ok too-he ate a hole in my kitchen wall. Right through the sheet rock!
Oh, Rick, I wanted so badly to warn you of the black standard poodle curse BEFORE you got Sheldon. Alas, it's too late. I've been waiting so patiently for this post. hehehe.
ReplyDeleteHaving lived with our Bailey now for almost 5 years, we have survived many, many of these little surprises when we've returned from "quick errands" Just when you think they have been doing so well, you leave them to roam the house for just a little while instead of kenneling them.
My estimate is, you have about 3-1/2 more years of this. Bailey is now 5-1/2 and has JUST calmed a bit in the past year from puppyhood.
Have fun!
It's amazing what mischief puppies can get into...
ReplyDeletePoor Shimi! There was nothing that he could do!
ReplyDeleteSheldon's gonna be in puppy prison for a while now, isn't he?
LOL, ...Well, I couldn't do it at this stage of my life...But I can certain;y appreciate the fun a new puppy can be...!Sheldon has now christined the whole house--making his mark with those little grassy goodies!
ReplyDeleteLOl. You know that I am laughing WITH you, right :)
ReplyDeleteRuby earned the name Vandalism Dog when she was a puppy. She ate everything that she could get her paws on.
You are so right, though. It is worth everything chewed shoe and garbage strewn moment.
Heehee!!! I love this post!! :)
ReplyDeleteMy son used to have a ferret who did that, and then he peed on the dirt around the plants. Ick!
ReplyDeleteThat is just precious! Puppies are like kids, the second you walk out the door, they are into the goods.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the laugh!
Hi Rick, I've been away from blogging and reading blogs and today I'm catching up with my favorites. Congrats on the new puppy. He is really cute. They just can't help being untrustworthy though. Have fun with him!
ReplyDeletewow! It's amazing how much damage the kids can get in when dads awy for just a brief time.
ReplyDeleteAlways happens here too..we turn our back for one second and bam! We've got our puppy baby toddler standing on our coffee table ready to jump off.
Wanna trade for awhile?
I'm babysitting a fun little poodle-GIPPER- and he is such a sweet follower-everywhere I go he's right at my feet, within 10 tries I had taught him to shake and to nod his head when you ask him, "are you a good dog?"
I think I have definitely spoiled this little cousin pup.
Happy friday!
Always,
Elizabeth
AHAHAHAAH!
ReplyDeleteThe whole story is too cute. Ah yes, man's best friend sometimes likes to misbehave, but how can ya not love them so?
Sheldon Gryffindor Rockhill III?!
ReplyDeleteLOL!
HEY, just so that Sheldon has an advocate here, you should know that you just DON'T leave tempting potted plants around all by themselves when you run errands!
ReplyDeleteNO SIR, you put them away in a little kennel or something before you leave, or else we have no choice but to dismantle them to see what they taste like and how they look spread all around the house.
Personally I think this is an attack on Sheldon's character. There was no evidence that he actually committed the crime....rather I think there is evidence to confirm that Shimi and Owen, together, conspired to frame little Sheldon and make him look like the guilty party.
ReplyDeleteAnd to add to the conspiracy...after years of Shimi committing numerous crimes around the house, there has never been photographic evidence! But, this one time, when Shelden is framed, suddenly the camera magically appears at the scene of the incident!
I for one refuse to believe that such a heinous act was committed, as described in this post, until their is live video evidence of the accused crime taking place! This is simply an attack to discredit the noble Sheldon Gryffindor!