Sunday, May 27, 2012

Whew! Who turned up the heat?!?!

Ok. For starters, it is NOT supposed to be 98 with a heat index of 103 in May. Or ever, for that matter. But definitely not in May.

How am I supposed to keep my flowers alive if it's going to be this hot this soon?!?!

And how will I survive in my non-air-conditioned classroom in August if this craziness keeps up?!?!

Needless to say, very little of my day was spent in the great outdoors. Went to church, had some Panera for lunch (yum!), stalked caught up on a few blogs, took Charlie to PetSmart to get his talons claws trimmed, cooked out with Matthew's parents, parked back at my computer and listened to some tunes.

Pretty uneventful.

Except for Charlie's trip to PetSmart.

We got Charlie from the animal shelter a few years ago. We don't really know anything about his past (though we've heard a rumor that he lived on a farm for a while), but he's got some issues. Don't get me wrong, he's the sweetest dog ever. Super cuddler. (Is that a word? It should be.)

But yeah, issues.

When he meets someone new, he FREAKS out. Like howling, barking, cowering, you name it. And don't even THINK about trying to pet him--he'll pee on you. He's not agressive; I've never seen him even think about biting someone (Ok, there was that one time when he nipped at me, but in his defense, I was trying to put a sweater on him. And he wasn't going for blood. He just didn't want to wear that sweater.) Give him 20 minutes to get used to the idea of you, and he'll be curled up on your lap, sound asleep.

Needless to say, a trip to PetSmart is always interesting. First of all, I doubt that any dog enjoys getting his nails trimmed, add in Charlie's issues, and you're in for a wild ride.



As soon as we got to the back of the store, he knew he had been tricked. And he was NOT having it. We got him into the grooming room, and he FREAKED OUT. No, I'm serious. Total meltdown. Normally, he'll try to pull away from the door, cower a little, and maybe even bark. Not today. That dog was doing flips (I mean it, LITERALLY doing flips) trying to pull away from that door. He was pulling so hard against the leash that he almost pulled his collar off of his head. When the poor groomer came around the counter to get him, he peed. In PetSmart.

After she finally CARRIED Charlie away, Matt and I fled to wander the store. You see, Charlie likes to put on a show when we're around. We've been told that he's perfectly fine when we're not in the room. Weirdo.

I'm wanting to take Charlie to the park to walk some this summer, but I hate riding in the car with him. You see, Charlie thinks he should always be able to sit on your lap in the car. Even when you're driving. And he wants to stand and look out the window. Yeah. Not gonna work for me.

So while crazy dog is getting his nails done, I decided to find a doggie seat belt for my car. You know, so I could strap him in and actually drive the car. I found one that looked promising and grabbed Charlie a giant turkey leg while Matt picked him up from grooming.

We get to the car to discover that I got the wrong size of seat belt. Oops. One exchange later, and we had Charlie all strapped in. Off we went to Matt's parents. Halfway there, Charlie decided he wanted to look out the window. Charlie became one giant knot. Bad news. After unhooking him, he crawled back into the front seat and onto my lap.

Dog: 1 Seat belt: 0

After dinner, we tried Round 2 with the seat belt. Things were going beautifully for a mile or so. He got tangled up once, but actually figured out how to undo it this time. He was looking quite handsome as we drove along.


And then, something changed. Suddenly, he was fighting with it, like he had gotten tangled up again. 

Nope. No such luck.

Did I mention that Charlie is a bit of an escape artist?


Uh, yeah. That would be his harness. The harness that he escaped from. The harness that he escaped from  while the car was MOVING. 

Dog: 2 Seat Belt: 0

I'm going to have to tinker with that seat belt a bit. Sigh.

He did enjoy that turkey leg though. Even if he couldn't fit the whole thing in his mouth.


By the way, I've decided that I'm going to give away a new resource that I've been working on when I hit 50 followers!!! Woot!

So spread the word (and I'll try to finish it up ASAP!) so that you can get a freebie! 
I'm super excited about it (and it's pretty CUTE too, if you ask me!)



Have a wonderful Memorial Day (and don't eat too much food at those cookouts!)




16 comments:

  1. Laura,
    I just died laughing! So I couldn't sleep so I'm up catching up on blogs. Perfect story too funny! I have a rescue dog too! She has the groomers too.
    Alana
    Special Teaching in the Middle

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    1. I'm glad I could provide you with a late night giggle! :)

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  2. Hilarious! I can't remember if I commented on your blog when I started following you. My mind is shot after those last few weeks of school! Anyway! I'm a new follower!

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    1. I hear you there! Those last couple weeks were INSANE.

      But,

      Yay! I love new followers!!! Welcome!

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  3. Hahaha, great post. I volunteer for shelters & also foster, and bringing my last foster into PetSmart wasn't even an option. He was, what we call, a yapper. Would. not. shut. up! Couldn't walk him in there, couldn't ride in the cart, nothing! Rescue pups can be a handful, but usually have the most love to share!

    Meg
    Third Grade in the First State

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    1. He is definitely a sweetheart! But he can be a barker, too. Especially if someone that he doesn't know tries to pet him. Which really stinks when it's a cute little kid and Charlie starts barking like a crazy dog!

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  4. I just became follower #50! That should get me several extra entries in your upcoming giveaway, right? =) HAH. Just kidding. I wondered over to your blog and I am excited to be your newest follower!

    Ms. Smith
    Adventures of Ms. Smith

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    1. AHHH!!!! I'm SO excited!!!! Now I really have to hurry and get it all finished up so I can post it tomorrow!!! You just made my night (if you couldn't tell from my excessive use of exclamation points)!!!

      :D

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  5. Hi Laura!
    (I SO love the title of your blog! Sorry. I think I may have said that before!)
    I loved the Charlie tallies!
    And the pictures!
    Happy Summer!!!!

    (Must be an exclamation point kind of day!)

    Kim
    Finding JOY in 6th Grade

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    1. Kim-

      I think everyday should be an exclamation point kind of day!!! :D

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  6. Wahoo! I am follower 51....GO YOU!

    I am in love with Charlie! It sounds like something my cat Edison would do...AKA Mr. Electricity. =)

    Thank you for the laughs. I know I'll be stopping by often. I would love for you to come visit me when you get the chance.

    Heather
    Heather's Heart

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    1. Oh, Charlie is QUITE the character. Some days I'm pretty sure that there's a person trapped in his furry little body!

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  7. Congrats on hitting 55 followers! Loving your blog and cant wait to rad more!!


    Leslie
    http://jackofalltrades-leslie.blogspot.com/

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  8. What a cute dog :) I am cracking up at him outsmarting the seat belt!

    Every New Beginning

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    1. We're giving the seat belt another run tomorrow-wish me luck!

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