Being a Doggy Mama - Mornings with Puppy Girl
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 6:33AM 
First thing in the morning, Puppy Girl is ON.
She is rested, energized and ready to take on the Duracell Bunny and WIN. Scratch that - ready to rip the Duracell bunny to furry shreds, exposing it's soft stuffing and hard battery case, and WIN!
First thing in the morning I am OFF.
I am groggy, grumpy and physically fighting the urge to go back to bed.
And so we have a routine now.
I get up, I let the dogs outside, I feed them, I let them outside again. I let Puppy Dog back into the bedroom so that he can go back to bed and surface at a much later hour - more suited to the teenage boy that he is.
Then I brush my teeth.
And that's when the game starts.
Puppy Girl brings me her morning retriever game ball.
It's a big hollow rubber thing.
I don't know who invented or designed this ball, but they are a GENIUS. It's soft it doesn't hurt the furniture, it bounces a bit, so the dogs can chase it in different directions, it's light, so it's easy to kick and throw, and the holes mean the dogs can (a) wrap their teeth around it and play tug and (b) get it stuck in their mouths when they want to drop it, which can be highly amusing.
So I brush my teeth in the doorway of the kitchen and dining room, gunk in my eyes, electric toothbrush in my mouth, hair a la Medusa, bending it like Beckham at 6:15 in the morning.
We've had a few fun moments with this game.
There was the time I got more air in the kick than expected and the ball ended up on top of the bookshelves.
There was the time Puppy Girl got too into it, stood to close to me and the follow on curve of my kick ended with my foot in her open mouth.
And then there was the time the ball ricocheted off her crate and, trying to stop, she planted her feet and slid about three feet across the wooden floor, crumpling into the side of the couch and I guffawed, only to choke on the electric toothbrush. Trust me, you don't want toothpaste triggering your gag reflex. Once it get's past your mouth, that shit is STRONG.
And so, by 7am, I've managed to have something to eat, tidy the kitchen a little bit and take my vitamins. All interspersed by kicking, kicking, kicking the ball. Puppy Girl is then read to crash on the bed with her daddy, while I go and shower in peace.
It's our little routine, and we like it.
Reader Comments (2)
LMFAO! That's way too cute, especially landing your foot in her mouth, AND choking on toothpaste (oh, and the reason WHY you choked on it! LOL). Great post! I'm glad you have a routine that works for you. How's your job going?
@Shelli
Hi!
The job is GREAT!
And I actually have scratches on my feet! More on the evening routine coming soon!