Wacky Wednesday

So, have you ever had one of those days where you're too busy too pay attention and things just go awry?  Wednesday was that day for me.

I packed a bunch of stuff into one day, and it began okay. I got to my doctor appointment, the kids got to school, Jim got to the dentist and off to work, and Zuzu got a nice walk in the rain and even saw some of her friends in the rain too. We came home and got the house all ready for our dinner guests, my dear friends who were in the area from NY for a few days, got Tressa out the door to lacrosse, and we had time for another walk...or so I thought.

We had a nice walk, with very little pulling unless another dog was near, and we were on our way home, when we ran into Stephen and Rufus. I got to talking, like I'm prone to do, and the dogs were sniffing nicely. I got advice on another local trainer and we talked about other great dogs in the neighborhood, etc. Then, I looked at my watch. It was 4:20, and Darby had ballet at 4:30. Oops!

We ran into the backyard and Zuzu ran to the pool that had filled with rainwater and drank a ton, then she peed and we ran in the house. Darby wasn't ready, so we scurried through that, then got to dance...late...and I came straight home.

Jim was home, preparing dinner, and Zuzu was ringing the bell. 'Knock it off," I told her. "I just walked you and you peed 15 minutes ago!"

Here's the spot where you, my readers, are obviously thinking, "Are you high? Or just plain stupid? Did you not train your dog to ring the bell when she has to go out and did you not JUST tell us that she drank all that water?"

The answer, I'm sorry to say, is I am stupid. Yup. I admitted it. But wait, dear reader, it gets worse.

So, Zuzu does the obvious, into my clean living room to squat on the rug. Jim saw her, hollered (and if anyone has ever heard my husband holler, you know that the sheer volume and authority would make even a human wet the floor), and threw her outside to clean the rug before our company came.

Here's the 'gets worse'. Remember how I ran into the back yard super fast and running late? Well, I didn't latch the gate. So when Jim went to let her back inside five minutes later and hollered that the dog was gone and grabbed the leash and treats and ran for the front door, I truly almost vomited.

It was one of those life moments where you have to grab yourself and function, not panic. I grabbed our phones and tossed Jim's to him, and headed out.

I was just outside the front door, on the sidewalk, when I saw a movement in my neighbors bushes and Zuzu's head popped up.  She looked pleasantly surprised to see me and when I cheerfully hollered come, she bounded right over.

Once she was safely in the house and I was breathing normally again, I thanked my lucky stars that our trainer taught us that you should never say come if your dog does something wrong, always go to your dog. I don't know how many times we called Snickers when he was bad and he reluctantly skulked over to us, if he came at all.

The rest of the night went perfectly. Tressa came home from lax, I got Darby from ballet, my friends came over, and Jim grilled the best steaks on the planet, again. And Zuzu laid calmly in the entryway, peacefully waiting for her share of the feast.