Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Puppies are Good For Something After All

Since the arrival of Trooper the puppy, many things have been different in our house. Most of these are things I anticipated and dreaded: doggy potty training, constant puppy chewing, nighttime why-aren't-you-sleeping-in-my-crate-with-me whimpers (although, thankfully, these have been minimal), rowdy puppy play that knocks toddlers over, muddy paw prints on the slider and in the kitchen, etc., etc., etc.

However, as I look around my family room and kitchen, I am noticing that, truly, these rooms have never been as consistently uncluttered or cleanly swept. Why, you ask? Because Trooper picks up and eats or chews absolutely everything he can find. It took the kids about 15 minutes to learn to put their toys and shoes away if they didn't want them destroyed. Who knew it could be this simple? Over the course of a few days, it's as if Supernanny came and whipped everyone into shape. Shoes are all in the shoe basket. Toys are put away upstairs. And, as a bonus, crumbs are whisked away almost before they hit the floor.

This whole dog thing may have been a better idea than I originally thought.

4 comments:

Michelle said...

Soon, though, crumbs may truly be whisked away before they hit the floor...I have to pen the dog during snacks and meals and meal preps because she'll help herself to anything in reach!

But, yes, the need to vacuum is reduced.

nicole said...

The crumb factor is what tempts me to take part in dog ownership. However, for now, the whole idea of taking care of another individual (human or canine) is just too much. So, we will wait until there could be some help from the littles.

Annie Bizzi said...

Great! Rub it in... Now he is really laying it on thick! Aren't puppies grand!

nutmeg said...

Hmmm.

Interesting perks, I must say.

I've already promised the kids that once we have a yard bigger than a postage stamp, we'll get a dog...