house guest

I've never been much of a dog person. At least, I've always fallen squarely in the group of people who believes dogs are dogs and not people. I also feel that if a dog knocks over the garbage can, spreads trash everywhere and then eats enough to coat most of that trash with vomit (or conversely jumps up on the kitchen table and eats my breakfast while my back is turned) he is a Bad Dog and not terribly fun to have around. It was with some trepidation then that I agreed to have our current house guest stay with us for four days this week.

(It's not the babysitting I was worried about, I just felt that it might be better that if Sadie the Labradoodle was going to destroy a house, it should be her house and not my house.) There was little trauma (and even less instruction) when Steve's coworker dropped her off yesterday. Because I had to head immediately to the dentist, I moved all the food off of our second shelf, picked up any shoes I had genuine attachment to, set the dog treats on the back of the counter and shut the bedroom door. When I came back, I found Sadie lying more or less where I left her. In fact I've never seen an animal with such singular lack of curiosity. She did light up like a Christmas tree when Steve came home--and cried when he left to go get milk (I'm not sure what that means)--but otherwise she seems completely content to lie with me on the sofa, making her more or less the perfect couch potato's companion, despite the special bond she and Steve seem to have formed. I'm fairly certain they conspired last night to get her into bed with us because despite my firm decision that there wasn't the space, the very nice dog bed we set up for her on the floor and the sofa to which we offered her free reign, I still woke this morning spooning not with my fella but with a twenty pound fur ball that had wedged herself between us during the night. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, but I feel this whole experience acts as evidence that Steve and I are well on our way to becoming (much nerdier versions of) Phil and Claire Dunphy from Modern Family. In fact, my sister drew this conclusion well over a year ago and thinks it's hilarious. But he being fun loving and me being uptight seem to be working, especially with regard to our very pleasant house guest (slash labradoodle).

j