I’m doggie wiped!

This puppy thing is exhausting!

I arranged with the client for me work the Late Shift (from 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., approx.) two days a week so that I could be at home with Karma for most of the day. B-R-C is going to stay after school to do some work and get home at 4:30 p.m. That way, the doggie should only be alone for a couple of hours at a time, giving her time to get used to us going out for longer periods.

The client boss said that was fine, as long as I sent out a note to the managers to let them know my schedule. So I did:

To the Dialer Managers,
This is just to let you know that I am planning to work the Late Shift on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the month of September.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays: I’ll be in the office between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Tuesdays and Thursdays: I’ll be in the office between 3:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.

Note that on Thursday, September 15th, after 11:00 p.m., I’ll be performing the monthly system back up and reboot. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks.

Well, that idea SHOULD work in theory, but in practice, the puppy has ideas of her own!

Last night, I got home around midnight, took Karma out for a walk which I thought was long enough but proved to be ineffective in taking care of business. “Okay, so she doesn’t have to go.” (I discovered that B-R-C had fallen asleep on the couch earlier and poor Karma made an editorial statement on the newspaper in the kitchen!)

So we went back inside. I put her into her crate, got undressed and crawled wearily into my own bed. But Karma had other ideas, and started whining. So I get up, get dressed, get her out of her crate, put on her leash, and we go outside. “She’s finally got to go,” I thought. WRONG. She just wanted to play!

So we went back inside. I put her into her crate, got undressed and crawled ever more wearily into my own bed. Again, Karma had ideas of her own, and started whining. So I get up, get dressed, get her out of her crate, put on her leash, and we go outside. Finally, we had some progress!

So we went back inside. It’s now after one o’clock. I put her into her crate, got undressed and crawled exhaustedly into my own bed. Yet again, Karma started whining. This time, I knew she had taken care of urgent business and just wanted to play so I ignored her, and she eventually went to sleep.

That lasted about two hours. Through the haze of my exhaustion, I hear Karma begin to whine again. It’s been a couple of hours, so she must really have to go again. So I get up, get dressed, get her out of her crate, put on her leash, and we go outside. Triple header, with a double whammy!

So we went back inside. Since it was nearly three-thirty in the morning, I had no trouble putting the completely pooped puppy back into her crate. I got undressed once again and crawled back into my own bed, where I was able to remain until six o’clock.

Happiness is a warm puppy!