| Subject: Need Advice (lengthy story, sorry) |
Author:
Jen Mervine
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Date Posted: 01:03:23 09/16/06 Sat
I work for the Sheriff's Department and about a year ago I had a 9-5 office job. On the 22nd of Dec, right before the long Christmas weekend, one of the deputies brought in a naked, ugly...dog? (I'd never heard of the breed) which he had found abandoned out in a frozen rice field. He had obviously been dumped (the dog, not the deputy). ACS was full, so I agreed to take the dog home, just for the weekend (I admit, I wanted to show it to my family, they'd never have believed me!), besides, it was Christmas...
Meanwhile, I was having some difficulty with my teen aged son. He was hanging with a crowd I found to be objectionable and displaying classic signs of "kid about to go bad" but all my efforts to sway him into making better choices were failing miserably. My son was uncommunicative, hateful, arrogant etc and nothing I did or said seemed to reach him (and I had tried everything from understanding, to humor to tough love!)
When I brought this poor timid, shaking little dog home, my son fell instantly in love with the homely thing. It was astounding to see my tough talking, macho attitude, I-don't-care-about-anything-son decide the little dog needed a warm bath, a cuddle in a dryer warm towel and my best organic aloe vera lotion for his wind-chapped skin!
To make an already long story/post a little shorter, after advertising to make certain that the dog had been dumped, not inadvertantly lost, we ended up adopting Goblin.
It was a long struggle. We had to teach Goblin to do his business outside, stay off the kitchen table, that it was okay when people came over, and even how to play (the poor thing had no idea at first...)and as Goblin became a member of the family, my son started coming around as well. I think that he had been feeling left out and neglected as the middle child, depressed over his father moving to the other side of the continent, and alone as his older brother prepared to graduate and join the Army.
I told you all this in an effort to help you understand how cherished Goblin is. Not only is he a charming and wonderfully funny pet, but he helped my family remain strong. In a very real sense, even though we saved Goblin, he saved us as well.
I recently got promoted. My 8 hour days have turned into 10 hour days and I often get called out to crime scenes. I can't always come home at lunch any more to provide Goblin with a midday potty break and a little play time.
Goblin has started relieving himself in the house again, so I started crating him as we did in the beginning, but it's not working. He is actually waiting until his boy gets home (about 3:15) and holding it when he is let out, only to come inside and do his business in my son's room. I know he's mad at us, but I can't figure out a way to stop this behavior... does anyone have any suggestions?
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