Mom and the Dogs

We've had Paws, our cocker spaniel, a little over two years now. We've only had Fen, our lab/weim mix, for about 8 months. When we first brought Fen home, he was about 10 months old, and very energetic. Paws didn't like him from the start, but we expected that; Paws doesn't like other dogs in general. Eventually, Paws got used to Fen. They aren't best buds, but they coexist peacefully.

During the time between bringing Fen home and now, there were a lot of ups and downs. There were training accidents, lots of barking and running through the house. These problems are solved. Sure, he still barks often, but he's much easier to calm down. What hasn't stopped is the joy Fen finds in absolutely obliterating any dog toy he can get his paws and teeth on.

For a while, mom and dad tried to spare Paws's toys from Destructo-Fen (as J calls him). I did too, but gave up after a while. I noticed that Paws liked to pick up the smaller pieces of debris that Fen left behind and chew on them. I also realized that I was fighting a losing battle, and resigned myself to buying new toys frequently.

I thought my parents were over it, too, but I was wrong. It turns out that mom is hoarding dog toys for Paws. There were two small tennis balls (Paws's favorite) and a purple ring toy hidden in various places in her bedroom. How do I know this? No! I didn't go snooping around; mom deserves her privacy just like the rest of us. I know this because Paws and I were hanging out with mom in her room. In less than 15 minutes, she had pulled out two dog toys. Paws began sniffing another shelf on her nightstand, and she directed me to a third tennis ball for him. Who knows how many toys might be stashed in that bedroom!

Fortunately, mom decided that Fen could have one of the toys, and gave him the purple ring to chew on. Ahh, progress!