Don't Remember What You Had, Til It's Back

Lyra is back visiting with us for a bit while my parents are having a stamped concrete patio put in their back yard. My sister has taken their other dogs, and had planned to take Lyra as well, but it proved too much. (And really, five dogs is probably too much under the best of circumstances. When you have a tiny diva dog (my sister's dog), two reasonably diva-like shelties (my parent's other two dogs), and a big goof ball (Orion, who now lives with my sister) it's too much to add an over-excited, ADHD monster to the mix.) So we said we could take her for a bit.

On the allergy front, I can tell that rehoming the dogs was the right choice. Tim is already doing a bit worse from two days with Lyra (and we've got her confined to the office when she's inside, so it's not as if she's all over the place) and the eldest is rashing out every time he plays with her (which he loves to do, and she seems to enjoy as well.)

But beyond that? I had already forgotten how much work Lyra is. (And really, I think maybe it's just her - I don't remember the other two causing this much stress.) First off, she barks. Constantly. Despite the bark collar that I've re-tightened. Also? She jumps. She jumps against the patio door. She jumps against the living room windows (you can reach those from the deck). She scratches at the screens. I mean, I get that she wants in, but at some point wouldn't you think she'd give it up? In her case, the answer is no. When she gets frustrated, she sits down and howls.

Don't think from that that she's being ignored, though! Honestly, she is probably getting more attention from humans here than she does at my folk's house. It's just that she's used to running about in their yard (3xs the size of ours) with her two compatriots. I think the take away is that Lyra is a herd dog, and right now she's feeling herd-less.

Last week I was complaining that I missed having the little pitter patter of dog feet around the house. This week? I'm remembering that while, ok, yes, it's sad to not have pets anymore...it's really nice not to have that extra responsibility. So while it's nice to borrow her for a bit, I'll be ok, I think, when it's time for her to go back to her new home.