Our Puppy Holly

We got Holly from the pound this summer, actually it was the end of July. She was about 12 weeks old and had always been with her litter mates. She was an adorable, stinky, shy, fluffy ball of cute! It has been fun (and a challenge) to have all that puppy energy in a home with 5 kids, let me tell you!

Her newest issue is she whines when the kids aren't around. At first, Gary and I thought that she was in pain for some reason and we were really concerned. We couldn't really find out where she was hurting, but she would just lay on the floor and whine. We realized that this happens just when she is "alone" on the floor. (Keep in mind, "alone" is a relative term in our house...one that means there is no one within, mmmmmmm, maybe 5 feet of you!) We also realized that the whining stopped if you touched or pet her. I was mentioning this to a friend, and she said, "Holly's lonely!".

WHAT!?! How can anyone be lonely in this house? (Refer back to the "alone" comment! Really, can 5 feet make you lonely?)

But, I think that my friend is right! I thought about it, and we got Holly when the kids were on summer break. She left her litter at the pound-the one she had lived with all of her 12 weeks here on Earth-and came into our home where there are kids willing to play with her on floor all the time. Then the kids went back to school. (Holly's hatred of the school bus is something to be discussed at a later date!) Holly is alone on the floor now. Hence, the lonely whining.

She spends her weekdays laying on the floor or looking out the window, just waiting for that euphoric moment of her, I mean my, children returning from school. Don't get me wrong, I try to entertain her. I talk to her, I pet her, I feed her little treats, I chase her with the vacuum,-I was the one that wanted the company during the day, remember?-but I do not get down on the floor with her for hours. I have to put her in the crate and leave sometimes-we have to eat so I have to shop for food! I go upstairs and clean bathrooms or put clean sheets on beds-DSS does have some standards, I think! I even leave her alone so that I can nap once in a while-ok, that might be a little selfish. I am just not able to be the playmate the children are. So sue me-I did rescue her from the pound!

Just what I need, a dog with dependency issues.