Have lap, will sit

You know it's been a long time since you've posted when Typepad has changed the layout of the posting page!  I guess I've been in a bit of a blogging, knitting, emailing funk lately.  I've only been able to muster up enough knitting energy to knit dishcloths...lots of dishcloths.  Pictures of those to come...

Most of my energy lately has gone into adopting our dog.  I didn't realize how much of an emotional toll the process would take.  I have a greater appreciate for people who have been/are involved in the adoption process for children!  (I'm not saying that adopting a pet is anything like adopting a child.  But this experience has given me a glimpse into the waiting/hoping/disappointment/joy...)

And now, without further ado, I present Trump!

               

                                               "Go ahead, make my day."

Trump really is the sweetest boy, he's just tired in this picture.  :)  His favorite thing to do is to crawl up into my lap if I'm sitting.  I'm not kidding - I'm getting nothing done around here!  But that's okay.  He has some issues with fearfulness and if he feels comfortable on my lap, then I'm happy about it.  I was afraid he wouldn't come to any of us, but he's doing fine.

The only issue we're having is that he refuses to go to the bathroom.  He's not used to being on a leash, so we bought an exercise pen to put outside.  He walks around it inside once then lies down.  We got him on Saturday morning and he finally went (...on the dining room rug!!!  He's a quick one apparently, because we were watching him like a hawk.) sometime on Sunday afternoon.  And he hasn't gone since.  Do you have any tips? 

ETA:  I think we've made some progress.  It never dawned on me that Trump's harness could also be causing him some stress.  He wanted out of his crate tonight after he went to bed and he was roaming around without his harness - totally different dog.  I took him back out to his pen (with no harness) and he peed a river.  I should have left him out there longer because he decided to poop on the rug while we were playing with his toy.  Progress is good! 

Comments

[Christy]

Aww, he's so cute! :) Congrats on the newest family member.

[Michelle]

So glad to have you back, and nice to see the new addition, too... :0)

[Renna]

Oh, Beth, he's PRECIOUS!

When we got Leyna, our little Min Pin last summer, we adopted her through an adoption clinic. The people who brought her in had found her wondering in their neighborhood in Dallas, unable to locate her owners. It was at least 2 days before we got her to poop on the leash. She didn't even like peeing on it, but she would. She did do both in the house alot for the first month or two that we had her, but only if we failed to put her in her crate at night. She never did it during the day. Crate training works wonders for housebreaking a pet!

I hope to see lots of pup pictures in the future....and of course some knitting would be nice, too. ;-)

[caitlyn]

Trump is adorable! Congratulations on your new addition!

[Mary]

All the doggies I had growing up were outside pets, so I've got nothing.

Good to see you back again. Once you're in your new rhythm you'll get back into the swing of everything again. Life is like a big sine wave...or maybe a roller coaster--the old fashioned ones with not too many loop-da-loops :).

[Estella]

Good for you adopting a dog! No advice on the bathroom issues... After adopting our dog who had been in a shelter for almost a year, I learned that baby steps are necessary. Nobody loves you like an animal that you have rescued.

[Leslie]

Good to hear from you. I seem to be in the same knitting funk as you...not much going on. Trump is a cutie pie!

[Carole]

Welcome back! I hope Trump continues to settle in well.

[lynda]

He's so CUTE! Layla's a lap dog, too, I love it. Oh, the puppy potty training... sometimes you wonder who's training who! ;o)

[paula]

I don't know either. Our new "baby" is a yard dog. Good luck. I wondered what was up with you.

[Marti]

I love pugs! We had one years ago. He was quite an escape artist. He could climb fences with the greatest of ease.
I was wondering where you had disappeared to. Can't wait to see the dishcloths. I have been knitting a few of those myself.

[KM]

Oh...he's a cutie. And that's why we don't have a puppy yet. I'm just getting over the kids piddles. ;0)

[Restless Knitter]

Congrats on the new addition to the family! How old is he? I've used the bell on the doorknob method for potty training but I'm not sure how well that works with pugs. Glad to hear he's making progress though

[Sheepish Annie]

Ok. I'll admit it. I got a little teary-eyed seeing the new baby. How wonderful for you! I know how hard it was to lose the first and what an emotional rollercoaster it must have been to await the new. Trump is a little doll! And he'll come around soon on the potty training. He looks very, very smart to me!

[Sheri]

Wow, we've really been out of touch, huh? Trump is adorable, and a really pretty pug! Congrats. I'm afraid to ask, seems I've been gone awhile too, so I won't. Just hope Trump helps if there's a void.

I've been knitting but in a BIG blogging funk and haven't blogged since sometime in Feb. Just too much going on around here. And our pug, sleepy head that she is, fell sound asleep on the arm of hubby's chair, really sound, sound asleep, fell off, hit the floor hard and we just found out 3 weeks ago she broke 2 vertebrae in her back. Yup, always something! Steroids and muscle relaxers helped in the beginning and now she gets an aspirin each day. As she ages it'll have to be something stronger I suppose.

Have fun with Trump, and like several have said, just keep walking him around out there, sooner or later he'll figure it out. Pugs aren't easy to housebreak anyway, I can't imagine what a scared pug is like.

Sheri in SE GA

[katie]

He is so cute, Beth! I feel your pain...Addie likes to pee on the rug, too. =0)

[Ruth]

He is very cute!

[julie]

Hey Beth~Sorry it has been a while. Oh, wow...very cute trump! And you take such wonderful pictures. Happy summer!