Bogey's make-over

As we get closer and closer to the realities of having a new baby in the house, I get more and more anxious to get Bogey out of it. Don't get me wrong, he is a wonderful dog, sweet and loving as can be, constantly cuddly and happy. I have no reservations about him; it's me. He's so much more energetic than our other two, requiring a lot of management on my part to keep him quiet, occupied, supervised, and periodically out of Kira and Kelly's way so that they are able to have at least a few peaceful moments each day. It's stressful! I was just telling Sonepheth last night that if we do manage to get him adopted before September, our baby won't recognize me as a calm soft-spoken mama, being that I've spent a lot of time during my pregnancy yelling things like "Bogey leave it, off, drop it, NO" (you've heard this complaint before). Sigh... And even though it will inevitably be a little sad to see Bogey go after so many months of caring for him, I will be happy to say goodbye to the stress.

And when I say it's me, I mean it's really ME. Let me explain. Picture this: the three dogs are in the yard, bouncing about, sniffing, chewing sticks, chasing birds, wrestling each other to the ground... Sonepheth is outside gardening or working on his motorcycle or he's inside doing something, doesn't matter... Then I get home... Kira and Kelly wag their tails and woof their high pitched trills, woo woos, and general happy noises, they run to me and lean against me, Kira tries to lick my face. Bogey runs to the center of the front yard, cranes his neck towards the sky, whimpers, then begins to hurl his body into the air repeatedly (usually, though not always, landing on his feet), and barks this eardrum/earth-shattering, incessant RRRWOAF, RRRWOAF, RRRWOAF, RRRWOAF. Now picture this: I try to remain calm, I attempt to distract him with a stick, I tell him no, I plead with him to stop... He runs around in circles, momentarily ceasing the noise, only to start up again... He simply can't control himself... I throw my purse across the yard... He backs up, sniffs at my grass-stained purse, then resumes his "snow dance" (that story I'll save for another day)... Sonepheth points out to me again, for the zillionth time, "you know, he only does this when you're home". I sigh, head aching, annoyed, and retreat inside. The barking stops! Yes this actually happens (including the bit about the purse, unfortunately).

I don't relate this information to set off worry amongst friends and family who read this blog. I know. I know a thousand times. IF (and it is a big if) we do not find a home for Bogey within the next four months and IF we end up having to continue fostering him once the baby is here, we will manage. I will meditate more and I guess I'll hire a dog walker or maybe buy a snow maker or something, but we will manage...

I also don't want anyone to misunderstand my rant. He is a really really good boy most of the time. When he's not making my nerves twitch or my head explode, he is attentive and snuggly and entertaining (and just so darn cute it's irritating, you know?!). He will make some lucky family very happy one day, just not this family.

So, I sincerely hope (and now finally coming to the point of this entry) that Bogey's new look will help people see past the PIT and into the heart of a really fantastic dog. We posted new pictures that do not look "scary" as so many people in our group commented that the old ones did, and our very talented newsletter editor wrote up a spiffy new blurb about him for the website. And according to the Petfinder.com stats, he actually broke 100 this week, so it must be working! For reference, the dogs on the top of the list, usually get about 500-800 hits per week. Poor Bogey...

Wish us luck, and if you know anyone who wants to adopt a crazy, happy, goofy, silly, lovey, big-headed dog, and who has the required energy and stamina to handle the Bogster, PLEASE let us know!

P.S. I promised Bogey this morning (as he sat with his head in my lap gazing lovingly into my eyes) that I'd post another entry about all the good things he does too, maybe tomorrow.