JAWS

Since we had our dog, Casey, put to sleep last month we have been dealing with some new and very unpleasant behavior issues with Oscar. For one...he is eating our house. Literally...eating our house. The bannister railings specifically. One of them is now chewed three quarters of the way around and at least half way through the wood. Mama ain't happy. Then there's everything else that keeps finding it's way into his little mouth of destruction. Like the tissue box, the books, the shoes, the papers, the contents of the wastebasket, the plants, the toys, etc. You get the picture. I have repeatedly sprayed the railings with something that supposedly tastes nasty...to no avail. We had him neutered on Friday and Chris assured me that that would make a difference for him. My immediate thought was that I doubt it...I mean...the end they are doing surgery on is NOT the end eating my bannister after all. And sure enough...true to my thought cycle it does not seem to have slowed him down at all! Apparently his testicles were not attached to the jaws of destruction in any form or fashion! And apparently it does not really cause pain or suffering to the surgery site when he sits and just eats on the house. And so. After today's TOTAL destruction of the plant Chris gave me for our anniversary (now wasn't that a totally silly gift for me...the woman of the total black thumb...I mean really...you'd think after 14 years he would know better!) I have to step up and play totally mean mom (a role that I am intimately familiar with nowadays) and our dear Oscar will now be going into the kennel when we leave the house. The family is fairly horrified over his impending fate...however, I, quite frankly, am sick of finding destruction every time I leave the house for 5 minutes. And so drastic times call for drastic measures. Oscar had "issues" with the kennel before. He would cry and drool horribly while we were gone. We even bought him some chamomile tablets that are supposed to calm him while we are gone. But they didn't help a bit. And I just hate it for him...but at this point I feel like we have to do something while we still have a house to live in! It's rough days ahead for the Roberts family, especially Oscar. Keep us in your prayers! Heaven knows we could really use them right about now!