a flash of delight

There are some really good reasons why I like Harlow.

1. She realizes that sometimes a girl needs to sleep… as long as this girl realizes that sometimes a puppy needs to pee at 5am. And by sometimes I mean always. But after we get that over with she is perfectly happy to curl up on her blanket at the foot of my bed for a little snooze. And let’s face it… I can barely make it all the way through the night without my bladder screaming at me so I can’t blame her for needing to get up either. She actually sleeps in a crate so she can’t just get up and go.

(Just as a side note for any one who is anti-crate I’ll just say hers is very open and has the very comfy bedding and the little stuffed animal she likes to sleep with. Also, I plan on traveling with her so I want her to have a place she’s used to. It’s also really helped with potty training. Besides that she likes it. She told me.)

2. She is always concerned for my safety. Harlow believes very strongly that the bathroom is not a safe place to be alone. She is especially against people showering unsupervised. If you do close the door on her when you are in the bathroom she will frantically call to you through the door to let you know how dangerous what you are doing is and how she doesn’t approve. Really, if you think about it it’s very thoughtful.

3. She is polite. I am so glad I don’t have a yappy dog. If Harlow feels like I’m not paying her enough attention she will come and sit by my chair and just sit there looking up at me. Usually just looking down at her cute little puppy face is enough to make me stop what I’m doing to play for a few minutes. But if I can’t then as soon as she realizes that her good manners are getting her no where she will toss her head and give a loud SNIFF! of disgust. If that doesn’t work well then all bets are off. Her cuteness will not be denied!

4. She’s everyone’s BFF. Harlow is convinced that every person that walks in my door is there to see her and there is no convincing her otherwise. She is such a friendly pup and has no fear of strangers and she has to greet everyone we run into with a sniff and a wiggle of her bottom. She is, however, afraid of the vacuum cleaner.

5. She’s nuts. She has the funniest personality. She has these little dog treats that she gets in the morning before I leave and she loves them. I think she can smell them when I open the bag and she can barely contain her excitement. She’d sell me down the river in a heartbeat for one of them. I guess everyone has their price. Also when she’s happy her run turns into more of a gallop. She’s also learned how to jump into the bathtub … now we are just waiting for her to learn to jump out. But really I think she likes the way it echoes when she barks in there. Whatever.

6. She likes me. She doesn’t care how tired, dirty, or crabby I am. The other night she fell asleep in the living room while we were watching the Olympics and I got up and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Maybe three minutes later she comes running in and flops down on the floor and falls asleep again against my foot. I’m sorry but that’s cute.

There are a lot of reasons that I like her. I’m just sorry all of my friends can’t have her for a puppy too because she’s a really good one. So now that I’ve proven myself to be one of those crazy pet ladies… I’ll try and think of something else to blog about.