I was watching the "Pet of the Week" last week to see if they mentioned that Chug had found a home. They did not say the name but they said the SPECIAL NEEDS dog had been adopted by one of their viewers! OK, our work is cut out for us!
We knew that adding another animal to the pack would not be easy! They have been getting to know each other...alliances have been formed...territory has been marked....and we are being trained! We have learned that a rescue dog comes with baggage and issues! Chug has separation anxiety issues. He does not like to be confined or left alone! He is a "people" dog and does not like to be without his people! We are trying to get him used to the company of dogs!
He is perfectly content to sleep in a chair as long as I am in the room. Of course he would prefer to be in my lap but we have made progress there. We are struggling with leaving the house without him! He gets hysterical in the crate. I came home to find the crate locked and Chug missing. He chewed the metal bars and bent them enough to get out...the hole was no more than 4 inches!!! He was partying upstairs in youngest son's room!
Next we tried the double baby gate in the kitchen since he can jump the gate that keeps the pugs in. It worked for 1 day! On Sunday we came home to this:
He chewed a hole in the plastic gate and let Eli and
Bitsey out! We were gone about an hour! His
destructive acts are limited to when he is confined so we are going to start letting him roam the house when we go out for short periods!
And the crate is fine as long as the door is not closed!!!
He also has some issues with housebreaking. Luckily we walk the pugs a lot so he goes with them whether he wants to or not! We have seen great improvement there. He seems to copy Eli! The first week we had to carry him outside and he just sat and shivered. Now he runs to the door most of the time when someone picks up a leash. He has also learned to chew dog toys and sticks. He and Bitsey have argued over toys some and he does not back down!
He is the most loving dog I've ever seen, even with his issues, I can't imagine who could give him away!
Most weekends we are happy to go to the backyard and putter around. Ever since we moved into the Swamp my Hubby has worked to make the backyard our refuge. I wish I had a before picture to show how desolate it was when we moved in. Just picture a large yard with big trees and 3 years of leaves and weeds covering everything. It has come a long way!
This summer he has added this walkway from the "grilling" patio to the pool. We had some temporary stepping stones that were not wide enough.
The stepping stones have been repurposed to make a place for the ferns. The ferns started out near the gate on the cement until they grew so big!
Last year's project was a raised planter that is still not filled up. But it is coming along. The hostas will fill in and we put some saliva and coleus in the empty spots.
This little fountain is the focal spot. It needs some more plants to fill around it.
This plant stand is a piece of "road kill" I found . It looked like a tree had fallen on it! Hubby just bent it back into place and it is as good as new! I really like the bright green coleus and sweet potato vine this year.
The pond plants have been abundant this year. We added the pond one summer when we had two teenagers that were grounded for something long forgotten. They got to dig a pond while they served out their ssentence.
The waterfall is completely covered in this water plant this year. We can still hear the water trickling but can't see it.
Speaking of covering.....this is the ENEMY.....covering the trees....KUDZU! We battle it daily! It is rooted in the neighbor's yard and grows over on to our trees. It does provide privacy for the pool! Every time a vine gets to the pool fence I hack it off.
Here is the ENEMY. I take out my frustrations by twisting it into this basket. I have also made a wreath.
Finally, the outside dog, Big Jeff, does not get much blog time. Here he is hiding under the table! Have you ever heard of a lab that is afraid of the water? He is a big baby! We do have a plastic baby pool for him.
Just to show you how big this baby is.....his paws are bigger than my hands!
I loved the contrast of the blooming flowers and the snow covered trees outside the window. The bluebird is fake, but he looks real enough for Lulu to stalk!
I have been working on some cute baby shower gifts for the long awaited grandson of my 
