Long time, no see

Well, that's because... Life has been busy.

But I had an experience this evening that I want to share. If you know me at all, or have read some of the snippets of this blog, you know that my boyfriend and I have the sweetest dog in the world.

Fin has been a member of the family since February 07. She's a little more than a year old, and we treat her like a supremely spoiled child. She has TONS of toys, eats more organic food than we do, and gets to sleep in the bed.

But we've decided that it's time to start setting some boundaries. Step #1? Get her to sleep on the floor. Or at least at the foot of the bed. Since we're both tall people, we prefer she sleeps on the floor--but hey, we'll take what we can get.

So tonight, Fin and I had an exciting evening. We went on a nice, long walk. Before I left for work, I poured (organic) beef broth into an ice cube tray and stuck it in the freezer...so when we got home from our walk, Fin got a refreshing beefy cooler. Then, we loaded up into the car and made our way to the discount pet supply store.

I stocked up on her favorite treats, and she pranced politely next to me through the store. We walked down the aisle with the dog beds, and I picked out a nice one that I thought she might fit in.

Up at the counter, the cashier said, "Is that for her?"

"Well, yeah...why?"

"It's too little. You have a huge dog."

I set the bed down on the floor. After some convincing, Fin laid on it, and her butt hung off one end, her head and front paws off the other. I do have a huge dog.

So, we went back to the aisle with the beds, and I found an extra-large floor pillow. I plopped it down on the floor, and Fin immediately plopped right down on it. She laid their, looking up at me with approval written all over her face.

Then she wouldn't move. She refused to leave the pillow. So we just stayed there while she relaxed and, when she was good and ready, she hopped up and let me grab the pillow.

I paid for all the goodies, and when we got home, I tossed it on the ground. Now she won't touch it.

But her display in the store was all I needed for convincing.

Maybe this means nothing to you...but it means a whole lot to me. Fin has changed my life and is still teaching me about patience, love, and understanding.