The Morning Assault . . .

Anyone who knows me realizes I like dogs more than I like most people. That is for many reasons but mainly because they are completely loyal to you and always seem happy to see you. About 10 years ago I ran a dog rescue out of my home. I lived in a very small town in OK and once they know you take dogs in I pretty much woke up at least twice a week to a new dog on my door step. I personally prefer mutts. They are healthier, do not require a piece of paper to be loved and usually are so darn ugly they are cute.

So about two months ago the kids and I decided to get a dog and of course we checked out the local animal shelters and rescues to find that perfect dog. We spent about two weeks and finally found a dog that met all the rules – the rules were pretty much the fact the dog had to be small since we are currently living in a rental house. That is how we ended up with Charlie.

Charlie is a cross of a mini schnauzer and we think, Jack Russell terrier. Charlie is a very sweet dog. He is not yippy, he is not timid and he loves to play. He is about 7 months old now and is fully potty trained. He sleeps through the night too . . .kinda.

I do not sleep well or much. Typically if I can get 5 hours I am ecstatic so Charlie and I tend to stay up until midnight or after. I get up at 6 to get my much needed cup of coffee in before I get the kids up. However, Charlie has begun what I like to refer to “The Morning Assault”. Again, Charlie is a puppy and puppies like to play. So around 5:30 Charlie wakes up and makes his way to the end of the bed. From what I can tell, he just sits there until I make some sort of move – I am pretty sure if no drastic movement is detected a shallow breath is enough to engage the assault. Once detected, Charlie pounces on me and begins to gnaw and bite and wrestle . . . with my hair. Now, I will give Charlie credit at that time in the morning my hair resembles some sort of scary monster but I don’t THINK it actually fights back. Once the attack has ensued, any attempt on my part to defend myself is taken as a challenge. At this point serious biting, growling and wrestling begins . . . and then Charlie begins to growl and bite back. . .

My attempts to have Charlie sleep with the children have failed miserably. My attempts to keep Charlie up until the wee hours in hopes of him sleeping in have been about as successful as Tony Romo this season. So, I guess I will just realize Charlie is who he is and deal with it . . . Benadryl here we come!