Rescue Journal

i saw on tv that in mexico...cement couches are the new norm.

Carol  ·  Dec. 27, 2011

june and mystic play hard outside together every day at the barn for hours. they bomb around constantly chewing on each other, racing against each other, tackling one another...and mystic still has tons of stored energy left to dismantle the channel changers, my slippers and the couch.

i have said all along, i am not a dog trainer but i do listen when training is discussed..i ignore the whole crate training thing cuz i am not training our sweet palliative puppy to quietly and gracefully accept social isolation and physical confinement in a plastic or wire body sized box just so she doesn't chew up stuff. and i sure as shit don't like animals caged at the zoo so i am not caging them at my house.

but i do remember hearing various times when destructive behavior was discussed that a tired dog is a happy and good dog and i think this is true because mystic is a tired and happy and good dog....she just likes to quietly gnaw on things when she is chilling out and recharging her batteries. i can't give her stuffed kongs, smoke bones, and other orally satisfying things cuz with so many dogs it will just start a fight and teach her to guard and protect her chewing stuff....right now she has no guarding issues....no one else wants to eat my slippers, the couch or the channel changer.

anyway..i went online and our exact red leather couches are still at ikea for $549.00...which is pretty much what i paid for the new not yet chewed ones back in january 2006. and i think the fact that they lasted almost 6 full years and several hundred homeless dogs who have very well used them 24/7/365x6 is pretty damn good. but i absolutely cannot stand looking at ripped up shit.

so i am thinking..how can i toss out the old ones, bring in some nice new ones when i live with the happy go lucky princess of chewing up shit?

i am pretty much ignoring her palliative status cuz i don't want to think about this so if i look at the other things about her...she is one year old, is most definitely oral focused and is by birth and generationally genetically a busy body, (ie... make their own rules, get into trouble, wreck as much stuff as possible, unlimited physical energy,).... northern dog...then when can i reasonably expect her to stop ripping the shit out of stufff?

hmmm..maude ate her last wall at 17.....so....maybe i won't ever see a new couch?

oh well, whatever...i do so love our magical mystical couch (or anything else) mouth!

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Comments

Carol

if you want to try him with one..we have a bunch of different sizes here (if i can find all of the matching parts!!!)

cheryl and stef

totally off topic but wondering if anyone has any information on dog wheelchairs?

Bunny Horne

Mystic WINS. New sofa. You should check and see if KONG makes a sofa.

Ashley

Hi Carol, I'm off on Thursday so I'm going to drive out a bunch of dog food etc that I have for you!

Carol

lol..have you guys LOOKED at the damage she has done to the couch??? slip covers and reupholstering are not even options at this point....it is not just torn leather and ripped out stuffing..the puffy little bugger has determinedly gnawed thru the wooden framed armrests on BOTH sides too...she is (super sweet) PUPPY JAWS!

Linda

How about a slipcover? Ikea or Sears sells them and it's sale time? Yes, Mystic is such a cute girl and with such an innocent face too. Happy New Year to all.

Cricket

What about those lovely little teething-ring type nylabone toys, knotted-up old socks (this is one of my dog's favorite chew toys, and he doesn't know I'm Allowing him to chew on them, he thinks he's being sneaky and chewing on mine or my boyfriend's socks)? Or the crunchy mulched rawhide sticks that only last for a few seconds? These satisfy my year-old boy's need to destroy... maybe they'd work for Mystic and not pique the interest of the other pups?

Bunny Horne

why don't we try reupholstering the couch - it could be pulled out into the shop - I did reupholster one back in the 70s when I was married to a starving artist and we had zero dollars - our dog chewed the crap out of our sofa and we couldn't afford a new one - it doesn't have to be perfect - after all the dogs don't care about perfection - if you wanted to do it in denim as a test - I think I might have enough here at home to get the job done - just a thought