Bath time is always a fun time around here. There is just something about a bath that makes Benjamin, Henry and Luna want to run around like crazy pugs. But after their last bath, Henry really wasn’t in the mood to run around like a madman. He was tired. He had spent much of the day swimming so all he really wanted to do was relax. Benny on the other hand hadn’t been swimming. He had been napping so he was chock full of energy. So Benny wanted to play and Henry was having none of it. Benny broke out all of the moves to entice Henry, but the two have been around each other so long, that Henry had seen them all before and he wasn’t biting. Poor Benny had to wait until Luna was finished getting her bath before he had someone to chase.
This weekend we planted a little garden in the backyard. The garden looks very nice, but we had ulterior motives for planting it. It seems that Benjamin & Henry have taken a real liking to lifting their leg and peeing on he screen of the screened-in pool area. Which of course means that the pee comes through the screen and gets on the pool deck and the lanai. We have fussed at them a million times for doing it, but they just look at us like, “Look, you trained me to go potty in the yard and technically I am in the yard so I don’t think I am doing anything wrong.”
So, we figured there was only one way to beat them at their own game. Plant some of their favorite plants, so that they have something to water other than the screen. Plus, the garden sorta acts like a barrier and keeps them away for the screen a bit. I say a bit, because none of them are above tramping through the garden. So far our plan is working and the boys’ attention has been diverted from the screen to the freshly planted plants.
The other thing you might noticed is that we have put down rocks rather than mulch. If we had put down mulch, Benjamin & Henry would have thought they hit the lottery. They love to chew on and eat mulch. So if we had put down mulch we would have never been able to let them lounge in the yard again.
So, Little Luna had plenty of opportunities to remind us this weekend of what a good girl she is and just how mischievous her big bros can be.
For Halloween in 2005, Benjamin & Henry wanted to show off their superhero side and they dressed up as Batman & Robin. The boys were quite dashing in their costumes and they got lots of treats from the neighbors that Halloween night.
Recently, I was contacted by Dutch Pug Dog Club Commedia magazine. They are a Dutch magazine that is dedicated to the pug. They have a section in the magazine dedicated to funny pug pictures and they wanted to know if they could use Benjamin & Henry’s Batman & Robin photograph. I happily obliged and about a month later they send me a PDF of the page with Benjamin & Henry. The text is obviously not in English, so they translated it for me. The headline reads: Found on the Internet and the caption says: They put us in a funny suit and they think we are going to rescue the world. I don’t think so! That pretty much sounds like Benny & Henry.
The house is bare! Well not really. Just the rooms with carpet in them. We had our carpet cleaned on Tuesday and in preparation we moved all of the furniture out of the rooms that were to be cleaned. Benny made me laugh because he set up shop right in the middle of the empty living room. He was steady chewing his bone, oblivious to the fact that everything else around him had been removed. As long as no one touched his bone, he was a happy fellow.
With 3 pugs, a cat, and two humans we try to clean the carpet every 6 months to keep things looking nice. We normally rent a carpet cleaning machine and do the cleaning ourselves, but this time we brought in a professional. When we clean the carpet, it is an all day affair. Mainly because we have to empty and refill the steamcleaner’s bucket so many times. So since we were tight on time, and the carpet was ready for cleaning, we paid someone to clean it for us. And let me just tell you, I don’t think I will ever clean it again! They were in and out in about an hour and a half and the carpet looks great!
But don’t worry. The pugs weren’t too inconvenienced by the carpet cleaning. I spent the day working at the kitchen table and I made sure to setup a makeshift sleeping area for the pugs. They made do and were happy to have the beds because watching the guy steam clean the carpet really tired them out!
Now we will just have to wait and see if Benny can keep his streak intact. The last two times we cleaned the carpet, Benny promptly threw up on the nice clean rug. The first time it was within the first week of the cleaning and the second time it was within two days. There is just something about a nice clean rug that makes Benny nauseous.
Every work day at 3pm this is what I see. Pugs gazing up at me, letting me know it is time for dinner. A little bit before 3pm they start to gather at me feet and somehow they know exactly when the clock turns to 3:00. If I have not gotten up to feed them by then, Benny will paw at my leg to let me know that I am neglecting my duties. He is like a cranky old man demanding his early bird special.
I think Luna really likes having two big brothers. From time to time, I will find her completely mimicking the boys. Today, at lunch, Benjamin & Luna were on the sofa relaxing and I just happened to notice that the two of them were laying the exact same way. It’s like Luna wants to be just like her big bro!
What I have been most fascinated by since we have adopted Luna is that she hasn’t learned much from us, in terms of training, but she has learned a ton of stuff from the boys. She just naturally picks up on what they do and just follows right along. I guess it is completely natural pack behavior, but it is different to see it at work in your own house.
With the boys it just seemed like it took forever for them to learn their manners and to get them to settle into a routine. But, Luna just walked right in and settled into the routine perfectly. Granted, she does do some things that the boys would never dream on doing (ahem, barking for table scraps), but for the most part she really follows their lead.
I am just really thankful that Luna had two big brothers to show her the ropes and that when she became part of the family the boys didn’t completely forget everything they had learned up until that point.
