Saga of the Sausage, Part 2: Carpet-Woes

It is day two of Sausage-sitting and I'm already exhausted. When I picked him up from my parent's, he came with his crate. I felt guilty yesterday about confining him and was also terrified that it would cause him to bark. So, I let him run loose in my bedroom.

Yesterday morning, this method was fine. Sausage appeared to have slept happily on my bed. I had to rouse him to take his lunchtime walk.

The afternoon was another story, however. Due to feelings of massive guilt at the thought of crating him for the afternoon, I continued to let him run loose, confining him to my room. I learned quickly that Sausage does not like to be confined. I came home to discover a huge piece of my bedroom carpet had been ripped up, chewed and clawed in his efforts to free himself from captivity. He's persistant, I'll give him that.

The thing is, I wanted to yell at him, to tell him off but it really wasn't his fault. He has separation anxiety and I know it. He was left alone in a strange room and he was trapped. As a dachshund, his ancestors used to burrow, to dig down into the ground to hunt prey such as rabbits. Sausage does not disappoint his ancestors, digging with the best of them. He tried to dig out of my room. He didn't succeed but my poor carpet suffered anyway. Now I'm going to have to pay for that when I move out. It's an expensive fix, that I know. Lesson learned.

So, today, I left him crated in my room with the TV on. He's watching NBC today. He watched FOX yesterday. I blame that for the digging. I'm hoping NBC is a little more soothing. He was trying to dig his way out as I left. Now I worry that he'll realize he's alone and he'll start those howls of anguish. I have no choice though- if I let him roam, he'll still bark but it'll be more likely the neighbours will hear him.

Truth be told, I do love having him around in the evenings. It's nice to curl up on the couch in the evenings with a dog by my side. When I made dinner, I cooked him his own hot dog (fat-free, of course) on my George Foreman grill so we could eat together. He seems happy in the evenings; it's the days that are hard. I only hope that at the moment, he's settled down to sleep. I gave him his sweaters, a chew-bone and some snacks. It's only four-hours until I can run home at lunch and walk him and then only another four hours before I stay home for the evening with him.

I've realized that having a dog in an apartment is no easy feat. I'm looking into doggie day-care for the next three days. I figure if I have to pay $20 a day for someone else to deal with his howling, at least I won't get evicted and some of the guilt will go away.

Aside from Sausage-sitting, my life is pretty quiet. I did approach my boss and tell him I was slightly bored at work and would love more responsibility. I figure that was easier than going the Monster.com route. Also, I like my company. I just find my job slightly mind-numbing. I know I am lucky to have a job in this economy, even when someone's not saying it, I hear a voice in my head saying that. I just also have a need for some personal satisfaction in a job and when I don't get it, I tend to get restless. I'm hoping that subsides for now.

I'm also thinking that I should start packing to move. I close on my new house in 13 days. Yes, I'm nervous. Actually...I'm terrified. Buying a house is a huge responsibility. I think it'll be a great house and my mortgage will be lower than my current rent and I get a place twice the size of my own. Also, if Sausage comes to stay/live with me, it'll be easier because he'll have more room to howl and less chance of complaints. That doesn't mean I'm not scared. I have a little trouble with commitment and, as commitments go, this is about as big as it gets short of having a baby. Given how hard trying to juggle a Sausage and my life, I have new admiration for mothers.

This is going to be a very long week.

Happy Tuesday.