Marley is tearing her toys up!

I need to go shopping again today.  No, not for groceries, gifts, or anything like that.  Not even anything for me.  I need to go shopping for Marley.  Why?  Because she has chewed up nearly all her toys!  We had a couple stuffed toys for her to chew on when we got her.  Both were gone in three days, I think.  I mean to say, she literally pulled the stuffing out of them!!  I won't buy stuffed toys anymore!

We had a couple rope pull toys for her to chew on.  One had a ball on it, the another a blue rubber chew toy.  The ball is long gone, and the rope - which was at least an inch in width - has been totally shredded.   The other rope toy has been shredded as well; she finished it this morning.  The rubber toy is still there, but only because she hasn't attacked it as much as she had the other toys.  I had taken an old hand towel, tied a knot in it and let her play with it. It is shredded.

She has a bone that is still a bit larger in width than her mouth that she loves to drag around and chew on the ends.  When it hits the wood floor, or the tile floor, it sounds like glass shattering.   We have learned to put it up and only let her have it when we think she will stay on her bed.  Which means, she picks it up and moves it to where it can make noise.  Right now it is in a 'safe place' on top of her crate.  Until she realizes it is there, that is.  She is big enough now to stand up and get it herself.

We have also gotten her some rubber rings, which she is chewing on - but has not destroyed as of yet.  She has done fairly well at not chewing on the furniture.  Thus far, that is.  She will start licking Tom's recliner and does she ever get going when we use the 'pet protector' on her!  (For those of you who don't know what a 'pet protector' is, it is a can of air that hisses when used.  It startles the dog to leave alone what they were doing.)  A can of rocks can do the same thing, or anything that makes a loud noise.  We used up the last of the can the other day, but she doesn't know that.  Yet.  We grab the can and 'hiss'.  I know, I can see you laughing now!  But, until we get another can, it will do.  Until she knows the difference, this is cheaper.

That is why I am planning on going shopping.  I will probably start at Big Lots to see what they have in big dog toys.  From there it will probably be Walmart.   Spoiled dog.

We have discovered a real inexpensive treat for her.  We laugh when she comes running every time she hears the noise.  Ice cubes.  Yep.  If she hears us getting ice for our glasses she comes running.  We find one that she can manage, she grabs it and off she goes to her bed.  There she proceeds to chomp and crunch it.   She loves her ice cubes.  Could be because it is so hot and muggy here too, but at least it is a treat we don't mind giving her.  She really gets funny when she decides to eat it on the tile floor - and the ice will escape her  mouth and she chases and pounces on it before it is either melted or chewed up.

She has been an amusing dog, to say the least.  Oh yes, she still gets in trouble on occasion, but overall, she is doing pretty good.  She is 99.9% housebroken now.  I say that because one day last week she 'went' on the carpet.  I was not happy and she knew it.  I want to think it was an accident, but she got the message from me loud and clear that was not acceptable.  Just in case it wasn't. 

We are sometimes like Marley.    We love our families (like Marley loves her toys), but sometimes we attack and shred them.   We say hurtful things, we do hurtful things.  We destroy them.  Perhaps not intentionally, but by the words we say, the things we do, what we don't say, what we don't do.  Perhaps we ignore the needs of our family.  Your spouse may need a tender touch; are you there to hug her?  Your child may need a 'I'm really proud of you' - are you willing to say it?  Perhaps it is a friend who just needs you to listen to them.  Hear their story.  Are you available?  

I don't want to be like Marley.  I don't want to hurt people.  I am sure you don't either.  What can you do today that will bring joy to someone?

Psalm 19:14 - "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

Blessings!