Friday, April 30, 2010

Adjusting

When I talk with people about Theo and being unemployed, they usually comment that Theo must be so happy, having me all to himself all day.  The truth is, when I was working Theo wasn't home alone all day.  At least, not every day.  2 or 3 days a week he was in doggy daycare, and with the weekends, he was only ever home alone 2 days a week.  He loves the people that work there, and I'm told he might have even developed a friendship or two with some of the dogs.

I know.  Theo?  Develop relationships with those of the canine persuasion?  Never!  But it's true!

Anyway, the point is that he wasn't some pathetic dog, moping around the house all day, awaiting my return.  And it's not like I'm hanging around the house all day playing fetch with him now.  Job hunting is time consuming!  And with my laptop dying, I'm now stuck in the dreary office, a place neither Theo nor I like spending a lot of time.  Oh, did I mention my laptop inexplicably died?  Yeah, it happened the same week as the death of my car battery, garage door, and Xbox.  No joke. That was a hard week for me.

But that's not the point.  The point is that Theo and I are both adjusting to my new schedule, and I think we're finally getting used to each other, and understanding our needs and wants.  I understand that when I get back from working out in the mornings, Theo needs my full, undivided attention for a good long play session.  Done.  Theo needs to walk just down the street a bit for his first pee of the day, so I don't try and make him come back inside after the first leg lift I see.  Any lunch or bathroom breaks Theo will interpret as "Theo breaks", meaning that he gets attention, either in the form of fetch or a walk.  And, of course, our evening routine hasn't changed.  He still gets a nice, long walk after dinner

Theo understands after breakfast, I need some me time to get ready.  He knows that after I get ready and play with him for a bit longer, I need to get to work, and when I go into the office, that playtime is over.

Yeah, that's pretty much all Theo understands.  He knows when I'm in the office to leave me alone, unless he needs to go out, in which case he lets me know as he usually would.  But anytime I leave for anything, he immediately wakes up and finds a toy for me to throw.  It can be annoying sometimes, but I try to remember that he's probably bored out of his mind.  Which is also why I try and get to the dog park as often as possible.  Theo still won't play with the other dogs, but I think just seeing other dogs interacting is good mental stimulation for him.

Also, a woman in the Corgi meetup group organizes small meet ups on Thursday mornings at different points in the area where we can go for walks, or let the dogs play.  I could never go before, obviously, because I was working, but now that I'm unemployed, we've both been really starting to look forward to our Thursday meetups!  If you ever find yourself in my situation, having a group where both you and your dog can socialize a little is amazingly invaluable.

But it's not all inconveniences and annoyances.  If I have to be unemployed, I'm glad I have Theo around.  He helps me not go completely insane being home alone all day.  I can handle the solitude well enough, but it's nice to be able to completely turn all my attention to something else and get my mind off things.  Whether that's sitting down for a long fetch session, going for a sunny afternoon walk, or hanging at the dog park.

And if anything, I'd say this new arrangement has increased Theo's love and appreciate of Husband.  Funny, right?  It's just the two of us all day, and the minute that Husband walks in the door after work, Theo is all over him.  Play fetch with me, Daddy!  Don't hug Mommy, Daddy!  Watch me catch this, Daddy!  It's adorable.  He loves when his pack is all together.



PS: As requested by my mother, a post without anal gland leakage or diarrhea.




Poop.

5 comments:

betty said...

I think you guys are just doing fine learning how to adjust to each other with this new schedule; you'll get it down just right and then you'll get a job and it will all change again

since I work at home, Koda and me over the years have developed our own schedules; sometimes he's right with me at my feet, other times he's sleeping in our bedroom or what not, but amazingly when I'm breaking for lunch, he knows and is right there for his nimble or two

good luck with the job searching!

betty

peglow said...

Thank you.

Whosyergurl said...

Your P.S. is hilarious!
Hope you find a job SOON!
hugs, Cheryl

Freya's Human said...

I'm glad that you two are adjusting to the current situation. Hopefully, it won't be too long of a wait for you guys.

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