Chunk on a Chair

The phrase reminded me of the old description of chipped beef on toast, "shit on a shingle," when Walt was telling me "when you go to pick up newspaper with pee on it, first you put Chunk on a chair."

He was referring, of course, to the easy way to clean up the floor. The puppies are pretty good about using newspapers, so the family room is strewn with them (another good thing about Ned & Marta volunteering to host Christmas this year!)

The problem with cleaning things, whether puddles or solid material, is that Daisy ("Chunk") thinks chasing tissues or towels is just about the most fun game there is in the world. She will race across the room if she sees Walt head into the kitchen with a tissue to pick up a stray poop and try to chase his hand around as he attempts to clean up the mess.

So, if you're going to clean up, first you put Chunk on a chair. She is a huge wimp and will sit on a chair for literally hours, whining rather than trying to jump off. (We've gone out and left her sleeping on a chair and come home 3 or 4 hrs later to find her still sitting in the chair, crying.) Half Pint has none of those fears. She just slides off the chair, lands on her head, lets out a yip and takes off across the floor after one of the bigger dogs.

I'm lovin' the name "Chunk" more and more for Daisy. It's so wonderfully descriptive. She is...well...a chunk. I swear she grows while I'm looking at her. She was 2 lbs when she arrived here 3 weeks ago, as a 4 week old puppy. Walt weighed her a couple of days ago and she was 6 lbs., so her rate of weight gain is bigger than even my own.

Her nose has lengthened and that "ambiguous breed" look she had when she arrived has been wiped away. She very definitely looks like a pit bull.

But she's a pit bull like Ned and Marta's Bouncer. This is a real wimp. She and Half Pint make a lot of noise when they play, but nobody seems to be getting hurt.

My clothes, though, are falling victim to playing puppies. I don't remember which puppy tore through the cuff of the sleeve of my brand new sweatshirt. All of my pants have holes in them from claws of puppies trying to climb up my leg. Teeny, almost microscopic holes, but holes nonetheless.

Half Pint is finally starting to look like she's gaining weigh. I have hit on a mixture of foods that she likes and it's so funny to watch her eat because that little tummy swells up like a balloon. When she finishes she literally waddles around the room until she has her post-prandial nap. When she wakes up, the tummy has gone back to normal size again, but it's the funniest thing to watch her eat. You can tell when Daisy has been eating a meal too, but Half Pint is so tiny that it really shows on her.

Half Pint is also getting bolder and she just walks up and takes her little corner of the big dog bed, no matter who is sleeping in there, something the Big Chunk is afraid to do. She'd rather sit in front of my chair and bark, hoping someone will notice and lift her up so she can sleep there.

They really are such funny little guys!