Yes it’s Charlie’s first Christmas and so far so good.
In case you don’t know, Charlie is our puppy that we got in May. He is a Schnoodle, which is a mix between a Schnauzer and a poodle. (I still love saying Schnoodle. It’s such a fun word.) Charlie is now 9-months old.
I had wondered what this Christmas would be like because he is in that “puppy” stage. My slippers are never safe, he loves the tassels on the throw pillows and he is obsessed with getting at the skirt under the couch. Turn your back for a second and he’s right back at it.
Last week we set up the Christmas tree and I really thought he would go after the ornaments he could reach.
Besides going over to sniff it out, he’s been fine! My wife, Priscilla, did say he goes over sometimes and ever so gently “boops” an ornament with his nose, especially if it’s shiny.
Our other dogs never really bothered with the tree much either. Baxter, the Golden Retriever, used to pull the tree skirt out and lay on it. Oscar the Beagle would go after any gifts left under the tree because… you never know ….there could be food! That’s why we never put any gifts under the tree until Christmas Eve.
Charlie has even stayed away from the wrapped gifts we have in a corner. Oscar would NEVER have done that! He got worse the older he got. He chewed up a few boxes at Christmas time, especially the Milk Bones that were wrapped for the other dogs in the family. And let’s not forget how he unwrapped EVERY gift before Sarah’s baby shower. Every one! The whole fam jumped in to rewrap them all the night before.
So I would say we’re lucky so far. Charlie IS following in the footsteps of Oscar and Baxter in the sense that he has stepped up his security game. Whether it’s Amazon, Fed-Ex, UPS or the USPS, ain’t no one sneaking up on this house! He barks at everything, including that blow up lawn decoration a neighbor has. Can you imagine if we walked by while it’s inflating? I can just see Charlie going into that puppy attack mode!
Merry Christmas and good luck with your pets my friends! Oh and if you have a cat AND a tree? You’re in my prayers.
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