A WALK IN THE PARK | What were we thinking?

What seemed like a good idea in the beginning has left me wondering as of late just what it was that we were thinking.

Since Bo, our much-loved chocolate lab is getting older, we decided (during a now obvious moment of memory malfunction) that getting a puppy would be a good idea. Because Bo came to live with us a full grown, middle-aged gentleman of a dog, I suppose we had forgotten the challenges - more like impossibility - of trying topuppy proof our place.

Miller, the newest addition, has served as a fullycharged and rambunctious reminder. And, now that it is too late to reconsider, we are living with this wound-a-little-too-tight, apt-to-chew-on-anything, can’t-wait-to-jump-onsomebody, often-exasperating consequence of that decision.

But, I am not saying I don’t like him. In spite of his full blown “bad-puppy” behavior, the little guy is a charmer ready to grab youwith his sweet nature, his beautiful eyes, and yes, even his abundant enthusiasm. I just wish he would play with his chew toys and leave my stuff alone.

That is an arrangement we are working on, although there are moments when we don’t seem to be making much headway. Anything that Miller can get to is fair game, as far as he’s concerned.

One surprise has been his knack for front porch furniture arranging. I never considered that a small pup would be able to move around full-sized wicker chairs, but he does it all the time. In fact, there are days when he apparently decides that a particular chair no longer belongs on the porch and should be dragged into the yard.Along the way, he has added his own gnaw marks to go with the ones that were put there years ago by a previous pet.

My flower beds have also taken a direct hit. With the relentless summer heat, I suppose all outdoor dogs are looking for a cool place to rest. Unfortunately, Miller has chosen the soft dirt of the flower bed for this purpose. To compound the aggravation, he has taken out a few plants and flowers along the way.

And now that I have started down this path, which maybe was not a good idea, I am reminded of his destruction to other plantings around the place, namely a dogwood tree. Upon returning home one afternoon, I noticed that the small tree planted alongour driveway earlier this summer had been completely uprooted. Still intact, the tree was replanted and looked as though it might actually survive. Days later, I noticed Miller chewing on a large “stick” in the backyard. Closer observation revealed that it was actually the ill-fated dogwood, again dug up and this time completely stripped of leaves and most of its branches. Bad news.

I must switch modes now and mention some of Miller’s positive qualities before I get the urge to turn this into a sequel of the book/movie “Marley and Me” or a “free to a good home” puppy ad. Let’s see. I already mentioned his personality and pretty hazel eyes, so give me a second to think.

OK, well, he’s smart in many ways. He is already learning to fetch a tennis ball and bring it back. He greets us with beside-himself excitement every morning and he will occasionally “sit” on command.

It’s plain to see we’ve still got plenty of work to do, but we’ll keep at it. I look forward to the day that my Miller is full grown and a better behaved companion. Meanwhile, with a little luck and lots of patience, we will both survive the puppy stage.

Annette Rowe is a freelance writer and a speech-language pathologist at Siloam Springs High School. She may be reached by e-mail at awalkinthepark50 @ yahoo.com.

Opinion, Pages 7 on 09/01/2010