Just JoLee

I was thinking it might be time to update you all on JoLee and how he’s growing. He’s lived with us six months now - and that would make him about eight months old. We’re pretty sure he isn’t going to grow any taller, but he’ll probably fill out a bit more. He’s a bit smaller than Star. I think she likes it that way.




The Early Bird Gets . . . the Toothpaste

JoLee and I are both early birds, and we are developing our morning routines. For instance, he loves it when I brush my teeth. As soon as I open the medicine cabinet, JoLee is at my feet, staring longingly up at me with huge, pleading eyes. I put toothpaste on my brush and then I sit on the edge of the tub, so he can breathe in the minty smell. He licks my hand while I’m brushing my teeth, and then when I’m done, he’ll give my toothbrush a lick or two. He loooves that minty goodness. But we aren’t done yet - we still have to floss. I get the floss out and after I’ve finished, I take a firm hold on the end and dangle the floss over Jo’s head. JoLee bites down on it while I pull it through his teeth, so I’m flossing his teeth, too. That’s good dental hygiene for you! I did give some thought to the whole “hygiene” part of it, though (and the fact that JoLee sometimes likes to snack on things he finds in the back yard) so he now has his own bright red toothbrush, and every morning we brush together.

Tossing the Toys

Much as I wish I had the patience of a saint (and although Harry has told me a time or two that I do), there have been times when I’ve gotten downright frustrated with the short leash I was on with JoLee for the first few months after he came home. Things are much better even now, but I was just thinking about the time I was trying to place an internet order and JoLee pulled out every attention-getting trick in his little book. I got settled in, and he started shredding something. I got up and took it away from him. I sat back down and figured out where I was, and then he started messing around with Star. I got up and broke things up, told Jo to stop it, gave him a rawhide to chew on and then sat back down. I got settled and figured out where I was in the order process again, and then Jo came and threw a ball at my feet. Something in me snapped at that moment. I got up, threw the ball for him, and then proceeded to throw each and every toy from his toybox at him, one at a time. At first he thought it was great fun, but as the toys kept coming, fast and furious, the look on his little face changed comically, from happiness, to uncertainty. Right before a look of fear appeared on his foxy little face, I ran out of toys. Thank heavens.

First Toenail Clipping

Back in December, I took JoLee back in to Doc Edding’s office for his first toenail trim. (Winnie was such a Drama Queen - she would scream each time I attempted to clip her nails, so that’s how I got into the habit of going to Doc to have them done.) As soon as I adopted JoLee, I began taking him in to see Doc, whether he needed me to or not, just so he would get used to going to the vet’s office and it wouldn’t be a trial. The first time Jo was to have his nails done, he struggled and fought like a little hellion, and even tried to bite the vet tech. I reached over and gently held his little muzzle closed, and then he lay passively while Doc used a Dremel to trim his little razor tipped talons. Afterwards he gave each of us a lick. It’s a good pup who knows when to give up the fight. I’ve since discovered that JoLee does best when his nails are just clipped and not sanded down with a Dremel, and he also does better when Doc just lets him sit there and picks up one paw at a time, rather than laying him down on his side and virtually pinning him to do his nails. We’re all in a learning process, here.

The InsomniPup

One thing I’ve never had to deal with before is a dog with insomnia. Last night is a good example. I got home, played with the pups for about half an hour, started a load of laundry and then made dinner. After dinner, Harry went with me for the two-block walk (Star, as you know, is having knee issues, so her exercise is to be limited to two-block walks. That’s just a warm-up for JoLee). When we got back, I baked scones and did the dishes. Then it was time to watch “Castle.” I played with JoLee and folded laundry during the commercials. After Castle, it was 10:00, my bedtime. Star and I went to bed, but JoLee couldn’t sleep. By the time Harry came to bed, JoLee was so restless that Harry gave him a cow hoof to gnaw on. Jo was satisfied with that for a few minutes, but then he got up again. He got a drink of water; he checked out the sleeping porch; he went downstairs and out to the back yard; he brought something in from the yard to chew on; etc., etc., etc. I finally had to see what he was destroying at about 2:00 a.m. (it was just one of his squeaky toys, thank heavens, and not Harry’s checkbook, which was what I had feared). At that point, I’d just about given up on sleeping, and tried to reason out exactly why JoLee couldn’t sleep. Maybe it was because Star was on the bed (she goes through periods of time when she sleeps with us, as opposed to the huge dog bed right next to our bed). Maybe sleeping in the spare room would work. At first, JoLee jumped up next to me on the twin bed and settled right in. Then Star came in to see what I was doing in the spare room. She wanted to jump up, but decided against it and went back to the other bedroom. Jo followed her. More wrestling ensued. Suspicious quiet followed. I had just drifted off to sleep when Star came back in and jumped up onto the bed, and then JoLee jumped up and laid down on top of me. But then, finally, I got some sleep. Next thing I knew, it was 6:00 a.m., or so I thought. I heard Harry getting dressed, and when I asked him why he was up so early, he told me I hadn’t changed the clock in the spare room. It was actually an hour later - or, as he put it, “Time to scramble.”

The bad part of this is that JoLee gets to sleep in his crate all day, but someone is sure to notice if I nap at my desk. Tonight I’m going back to the double-walk arrangement. Maybe then I’ll get some sleep!



Personality Plus

Throughout all of this, both Harry and I have been thanking our lucky stars that JoLee became our pup. He exhibits so many traits we recall from other dogs, it’s almost like he’s a “Frankendog” patched together from all our favorite bits of past pups, but with his own twist. He loves to lick the shower curtain and dry off our legs after we shower - like Mikey the Dingo Dog. His long, snaky tail has a white tip - just like Winnie’s. He loves to snuggle - like Tim. JoLee will also try a bit of whatever you’re eating, no matter what it is, and he loves bananas - just like Mac the Thundering Slobber Dog. But JoLee loves to wrestle with his Dad, chase birds, play ball and fetch the frisbee. And the toothpaste thing - that’s all JoLee. I’ve never had a dog that loved to have his teeth brushed. He also has his little “grumble growl” he uses when he’s really tired and doesn’t want to be messed with. He never follows it up with a snap - it’s his version of a child’s whiney “leave me alooooone.” Cracks me up.

So, once again, we’ve been blessed with a wonderful addition to our little family. Even though I had to drive 1,800 miles to get him, I’ll admit it - he's been worth every single (s)mile.