First off, I was rejected at Dog Obedience Training. Yes, (I) was the one who was rejected. Something on the lines of me being too sensitive & not being "cut out for this type of training".
So, after the crazy week I had with everything going on, Thursday was the big day to ship Sammy off to "Duffy's Dog Training" in Indiana, a highly recommended training ground from my vet. The lady said she sent her 2 Rottweilers there & they came back completely different dogs. Pfft, after seeing what I saw... I'd be a changed dog, too. In a flipping milli-second, I can assure you. So, crazy day with Benny that morning, then I load Sam-Sam up in the car, fully stocked with 7 bones that I had specially purchased that morning at the store for his time away. I knew how much he loved them, so I made sure the little guy would be happy. Pfft, happy in that place? No amount of bones in the world would have allowed that! Anyways, he did great on the ride over there.. just chillin' out in the back of the SUV, watching all the cars go by. It was about a 20min. drive over there. We get there.. Sammy see's all the people, all the dogs and starts spazzing out, very natural for this dog. I have always said he's ADHD, but.. what do I know? We get taken into a room, just the 2 of us, for them to observe Sammy when he see's another dog and another person. So, test one: A man walks thru the room w/ another dog.. Sammy is yelping (excited), wagging his tail, jumping on me like a crazy loon.. just being the Sammy I know. Then, Mr. Duffy (the trainer) mosies on in, slips a "slip collar" on my guy and says, "I'll take it from here...." ...(pfft, yeah you sure did....). Anyways, he had a bag of food... tosses it in front of Sammy while talking to me. Naturally, Sammy is going to go after the food. The trainer YANKS on that stupid slip chain and makes Sammy leap back 2ft. My heart sank. Then, he threw the food down again. Guess what happened? Yep, Sammy went for it..again The man YANKS Sammy back & he yelps, again. I asked, "does that hurt him?" The man replied, "I'm 48, if you would have asked me that when I was in my 30's, I would have told you that it simply startles them to get their attention. But, now? After doing this for over 20 years, YES.. it hurts like hell!".. um, greeeeat, just what I needed to hear!. He throws the food down again--> my dog just sits there looking down at the ground. He then waited 3min., patted him on the head, then rewarded him with a piece of food. I will spare you of all the details of this story, because we all know I can tell a story... recapping every last detail, which... makes for a very long, very boring, very drawn-out post.. yes, I am fully aware of the way this sister can ramble on like there is no tomorrow, I just can't help it. :). He ended up yanking that stupid slip collar aka: the dog collar from hell, over 10 times while we were there. He brought in other dogs, one being his "killer" german sheperd that even made MY heart fall to my feet. Poor Sammy, I felt like he was put in that place to just be tortured. I mean, who DOES that? He passed so many tests, and honestly, he was so afraid to even move. Half of what the man talked to me during that 30min. span, I seriously can't even recall because my mind was still on that darn collar & how much it hurt my dog. It was like I went into this mode of being Charlie Brown, sitting in that darn classroom, listening to the teacher and only hearing "rar-rar-rarararr-rar..." My ears honestly just tuned him out. It wasn't until poor Sammy licked the man on his arm that took me over the deep end. Sammy does this to me when he's seeking approval or just wants to show love. He does. I know my dog. Homie decided that the moment Sammy licked him, of which, the dog sat completely in obedience the last 15min.---> a complete angel, he decides to YANK that darn collar as hard as he could. Then Sammy looked at him, pathetically, and licked his arm again: APPROVAL people, APPROVAL.. the dog has a heart, too. He then YANKED that collar harder than he ever had. At this point, my eyes were full of tears, I was holding it back as long as I could, and then I couldn't fight it off any longer. Big sap lost it, um... the big sap being me in case you weren't following. He, the freaking dog-abuser, proceeded to tell me that I wasn't cut out for this kind of training because my husband & I would end up investing almost $1000 into this, He would invest 12 days into training Sammy, successfully he added, but then I would fail to discipline & enforce the same type of corrections at home. It wasn't Sammy's fault, it was MY fault since I let that dog run all over me. His words, not mine. I was a hot mess. He then said, "look at you, you're crying over this dog right now and we've only been in here for 30min.". I said, "I just love him!". He then went on to say I'm too emotional when it comes to this dog. I shared how I cried the first time we had to put him in a kennel, how I cried when my children had to get their immunizations.. sorry, it's just how I'm wired. He said, "I can see that!". What a punk. He was very black & white.. no grey whatsoever and the dude was all business. Either you trust him, or you don't. And if you don't, then obviously he doesn't want to train your dog. And well, that pretty much sums up the rest of the story. Sister knew this wasn't the place for Sam-Sam. Yes, he's a pain in the butt sometimes, but he's MY pain in the butt. MY dog, and you MUST be crazy if I'm going to allow someone to be mean to him, all in good intentions or not, sister just doesn't play like that. He told me at this point he wasn't going to train Sammy, simply because I'm not ready and if I ever become ready, meaning-- emotionally ready to let go-- that I would then have to "sell him", not the other way around. He took off the collar, patted Sammy on the head and said, "Bye Sammy, Good luck Chrystal!". I simply wanted to say bite me, good luck torturing those poor, innocent dogs... but, I knew he would take me down in a second if I did. Homie meant business & had some craziness in his eyes, so girlfriend knows when to keep quite. I loaded up my "VERY happy" puppy, called Chelcey to tell her what happened & started bawling like a baby when I shared the part about the darn slip collar. She was laughing so hard by the end of the conversation, then had me on speaker phone for Sean to get a chuckle, but man... I just don't want anyone treating my dog like that. He's a dog, I know.. but he has feelings, too. Let me put a flipping slip collar on Mr. Duffy and see how he likes it. D, of course, laughed about the whole thing... said that he should have been the one to take him over there. Pfft, and he has to wonder why I would never allow him to be in charge of my dog? Please. . Sammy came home, I loved on him like crazy, gave him one of his stock piled bones w/ pork rolled up inside :) and he was never so happy to be back home & for me to be such a sap. So, back to square one on the whole training thing. We'll get there... just not THAT way, I can assure you. Here's the poor thing after the girls got home. Darn, dog bully....
So, yeah.. Sammy is still in the craft room, so no progress was made this week as intended. However, add the craziness of this past week and I'm sure even if Sammy was away it wouldn't have gotten done anyways. We'll get there..... I did pick up some cool little additions to the room, though. I'm totally going for a vintage/shabby chic theme in this room... ah, just makes my heart go pitter-patter. Here's a sneak peek of a few things I got.... I made sure to cut off half the pictures so I can give the big reveal once it's all in place :) more fun like that.
I've been doing (a lot) of thrifting lately.. I just can't get enough. Today I ventured out to a big Flea Market, one that I've been itching to go to for several years now. However, after I got there... I kind of wigged out a little considering it was so big, so many people, and sister was by herself. Didn't feel safe, if you catch my drift. So, I bagged that idea & ventured over to Fern Creek area & went to a place called, "The Peddlers Mall". I'm on a wild hunt for something similar to these bad boys...
I want them.. no, I simply (need) them. I have a few ideas up my sleeves, so I'm on the hunt. I did find several today however, at $40 a pop, I kept on a walkin'. I scored several vintage dollies though (again: theme), and...a cute basket, a black stool for my art table, a brand new printer for $40 (score!.. because I was just going to buy one this week), and.. the best purchase: This bad boy:
We've been needing a vanity for our main bathroom since we moved in, but we've been holding out for "just the right one". Well, after seeing the awesome price on this one... I couldn't resist. We really wanted the other one that they had, but it was 2 inches too big for our opening. This one is really pretty, great detail, but a little small for that area. So, going to find some decor to go beside it.. and viola! So, off to Lowes this week to get the facet, install in, and we'll be good to go. I'll share pictures once it's all together.... excited. So, felt like I found some good deals today.
After I left there, there was a Goodwill just down the street. I know this because this is the area that I use to go to Zumba & if I told you how many times I've been in that GW, you would shake your head. Yes, I love a good deal and I love the hunt for awesome things. :) I walked in for just a minute, just to see if anything caught my eye-- stayed all of 5min. because I wanted to get home, and there she was..... this little beauty:
I knew it was meant to be :) Yes, the mirror is gold... but it is PERFECT. Perfect, I say! That detail, the shape, the size.... ah, so close to perfection. I'm undecided if I want to put this in Chelcey's bathroom, or in my bathroom off of the scrapbook room (which is also next to the pool table area). If it goes in Chelcey's bathroom, I will paint it white (I think...), if it goes in my bathroom.. it will be painted a distressed ivory. Either way, I'm excited. :) And for $11, you can't beat it! This was my favorite find of the day. Yes, it doesn't take a lot to make me smile.
Okay, I had this blog post in my mind about body image.. and how one of my girls is really struggling with it, and had lots to share about this. I had intentions on sharing about the drama with the cops and the ADT guys yesterday, but... a girl can only throw so much at you at once. So, I'll save that for next time. I'll leave you with some pictures. My husband is ready for bed and has never liked going to bed without me, so.... that's my que. Nighty-night!
Okay, off to walk Sammy one more time before bed then need to call it a night. Benny has stayed w/ his girlfriend two nights in a row & won't be back here until noon tomorrow. You know what that means? I can finally make it to my Pilates class in the morning. Whoo hoo! Missed working out all week last week because of all the craziness... hoping to squeeze in 3 days this week if all goes as planned, but.. we shall see. With our new Benny program, we just take it day by day and see what comes. :) Anyways... I'm off. for REAL this time.
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