Hershey has developed a taste for shoes. And I don’t mean she’s longing for the latest designer doggie booties. But if she were, she would probably be ogling Jimmy Choo’s, because that’s what she’s been doing—chewing our shoes.
Last week, she destroyed my favorite sandals. My favorite wear them everywhere sandals!!! And I’m not even a “shoe girl,” so that’s saying something. I thought about burying them in the backyard with a special ceremony, I was so sad. The next day, she chewed up Riley’s perfectly-good-they-still-fit sneakers. We had to run out that night and buy her a new pair before gym class the next day. And then she chewed those up a few days later.
Luckily, we grabbed the neighbor kid’s sneakers just as Hershey started chowing down on them when he kicked them off after running in through the back door.
It’s hard to be mad at her, because I know we shouldn’t leave our shoes where she can get them. It’s totally our fault. If they weren’t there, she wouldn’t have devoured them. But sometimes it’s so hard to remember you can’t just kick them off when you sit on the couch. We’ve been doing that for years, and it takes a while to change old habits. But there is just no room for error with this dog. And it’s hard to live, when there’s no room for error.
And it’s also very frustrating, because I buy her oodles of toys and chews. She should be the happiest dog on the block. So why does she keep chewing all of the things she shouldn’t when she has great stuff she could be chewing on?
It’s not just shoes, either. I had jokingly thought about keeping a running tally of all the things she’s destroyed. I’m glad I didn’t. I think I’d be overwhelmed by the total. And she’s chewing on things I couldn’t really anticipate: our wooden electric fireplace, my book box that sat on the floor next to our recliner, and on and on.
Is she ever going to stop doing? Is there anything I can even do to stop her? Do I have to put her in the crate every time I leave the room? It’s something for me to chew on. I feel sad for both of us. I feel like something’s come between us. Now, I’m looking at her wondering what she’s going to chew up next. I feel like I can’t trust her. I feel sad about it, really.
I know, I know. I was warned that puppies, Labs especially, are chewing machines. But it’s a different story when it’s actually happening. It’s definitely pushed back any plans to let her out in the rest of the house.
So, I guess we’ll have to keep one step ahead of her—and keep our shoes out of sight.
—————–
Have you missed any of the articles in this series?
If so, you can find them at:
The Bringing Up Puppy Series page.
Related posts:
- Seven Things that Puppies like to Chew that They Shouldn’t
- Should You Allow Your Dog To Chew On Sticks?
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – Hungry like a Lab
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – The Fairy Dog Mother
- Bringing Up Puppy Series – The Dog Binky
