Back to Work Blues (Clues?)

Alas, the holiday break came to an end for me yesterday. This means Larry got to spend the second of many lonely days at the apartment while I'm at work. We tried to get to bed early, but I couldn't sleep (he did just fine in that regard) so it was 1 AM before I fell asleep. Let me tell you, 6:15 arrived a lot sooner than expected. I threw on some clothes, took him outside where he was quite happy to not fool around and just get down to both orders of business, and then back up to the apartment. We relaxed for a while watching the local news, then I ate breakfast (eating breakfast at home is going to help the budget, that's for sure). Then he got his chow. Then I showered and got ready for work, watched a little of the national news, then took him for a 15 minute walk. Then the tricky part: he knew what was coming. Puppy Prison!

I put his blanket and some toys in the kitchen next to his crate. He stopped right at the gated doorway to the kitchen and sat and looked at me. I called his name and he just happily thumped his tail on the floor. I pulled out a big gun: I waved the plush toy shark. No dice. So I had to resort to bribery. I broke off a piece of a Beggin Strip and held it out for him. No dice. I walked over to him and put the treat in front of his nose. Like a tectonic shift, he slowly lifted his butt off the ground. Then he followed me into the middle of the kitchen where he was duly rewarded with his treat. I then was able to gate him in the kitchen and leave for work.

I was a bit worried that he'd destroy the kitchen, but he only thing he did was figure out how to pop the lid on the garbage can (I think he smelled the sloppy joe remains). Luckily, the can wasn't full and I was smart enough to locate it in such a way that it's nearly impossible for a dog to knock it over. Note that I said nearly...he didn't do it yet, but he's got time on his paws.

When I got home, he was super excited to see me and to tend to business. So we went outside, took a brief walk and then hyper-dog wanted to play fetch for 700 hours. I had to call it off when his tongue was really hanging out and his chest was heaving. He was still ready to go though. The rest of the evening was pretty uneventful.

In all, if this becomes the usual routine, I don't think I'll have any complaints.