As The Book Title Says, Everybody Poops

We don't have a fenced in yard, and we don't trust that Brutus won't get outside and go running after the neighborhood squirrels, so he has to be hooked onto a thirty foot run to go to the "bathroom". He's actually really good about it. He's only barked a couple times, and one time I opened the door and said "no barking Brutus", so he stopped barking and just kind of stood around the corner of the screened in porch and whined. I couldn't figure out what the problem was, so I went across the porch, and of course the snow that had blown into the porch in my stocking feet, and he had gotten his leash wrapped around the garden hose holder and couldn't get any closer than right around the outside of the entrance door. I felt so bad. Here he was trying to "not bark", but he was stuck. Anyway, short story long, he doesn't get much running time in the back yard, so we really feel it's important to walk him every day.

Yesterday, for the first time, I was absolutely pooped (pardon the punn) and I didn't walk him in the morning. I couldn't believe the difference in his behavior. He was just edgier all day. Then when Don got home, he had conference calls all night and didn't get to walk Brutus either. Then Brutus was mad. He went downstairs and peed on the tile floor right by the door where he usually goes out. Whenever Don would come out of the office between phone calls, Brutus would grab a toy and throw it to him. Don would play for a couple minutes, and then go back into the office. So then Brutus decided he would "need" to go outside every twenty minutes. Needless to say, it wasn't a fun day or night, and my lesson was learned. I MUST walk Brutus.

So, off we went this morning. He was so excited that he could hardly stand it. He had already gone potty and pooped, so I felt I was probably safe to not have to pick anything up along the trip, but I always take a plastic bag with anyway. I think that there have only been two times that I have had to pick anything up, and it has been nice and firm and not a big deal. Well, today Brutus got even for me not walking him yesterday. OH MY GOD!! We had barely gone two blocks, and he had the biggest yuckiest not firm poop that I have ever seen. If I wasn't conscientious, I would have covered it with a little snow and ran, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I was gagging as I picked it up, and then I had to carry it for forty-five more minutes. I raised three children and changed a lot of really bad diapers, and I think I would have taken all of those diapers back over this.

If Brutus was trying to get even with me for missing a day of walking, he certainly did. Brutus one, Sheri zero!