Loving Sugar & Spice
My wife and have always been dog lovers. So, upon retirement, we decided to once again have dogs in our lives. We couldn’t get just one, you understand...because we didn’t want to have an only child that would get lonesome when we were out. So off we went the the animal shelter in search of two small dogs. We were really lucky! Someone had just dropped off two Maltese...small bundles of white fluff that don’t shed or smell. They were about two years old, and the owners just couldn’t afford them any more. Lucky them...Lucky us!
They are both female, spayed and housebroken, named Sugar and Spice. (Their former owners must have enjoyed cooking.) They thoroughly enjoyed the freedom of their new home...playful with great personalities. They obviously enjoyed exploring our house, and made themselves right at home in their new bed with all the toys we bought for them.
Crating or No?
We don’t believe in crating, which is debatable I know, so we let them have free run of the house when we went to work. Of course, we walked them first, so we figured they’d be happy until we got home. After all, they had each other and tons of toys. Ever heard of “separation anxiety?". Apparently it’s very common with dogs that are left alone for extended periods of time. It manifests itself in destructive behavior...like tearing up pillows! Most all the throw pillows in our family room had been ripped open and the stuffing was everywhere. Sugar and Spice were happy to see us, wagging tails, excited barking...and then demonstrated how they would each grab a corner of a pillow and rip it open to get to the stuffing. It took all I could do to keep from laughing, but I knew we had to find a substitute for the pillows quickly.
Crazy for Crazy Critters
That evening, we lucked out and caught an As Seen On TV promo featuring Crazy Critters. The Crazy Critters plush toys with squeakers on either end that are stuffing free. They lie flat on the floor so any size dog can pick them up. They are hand washable and shaped like a fox or a raccoon. I took advantage of the two for one TV offer, and got them both for around $24 including shipping.
Still not wanting to crate the pups, we had to buy furry toys every day because they destroyed them as fast as we could buy them. We sure didn’t want to have to replace any more pillows! The Crazy Critters couldn’t come soon enough! When they did arrive, all l had to do was jiggle them and make them squeak. They both went ape and tried to eviscerate the new intruders. As hard as they tried, they couldn’t shred or tear them up. Spice was the first to discover the squeakers, and Sugar soon followed suit.
I don’t know if all dogs react the same, but they each now carry around their own Crazy Critter just about from dawn to dusk. I think...no, I’m sure...they enjoy playing with the Crazy Critters more than they do each other. They are definitely happy pups now...Crazy Critters are great companions for them and have saved our pillows and sanity!
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