Mornings with Brogan

Brogan is set on winning over everyone he meets. I suspect it's partly out of fear and a survival strategy (he is a bit of a wuss). On the other hand, he is a real lovebug and genuinely wants to please. Carrie taught him how to shake hands in under an hour. Now that Brogan knows it pleases her, he randomly thrusts paws at her throughout the course of the day.

He's a good boy. Even Jama says so! Brogan gets high marks in attitude, friendliness, gentleness, and looks. I'm really enjoying his addition to our family...when it's not bedtime or first thing in the morning.



Brogan has a tendency to howl his anxieties. I wake up before Carrie. Before Brogan, my m.o. was to collect the boy and entertain him so that my wife could sleep in. With Brogan, that doesn't happen.

Saturday morning, I woke up at 6 AM to let the dog hit the lawn. We had to make a beeline straight for the door. Brogan likes to whine and trip himself up in his frantic "YOU DIDN'T ABANDON ME!!?!?!?" morning greeting. His thudding footsteps have woken Shane before.Once outside, Brogan did his bits and came to grips that he had a person in his life again. We went inside, Shane woke up, and I took a bottle up to greet Shane's "WHERE'S MY MORNING BOTTLE!?!" cry. (Everyone's so insistent in this family, aren't they?)

Brogan began to fear I'd never come down again. He started to whine. Shane's crying stopped when I sat down and presented his bottle. Brogan started to bark. I groaned. If I got up, Shane would cry as I carried him right past the open bedroom door* where Carrie was sleeping. I let Shane keep drinking. Brogan's anxiety continued to build. That's when the howling began.

If Brogan was howling to get something, he would give up eventually. When he howls, he's giving voice to what he's feeling inside (AKA he doesn't stop). Carrie was up in an instant. I'm surprised the neighbors haven't complained. Brogan is that loud.

Hopefully, Brogan will start to feel comforted by the familiarity of his crate sooner rather than later. As it is, he drops to the ground and refuses to move when he senses it's bedtime. He'll go in and out of the crate during the day, but at night he fears I'm going to abandon him. I normally have to pick him up and carry him from wherever he tries to hide. That's not going to work when he's bigger and I'm even older than I already am.

It's a process. Dogs are better than cats, but they require more work and adjustment on the owner's part.

(*Yes, the bedroom door was open. Ever since Brogan joined us, Min has become a nervous kitty. If the bedroom door is closed and she can't get in she claws at the carpet where the door opens. She's already started to do some damage, so we keep the door open to prevent any more. We bought nail caps and I've been wanting to put them on her. Carrie's more comfortable with manhandling the cats and better at chopping nails from her vet tech days, so I prefer to let her do it. Oh, pet drama. It keeps things interesting at least.)