Softy....that's my nickname.

I love my pets. I let them run over me (figuratively and literally). The both sleep in bed with us and I cannot stand the thought of them experiencing physical discomfort......BUT............. We've had to enforce some tough parenting in the last few days. After Baxter ripped the second sump pump hose out of the house in three days - we decided (mostly Ben, but I think he probably has some merit to the argument) that something HAD to be done. You see, from my perspective - its not really Baxter's fault that he plays with things like hoses and sticks while he's home by himself during the work day. He is still a puppy. BUT - we did just sink a small fortune into renovating the house and can't afford the substantial water damage that would occur if water was allowed to constantly cycle right back into the basis for hours on end. And we really enjoy having a nice yard without being covered in garbage and sticks all over. So..........we spent yesterday afternoon building a dog house. A really nice dog pen. And we even put a couple of straw bales in there for shelter. He got accustomed to it for a few hours last night, and will spend the day there today. But my heart did hurt this morning when we pulled away and his big, beautiful dark eyes were staring at me as he just sat and watched us drive away. I hope he stayed warm.