Posted by TitleGalCA on 12/4/05 9:33pm
Msg #80293

OT: Wrapping Christmas gifts and dogs

Those three words usually get a load groan from most people, wrapping the gifts is waaaay harder than buying them. I like wrapping gifts - take the time to pick out coordinating paper, ribbon, wired fabric ribbon, little decorative berries and ornaments to put on the bow. In fact, I'm not anal about a lot of things, but I am about the presentation of a gift. You can shop at WalMart, and if you wrap it right, you can pull off a something that looks like Tiffany's. Half the fun of Christmas gifts is looking at the presents under the tree - the prettier, the better.

When I was a kid, my Mom didn't put a thing under the tree until about Dec. 23rd or so. It used to make me really nervous (where are the gifts???). Was I getting anything? So...I do the opposite, wrap things almost right after I buy them. Tonight was no different.

Case in point - I buy my son's favorite underwear (if I didn't buy it, he'd be embarrassed if he was in an accident and had to go to the hospital). To fool him (uh huh), I wrap it in some really nice paper, use the wired ribbon...make a bow that would challenge Martha Stewart. It is a thing to behold (underwear, mind you). Now I have three whole gifts under the tree and it's only Dec. 4th! I'm proud.

Go back to the computer to see if Cali got my little joke. Unbeknownst to me...my puppy had his own little joke in store. While I'm pecking away at the keyboard, he's busy with my three pretty packages (one of which is See's candy). First, he PEED on my deceased grandmothers HANDMADE Christmas Tree skirt. Believe me, it would fetch a lot of money in those fancy Christmas stores. He also caught my sons underwear in the process (appropos?). But that's not all....no, the dog has chewed every single one of my packages...paper everywhere, ribbon ravelled and little cranberries all over the floor....grrrrrr. Not thirty minutes before, I was (trying) to pose him under the tree for a picture. "Santa's Christmas Chihuahua" No - I dont think so, more like Satan's dog.

He's got this very satisfied look on his little mug and nearly ate the candy, but not quite. The box is ruined but the candy is intact. Guess I'll have a Bordeaux and a Chocolate Covered Cherry for dinner, after I wash Nana's Christmas Tree skirt. The dog's asleep.

Reply by Blueink_CA on 12/4/05 9:56pm
Msg #80296

That brings back memories of when my chi's were puppies. They think Christmas is all about THEM! We had to take all the lower branches off the tree 'cause they would pull them out and run outside with them. Try hanging the tree from the ceiling with a big net underneath to hold the presents.

Reply by Chris_NJ on 12/4/05 9:59pm
Msg #80298

Well!!!, your babies have to have Christmas too, what better way than bright shiny stuff to mess with! My baby is a great dane we rescued a year ago. Trust me, sometimes Christmas is every day if you leave temptation in the way. ( it take about 2 and a half years to fully train a dane, they are not adults til about three) But they are more than worth the work. I'm one of 'those' that are not complete without my more well put together furry counterparts. They give me reason to keep plugging away no matter what befalls me! Happy holidays to all!

Reply by Bonnie_CO on 12/4/05 10:34pm
Msg #80303

Ahhh, you have one of those little taco dogs too huh? Mine gets excited when I start putting the gifts under the tree, but I learned my lesson last year when she decided to open everyone's gifts! Now we put a "gate" around the whole tree and that takes care of it! Now if I could just figure out how to keep the cat from hiding in the branches.....
Brandi, (the chihauha), hears the word "Santa" and goes nuts, jumping up and down, barking...does she really remember last year??
All that hard work yours did knocked him out cold! LOL!
Good Luck!

Reply by Bonnie_CO on 12/4/05 10:49pm
Msg #80305

Titlegal-click on

my profile-here's my baby taco dog-changed my pic to hers. The human is one of my other babies. LOL!

Reply by TitleGalCA on 12/4/05 11:29pm
Msg #80311

Re: Titlegal-click on - Bonnie

Bonnie, our "babies" look very much the same. Check your email and don't encourage me...or I'll send more.

Our Blueink is also a Chi owner. She's got some beauties! and was kind enough to break me in on being a Chi owner. Love all you guys!

Reply by Bonnie_CO on 12/5/05 9:26am
Msg #80325

Re: Titlegal-

Got your email! Send more! LOL! I'd love to see some of Blueink's babies---Are you listning BlueInk?

Reply by BrendaTx on 12/4/05 11:26pm
Msg #80310

Great visual - nice post, Sue...n/m

Reply by srnotary_CA on 12/5/05 9:31am
Msg #80327

Re: Great visual - nice post, Sue...n/m

I also have two chihuahuas mother and son. They do create alot of havoc areound chritsmas time. We had to start putting our tree on top of a table so that they couldn't get to the presents or low branches. We came home one year and the wrapping paper was everywhere and they were curled up under the tree sound asleep.

Reply by CarolynCO on 12/5/05 9:31am
Msg #80328

Before Sandy, we were a family with three cockers -- Britney, Remington and Satomi. You know how it is *supposed* to be, mother, father and child each having and takingg care of their *own* dog. I say *supposed* to be, because it ended up that all three dogs became mine, because I'm the one that fed them, took them to the vet, etc. I'm sure that every Mother knows what I'm talking about. Oh, they got plenty of love from their father and son masters, but all three were my responsibility.

Sandy is now our sole child -- seeing how our son has moved out and living his own life with his own rules. Sandy (our fourth cocker) is now 3 years old, so this is her 4th Christmas. Sandy doesn't bother the Christmas tree and the whole 8 feet of tree gets fully decorated. Sandy does bark at the the blinking lights though. With Britney, Remington and Satomi, only the top 4 feet of the Christmas tree ever got to be decorated and the bottom half had to stay bare. Nothing ever got to be put on the bottom limbs of the tree, nor were packages EVER placed under the tree until the last possible minute. As with you, this is a lesson we learned very soon with the three partners in crime, after cleaning up mangled and torn packages, wrapping, ribbons, presents and Christimas decorations and strings of lights more than once.

Reply by Bonnie_CO on 12/5/05 9:49am
Msg #80332

I had a Cocker when my 18 year old was little. His name was Charlie and he only had 1 eye, he was the same color red as a fox. I never had to worry about Justin getting away from the yard, and it wasn't fenced. Anytime he'd try, Charlie would grab his diaper or the back of his shirt and pull him down on his butt, Justin, being hard headed and stubborn, (takes after his Dad ya know, I would NEVER be like that!), he would try again, after about 6-7 times of pulling him down, Charlie would go in front of him and jump up and push him down and sit on his lap so he couldn't get up and bark at me to come and get him! He was the best kid dog I've ever had! I enjoyed watching him watch Justin, he never got rough with him and never made him cry.
I know exactly what it is to get stuck with all the family pets! That's why I end up spending at least an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening taking care of all of them, feeding, cleaning out cages and tanks and litter boxes, and on the weekend mucking out stalls! Yuck!
Have a GREAT week everyone!

Reply by TitleGalCA on 12/5/05 10:41am
Msg #80338

***I'm sure that every Mother knows what I'm talking about*** You bet Carolyn. Right up to and including thinking of him as my "child".

The funny thing is, he didn't mess with the tree until I put the skirt and gifts down. Looks like it's time to get the coffee can of pennies out again. It's a small Yuban can with about $3 in pennies in it, all taped up and pretty heavy, so when you throw it on the ground (to get their attention, startle them - basically scare the sh*t out of them) and yell "no", they seem to remember it.

Reply by CarolynCO on 12/5/05 1:16pm
Msg #80374

All of our children have always received Christmas gifits under the tree. Last year I didn't pick up Sandy's until a few days before Christmas. I came home from the store and, as usual, she is always waiting to see what Mom brought her -- Christmas or any other day of the year for that matter. She has several "babies" so I found one that looked just like a 6-week old cocker -- very lifelike. I gave it to her and she carried it to the couch, turned it over and smelled it and then pushed it to the corner of the couch. This was a strange reaction that she's never shown toward any of her other babies. Hubby picked it up and began loving it. She grabbed it from him and put it back where she had left it. All night long she was on the bed and off the bed -- something else she never does, once she gets on the bed, she stays put. The next morning I got up and the new baby was torn to shreds, pieces here and pieces there with stuffing throughout the house. Apparently she thought it was real and that we were going to love it more than we loved her. Now when I buy her babies, I have to make sure they don't resemble *real* babies in the slightest.

Last week when I picked her up from the groomers she asked if we'd ever bred her. I said no, and she said that she would make a wonderful mom. The groomer is trying to housebreak a couples three 6-week old cockers before they are sold. The people work during the day and found it next to impossible, so the groomer has been keeping them during the day while they work, and to get them used to not being with momma. Sandy took them under her care and wouuld take her legs and pull them all toward her. Everyone, including Sandy, would sleep about 15 minutes and then be ready for play with Sandy again. Even though Sandy is only 3, she's not used to so much fun/activity with three 6-week old pups. Needless to say, she was wore out and had a well-earned sleep that night. Sandy must have known these puppies were not coming home with her, so they were all right. I did ask the groomer if she tried to tear their stuffin' out.

Reply by TitleGalCA on 12/5/05 1:26pm
Msg #80380

Sandy has me smiling with those stories. Aren't they funny...especially the jealously thing with the baby dog? Maybe she was finally enjoying the undivided attention for herself (without the other three) and wasn't about to give it up.