Saturday, September 5, 2015

Rose, Textile Enemy No. 1

My boys are 5 and 6, and long ago, I declared them the enemies of textiles everywhere. My older son is rough on clothes; it takes about three weeks of his abuse before a new pair of pants presents with a hole in the knee. My younger son is sensory-seeking, so if he doesn’t have something his occupational therapist has deemed acceptable to chew on, he makes do with what’s at hand—like, his shirt cuff or the corner of a pillow. The damage is seen elsewhere in my house: I’ve found the telltale signs of a little nose having been wiped on my couch or an indication that someone was chewing recreationally on the tie to my bathrobe. Recently, when I noticed that my younger son brushed his curtains instead of his teeth one night (it was hard to miss the big, white toothpaste mark on the chocolate-brown fabric), I thought things couldn’t get worse.

And then we got Rose.


Rose is 10 weeks old and 100% puppy. She’s not our first golden retriever, but she is the mouthiest and she loves fabrics. Dishtowels left hanging on the oven door, socks the boys dropped on the floor, my Pottery Barn throw pillows—none of these items escapes her tiny puppy teeth. This, however, was the final straw ...


I should note that I did not reprimand Rose after the fact (there’s no point unless I catch her in the act), but I did give my husband, who took multiple pictures before saving that quilt from Rose’s puppy jaws, a stern talking-to.

I could regale you with other stories of sweet, at times naughty, Rose—stories like Rose vs. Michelle’s Birkenstocks (Rose won) and Rose vs. the Irrigation System (the sprinklers won) and Rose’s Adventures Outside (she doesn’t like simply being in nature; she tries to ingest it). I think these pictures say it all, though ...

Hmmm ... what mayhem can I cook up next?


Mom will never notice!


Being a puppy is hard work. I take a nap wherever I can, even on the vet’s exam table.


Mom, could this face lie to you?

My husband has grand plans for Rose and From Bolt to Beauty. He thinks she’s a great marketing ploy. What’s better than quilts? Quilts and puppies! We’ll have to see about that.

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17 comments:

  1. Aww no way that cute little puppy is that bad :P

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  2. This puppy is soooo sweet. OMG, I want to snuggle her so much.

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  3. It is hard work being a puppy! Looking forward to seeing more of Rose.

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  4. You just need to get the puppy to stop eating the quilts then you have a marketing plan! Otherwise you have chewed quilts.

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  5. I have a nearly 2 year old whippet. Whippet pups are known not only for their curiosity but also their ability to reach anywhere with their long bodies and legs. I have lost TWO spools of white Aurifil thread that he's just casually taken out of my craft room when I was not looking,. Thank goodness it was long-staple cotton and not much lint, right? He also likes to raid the recycling bin and gnaw on cardboard and empty water bottles. That I don't mind so much since it's essentially reusing them as a dog chew toy. However, stealing a WHOLE BAG (okay, one of the smaller ones) of food out of the pantry overnight and eating the WHOLE THING (TWICE! because I am such a forgetful human with closing the pantry door) is the limit. So, is is dumb dog or stupid human? You pick! PS - I have lost a couple of pairs of shoes, too, but no quilts have been harmed as of this post!

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  6. So much mischief in such an adorable package! ;o)

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  7. Beautiful close up shots of a sweet, sweet, sweet pooch!!

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  8. Awwww, she's such a sweetie! I know it must be a lot of work having a "newborn" in the house, but she is so cute, it's worth it! I hope your shoes and quilts can survive the mischief, but even if they don't, you'll have a story to tell. . .

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  9. good luck with your third "child". At least you know it will be worth it in the end ;)

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  10. My Hank was a chewer when he was the same age as Rose, I made sure he had lots of his own toys to chew on in different textures and materials, and took anything that wasn't his off him and exchanged it for something he could have. The phase didn't last long but those tiny sharp shark teeth really can destroy anything (and toys still only last a couple of hours in our house), and they HURT too! So cute though sleeping on the vet table, whaaat?

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  11. I think puppies and little kids are the same...cute, until you have to clean up after them. You love them and hope the grow up into responsible adults.

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  12. Very cute puppy! When I lab was younger (she is 11 now) she loved to eat fabric: the ribbon off the edge of a blanket, underwear, my pantyhose...nothing was safe :)

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  13. That is one adorable puppy. Good luck keeping the fabric safe!

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