Sammy has had a tough couple of weeks. The ongoing construction on our house got really loud as the contractors began work on the second half of our roof. Sammy simply cannot abide the noise without 1) running outside every 2 minutes to investigate and bark at the contractors 2) barking at every thump, rattle and bang when he’s inside and 3) attacking the front door every time he sees movement in the front yard, which is frequently. Molly, on the other hand, is mostly calm until someone knocks on the door.  Then, it’s World War III. I had to block the dog door (although the dogs did figure out how to get the snap-on cover off!) so Molly wouldn’t run out and eat the guys who came to install some gutters. It’s always an adventure to have company.

A few days ago Sammy ripped one of his toenails when his dad was throwing a softball for him to chase. He bled all over the sidewalk, the front deck and the living room floor. I couldn’t even lift up his foot without him yelping so I just left it alone and I haven’t been throwing the Kong for him. Today, after a walk up to the mailbox during which I had to carry him because he refused to walk any further, the broken nail finally fell off. He was so distressed by the whole thing that he let his dad cuddle him the other night, which he won’t usually do.

I keep trying to figure out ways to keep the dogs occupied since we have to stay close to home while the construction work is being done. We can’t take them swimming in the river yet because Molly has a broken ear drum from an ear infection. Now that I can throw the Kong for Sammy again maybe they will calm down. Also, work has ceased for a week so we all get a break from the noise. We’ll be rubbing dog ears later to get them to release some angst!