Bad Habits

While we all do our best each day, everyone among us has developed a bad habit or two (or nine or ten...). Our little family is no exception.  But as the great Katharine Hepburn said, "If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun."  Well, we certainly wouldn't want our little Raisin to miss out on all the fun things in life.  So below you will find some of the bad habits we have picked up as dog parents.

Destroying EVERY stuffy she's ever been given.  We are working on teaching her to be gentle with her friends...thus far, this has always been the end result:

 "Seriously guys, this thing SQUEAKED at me!  The absolute nerve of some stuffies."

 Sharing people treats.  This particular transgression happened only once, during Raisin's first Christmas, when Daddy was still trying to curry favor with his new little girl (fun fact: Raisin still has her full tail in this photo!)

 "Oh yeah, Dad, a couple more licks and I will be like, Mommy who?"

Riding in the front seat area of the car.  When Grams and Gramps come to pick us up in the beloved van, Raisin usually rides on the front passenger's lap.  When she is forced into the Hyundai, she prefers the safety of this little nook:

 Big smiles for her major accomplishment of fitting down there :)

This particular bad habit is 100% the result of a Grandma who loves to spoil her granddog.  We know it is bad, but she ADORES ice cream cones:

 How are we supposed to resist this adorableness?

Getting a closer sniff at dinner time.  We never feed her from the table, but sometimes I might just encourage a little lap time to make sure she knows she is truly part of the family:

 "Surely you two will not eat ALL of that food.  Ya know, you've both been lookin' a little chunky..."

Inserting herself into any situation...convenience be damned.  Raisin has somehow gotten it into her head that she has the right to be anywhere/anytime.  This often results in her hopping onto a lap already taken up by a computer.  Both David and I have developed superior work around skills because, honestly, who could kick her off when all she wants is to spend time snuggling?

"Look Mom, I fit perfectly in this natural nook Daddy had to create when I forced myself under his arm."

Clearly, these are not every day occurrences (except the computer thing...that really does happen almost every day).  They are special occasions and oops moments caught on camera.  We want Raisin to be a respectful pooch who recognizes that she is, in fact, a dog, maybe with just a few of the comforts and extravagances normally reserved for humans.