Ben AKA The Floofman AKA The Screamer, has gone off to live with his hilarious and patient human Stacey, her scowling sidekick Kia and the rest of the human family!

OMG HE IS INSANE! lol

We haven't had this much fun since I don't know when. My husband Shane is completely in Love. Kia however wants to take issue with you releasing Ben into our care. The first night she chased him around the house; almost looking quite happy to have someone to herd (which she did)and naturally he was just trying to figure out where he was and why he was here so he just ignored her and tasted everythig from our coffee table to my laundry.

However, Wed. morning she wasn't impressed to find him still here and ignored him until he tried to jump over her at wich time she decided to let him know that this was a definate no no. She continued to growl at him for the rest of the day when he came to close and fortunately he's smart enough to leave her alone.

Kia on the other hand decided to pout the rest of the day. She wouldn't play with us and jus laid on the floor with ears down low watching Ben.

It was pathetic!

We would call her over and suck up for our cheating ways and her tail would be up in the air and head high just as proud as punch and then Ben would strut by and her ears would suddenly drop and she'd flop to the floor like a small child being dramatic,we couldn't stop laughing.

Today was a good day though she's stopped pouting and has been following him everywhere smelling and watching with interest as long as he's ignoring her which he is still doing and only growled and snapped once when he tried to see what she was eating. So we'll see how it evolves over the weekend. I'll keep you updated.

As for Ben well he's already had two baths, apparently he can't resist rolling in our mud pit (formerly our vegetable garden) and he LOVES to dig out his water as you already knew (Jeremy was downstairs at the computer when he felt little drops of water on his head from the spillage into the heat vent lol) and so he gets a drink and I put it up as I had paw prints all over my floor.

Ben doesn't have a crate yet so shane tethered him to the opposite side of our bed from Kia and Ben slept perfectly both nights however I got my taste of the "screaming" when I locked him in the bathroom to dry while I got more towels and HOLY SMOKES can that boy spaz! I was busting a gut. First he started whining, then barking and then pawing at the door and finally sounded like he was ramming his head against the door. So I waited until it was quiet and let him out and then he went straight to my cupboard under my sink and opened it to get the treats. So now I have a baby lock on my cupboard.

As for the potty training I do think it's your apartment that is the trouble. He's not instantly trained but as soon as we got home and brought him in he started to poop and right in the middle we scooped him up and shot outside, then he did it with pee and the samething. First thing in the morning Shane took him off the tether and took him outside and since then he goes to the door and whines, once he pooped in front of the door and another peed but both times it was directly infront of the door and the rest of the time he's made it, Kia on the other hand looked straight at us and peed ON MY CARPET! She knew too cause before I could even speak the word no she was hiding in my room squeezing her fat bottom under my bed! Hmmmm I think she's ticked the only other time she's done that was the freezing rain incident and she's definately trained! She'll get over it.

Well having Ben is like I have a two year old all over again but he's definately keeping us amused and everyone here is in love (with the exception of Kia) but that's easy it's only been a few days heheheh Let's see how the children love him after he eats their slipper(speaking of which my foot is covered in ketchup as Ben just Popped a ketchup packet). Anways better go I have a baby to clean yet again heheh

UPDATE #2

So there I am pulling up to my mother's house all teary eyed at the thought of leaving my two youngest babies with their grandma for two weeks while we go to California. Keep in mind I would have no trouble dropping my children off for two weeks but unfortunately this trip to Disneyland is about them and they must join my husband and I,yet apparently having dogs in amusement parks is frowned upon....Go figure

I don't trust anyone else to watch my little treasures except granma and grandpa as they have many babies of their own all entering retirement as well as chickens,cats, large pot belly pigs and much to Ben's surprise.........a wild baby boar. No one seems to know
where this critter came from(can fit in both hands) only that it was sick and being left to die so my parent's took it from the newest owner to nurse back to health and it now sleeps with them ! That's right IN THEIR BED and thinks it's a dog.

Ben spotted this creature as we dropped him off and started to charge this little darling until suddenly it turned and charged at Ben who did a complete turn around and whizzed past us at mock speed back into the van before the children could shut the door yelping
with his big bat ears pulled back in fear! I couldn't help but howl with laughter but still felt sympathy for poor Ben as his ego was clearly bruised.

I gave my mother their toys,bedding,food,dishes,leashes,paper work and two page list of rules and routine only for her to roll her eyes at me (Okay so no TV after 8pm might have been over the top) but none the less I didn't want them to go through any seperation anxiety! After all this is the first time either had been without us.

We lifted Ben out of the van and carried him back to Kia and the awaiting pig (Lucky).I again reminded grandma that Ben MUST sleep in his crate as he's entering canine adolescence and will not stay in bed and will destroy everything in sight if you are not there to supervise him. She reminds me how many puppies she has raised and the "It wasn't that long ago speech". Of course what do I know of my own dogs? Sheesh.

Eight days later now in Vegas we met up with my Grandmother, cousin and her husband and my Aunt and Uncle who all inform us that they were at my mothers for a bar-b-que and that Kia is very well behaved and sweet. No mention of Ben. I'm starting to think he's lost. I inquire and they all look at each other and smile and tell us he's healthy and having fun but say no more. Hmmmmm.

Two weeks later I drive like Mario to go get my furry tots.

My mother greats me at the gate with ALL THEIR BELONGINGS and a note....

It read:

Kia was an Angel, very well behaved.Would love to keep her.

Ben
Two T-Bone steaks......$18.95
Three roles of TP......$ 1.30
Pork Roast.(not Lucky).$ 9.00
Garden hose............$50.00
Two Bags of Cat litter $12.00
Queen size Quilt.......$120.00
Cracked Window.........$ 55.00 (Apparently spotted a bird outside)
6 potted Mums..........$ 36.00
Three holes dug in yard......?

I can't remember the rest except it was two pages long totalling in over $400.00 damage with the balance being...Entertainment priceless! just like the MC comercials. Cracked me up. As we spoke Ben and the pig were playing tug a war with a stick! Apparently she had forgotten what puppyhood was like and never did put Ben in his crate so she deserved what she got! lol

I bring my dogs home and the first thing they did was hop on my bed to sleep (apparently gramma didn't use their bedding either they used the guest room bed!). A little retraining was in order as the couch became an issue as well. All is back to normal until today. I had an eye appointment so I just left them in the laundry room, no big deal nothing to get into and lots of space for 20 minutes right? When I cam home, Ben greeted me OUTSIDE in the backyard! The hose was on, my veggie garden had a hole in it, the screen window was off the window (which was closed). I opened the door and there was Kia where I left her but my Laundry basket was knocked,water from the water dish and there was Ben's big paw prints all over the top of my washing machine, where he somehow managed to hook a paw into the crack of the window to pry it open,knocking off the screen which landed with him ontop of the outside faucet turning it on and flooding part of my lawn! My blinds were also torn to shreds!

It's good to be home.