Home alone for a long time.......................

Today I stayed 'home alone' for 5 hours. 5 hours is pretty much the longest time that Ann would ever leave me 'home alone'.

Had a short morning walk, then after breakfast I went out for a walk for 1 hour and 40 mins so that I'd be happy to have 'snooze time home alone' this afternoon.

I got left 'home alone' while Ann went out for lunch and then drinks and then more drinks and then more drinks.

I didn't care. I just snoozed in my bed. I really am the most adaptable little collie ever. However, I haven't been left alone for that long since last August (when all the humans were going out to 'eat out to help out'), but I was happily snoozing in my bed when Ann came home and then she took me for a little 20 min walk and then I got my dinner. Yay!

Ann is soooooo glad that I came to live with her the year before 'lock down'. The first year that I lived with Ann was really, really, hard. Her words not mine?!!!  Can anyone else remember her ranting about how long it took to toilet train me? Living in a fourth floor flat she used to traipse me up and down the stairs every 1-2 hours and I'd refuse to toilet. ….............Well how was I supposed to know that outdoors was the toileting place????

Anyway I pretty much had a year of living with Ann, before' lock down' happened, and doing some very intensive puppy training, Ann style. OMG when I was a weeny teeny little puppy she invited the whole world into our house and she made me trek around all over the place with her. She even made me sit in a 'doggie stroller' (before I'd had all my puppy jabs) so that she could push me around so that I could get used to all the sights and sounds of the city.

Fast forward to June 2021 and I'm pretty much a 'perfect pooch', apart from my silly puppy jumping up. Obv.

However, since lock-down in March 2020 it's pretty much just been, 'me & Ann' against the world...............

My very lovely owner, Ann, has really struggled with this whole 'lock down' thing.....................

I haven't...................... I've loved it. We've been together pretty much 24/7 since 23rd March 2020. It's been fabulous. And do you know what?................. Ann's sister, Sue, (who has been staying with us for the last four days) thinks I am almost a 'perfect pooch' apart from my silly puppy jumping up. Is it because lockdown has forced us to be together 24/7 so we've done extra 'bonding'? Who knows???? Ann did loads more training with 'MollyCollie' and yet she never managed to train Molly not to chase buses or skateboarders or not to follow her to the toilet or bark at whoever came to the front door.' And Molly had a lot of 'enemies' that she just didn't like.

Mmmmmmm............................. Is it because Ann has been a 'stay at home' dog owner for the last 15 months???? Ann thinks her nephews & niece (who are in their 20s) are 'perfect' (they don't do drugs, drink, get into trouble with the law), because they had a 'stay at home mummy' who for the whole of their school lifewho just devoted herself to them. Is it the same thing with a dog? Who knows?

…..............MollyCollie wasn't a naughty dog, but for most of MollyCollie's life, Ann worked (only part-time) so she didn't devote the same amount of time to MollyCollie as she has to me????  And obv COVID has meant that we have pretty much spent the last 15 months together 24/7

It's all a bit of a mystery isn't it?...........................

Oh well, ho hum.............................. Parenting children, parenting dogs..........Is there actually a right way to do it?...................

All Ann knows is............... apart from my silly puppy jumping up I'm actually far better behaved than MollyCollie ever was and she is actually putting this down to the fact that she's been a 'stay at home dog owner' for the last 15 months.

.................Who knows????????????????????