Sick kids and a temptation to kill the dog...

The best part of having 3 young children is that they pass sickness back and forth between each other very well. First my daughter had the funk, then she passed it on to her other brother who passed it on to the youngest brother. They all have runny noses, hacking coughs and fevers to boot. Gotta love it.

While dealing with this has been joy enough, I'm also blessed with our family pet, Ceazar. Ceazar belonged to my hubbie before we married and at first glance is a lovely looking critter. He's a 'red-tipped' Bassett hound around 7 years old. A little over a year ago, Ceazar got sick and $700 later in vet bills he went from being an outdoor dog to an indoor one and my life has been a nightmare ever since.

Don't get me wrong, I love animals, but this dog...maybe it's just not my breed. For one, he STINKS and I mean STINKS. He just carries this nasty hound odor and it makes me gag (especially in my first trimester). Moving on to the second complaint, he SHEDS. He sheds worse than a cat, his fur is everywhere. It doesn't matter how often we brush and wash, he still smells and sheds everywhere.

Now lets talk about his disposition. If I'd wanted a pet that doesn't listen, I'd have gotten a cat. Ceazar understands what you tell him but his royal majesty never listens. Case in point, the couches. He knows he isn't allowed on them but everytime a couch is left open for his fat ass to climb on there I find him sleeping. I immediately yell and knock him off but it doesn't matter. He just repeatedly does this over and over. He has his own bed to rest on but of course it's not good enough, he expects to live large.

When the couch isn't an issue his 'counter cruising' is. This dog will try to stand on his stubby back legs to get any food off the counter. He was actually successful in snatching a pizza (which was cooling to eat) off the table and proceded to eat it. I was livid. Thank god hubbie got to the dog before me, I was out for blood. He also loves to sit at the top of the stairs when the gate to the basement is closed hoping he can sneak by when we go up or down to look for food here. It drives me INSANE. Or better yet, his constant scratching that echos throughout the house in an annoying "thump, thump, thump....thumpthumpthumpthumpthump." There are other things, the licking himself at night in our bedroom (which wakes me and the hubbie often) or the falls caused by him not moving out of the way. I'm telling you, this dog is a winner .

The best part? He does this every single day. This stinky, shedding, lazy ass mutt acts stupid and tries to get by with whatever he wants. If he's outside (god forbid he stay outside, he's not meant for the outdoors!) he will whine...and whine...and whine. I purposely put him outdoors during dinner due to the searching for food. It's annoying when you're trying to eat and the dog is shoving the chairs around looking for a morsel. (Which let me add, he eats often and well, he's getting quite chubby) So I've started placing him outside where he will sit and serenade us with his high pitched whine until I break and open the door and throw a large glass of water into his face. If you have a dog that needs punishment give it a go, he takes off running everytime and I can feed my family in peace.

I've spoken with my hubbie about giving the dog away and he doesnt' say much so I know he doesn't want to. So I'll continue to live with the pest until his time comes and thereafter will never own another Bassett.

For those of you that love the breed, god bless ya. I'm glad to know that there are people that appreciate this kind of dog. Me personally? I'll take an English Springer any day of the week. I guess it's all in preference and what you're looking for in a pet.

/rant off, time for naps!