Crappy Day

Once in a while when asking another how his day went I here someone respond with a long face and a sigh, "It's been a crappy day."

I have two dogs. Dakota is a 4 year old regal, lady-like, cute, prissy hound who loves pillows, long naps and belly rubs. Lola is a 7 month old excitable, dim-whitted, mud loving cute puppy with virtually no reservations in life. It is the latter of these two, my daughters for now, which led to my most recent 'crappy day.'

I got up in the morning while it was still dark and routinely went straight to take the haggle of hounds outside to use the grassy facilities. Lights are out, the world is quiet and lines are blurry as my glasses are typically not on my face (they will be from now on).

I waited on the pourch for them to finish their business, and after breathing the crisp morning air I stepped back inside to a living room with suddenly a peculiar, yet familiar and disconcerting smell. "Funny," I thought, "I didn't smell that before." I hadn't really put things together until as I walked through the dim living room my heel landed sloppily into a cold mud puddle of puppy poop!

Hopping one-footedly to the light switch my senses suddenly became very acute as I noticed two deposits of doggy diarhea in the apartment. Eew! After washing my foot, crating the culprit, and waking my wife I dashed to the store to buy carpet cleaner of which we were (naturally) fresh out.

Of course the ordeal negated the chance for a shower and made me late getting ready! It would be the day of a car pool when I was driving! Naturally these things happen on days I have a stressful group presentation and emotionally draining individual supervision! Just when CPE couldn't get more stressful we had to throw feces (like monkeys do) into the mix!

It gets better...

Upon arriving home, I step through the door to a familiar smell, and received no typical greeting from my beloved K-9s or wonderful wife. "She's struck again!" I thought.

While in her cage, sadly Lola had to go two more times. (That part is sad.) She was locked up with it, and it got smeared around by her feet and tail for God knows how long during the day. The crate has holes in the corners through which liquidy droppings had found a path to the linolium and spread on the floor as my wife turned the cage to keep Lola off the carpet when exiting. "It's good to be home!" I thought.

Not my usual welcome. The smell was compounded over several hours and strong enough to taste.

She cleaned the floor; I cleaned the cage. I washed both dogs, which with a 60lb animal requires basically showering together. Heather dried them, aired out the rooms and made a fresh smelling dinner to combat the day's aroma.

I am rarely one to say that I had a bad day. However, after this one, were you to ask me how the day went, I think I am safe and justified to answer, "Crappy day!"