That Green Grass: Do or don't: Doggie Daycare?

I know it sounds ridiculous - daycare for your dog?? - but it has literally become a lifesaver in our household. When we moved in, in July, we were (obviously) not told about our crazy (again literally) 80-something year old, alcoholic neighbour who lives above us. Not to bore you with details but some of the highlights we've heard from other residents in the building include, almost burning his apartment down but not noticing the billowing smoke, yelling at a new neighbour, while he (the new neighbour) moved his furniture into his apartment, completely starkers, and calling the police so many times for various grievances that they no longer respond to his calls. Needless to say we got off on the wrong foot with him due to a misunderstanding about the eletricity bill (which was not even our fault) and now we're are on his "list". His nickname is Grumpers (a too kind a term of endearment for what he has leashed upon us).

We had to leave Mila a few weekends ago to go to Dallas. Originally she was not supposed to be at home but after a few changes in plans, it was determined that she would be picked up around an hour after we left. Whether it was the suitcases or the early start, or the fact that I had started work that week and Mila's routine was topsy-turvy and unpredeicatble, it all led to her apparent howling at 7am on a Saturday morning. Against us are the acoustics of our old building allowing piercing sound and footsteps to travel through the floors like paper and enhance the sound. Upon return on Sunday evening, our night panned out as follows: we got home to find Grumpers waiting for us at the top of the stairs. I snuck into our apartment and Ryan went in to apologise for the barking. Grumpers unleashed a torrent of profanities and threats and slammed the door a few times. Later that night (1am), we were woken up by what sounded like a cane rapping against our bedroom ceiling. This proceeded for approximately every 20 minutes until 6am where he rang our buzzer for as long as he could until we answered and then he continued to scream and swear again. Sigh.

So my dear friends, when one is faced with the crazy and, no gurantee that one's dog may not bark in a 10 hour day, day care becomes a necessity. Yes it's expensive and it takes an extra few minutes in the morning to drop her off, but the payoff and peace of mind is worth it. We can go to work knowing that our dog is safe and it is unlikely we will be receiving a visit from the police. Other side-benefits include Mila's new confidence in the park with bigger dogs (she previously just put the brakes or would try and go in the other direction) and the likelihood of her sleeping for a large portion of the evening when we get home rather than stealing socks or jumping on tables!

And to top it all off, yesterday, Mila made a new friend.. meet Hubert!