Delsie, our dog, is almost 6 months old. She's a fairly decent-sized dog, nothing like that little squirt we had before her. I really do love Delsie. I had never pegged us as "big dog people," but it just works. She's part Goldendoodle, part Shepherd, and she is just too cute. She's very playful, chews on everything in sight, and when she jumps on me her paws almost come to my neck.
After finally, successfully, potty training 4 kids, I thought, "Hey, it should be easy to train a dog!" Yea....not for me. Ugh. Delsie soon found herself outside in the backyard with nearly an acre to roam. Although, since it was so cold last night we did enjoy her company in the living room until morning.
She's a clever dog, and she hates it when the girls are in the front because she's stuck in the fence. There have been several mornings where I've went outside to take Madeline to school and there's Delsie in the carport acting like she's never seen a human being before----excited and wild. I'll just put her back in the fence and keep wondering how she opened the gate and got out.
One morning this week was no different. She had opened the gate, somehow, and came running when she heard the door open. This time, she had gotten into my grocery bags that I had filled with trash. It was all over the place. Thanks, Delsie. I didn't want to pick up that mess, but somebody had to do it. The wind was blowing. I thought, "I wonder if I can get the girls to pick it up."
We took our break from school, mid-morning, and I asked the girls if they wanted to go outside for a lesson. "Oh yes! That'll be fun!" they said.
I asked them what they thought about Earth and why was it important to keep our planet clean. Teagan was all too ready to answer. She had a great explanation about why and gave examples of how we could keep it clean, including picking up trash when we see it----even if it wasn't ours. I said, "Go grab y'all a bag."
Call it child labor, call me lazy, or call it teaching them to clean up after their dog....It doesn't matter. They did it.
I made a scale out of a wire hanger and hung it on the back of our classroom door. Teagan was the first to bring me her bag.
She flailed her arms with a piece of poster board that she was making into a belt for a costume, and had a scowl on her face that would've hurt a rock's feelings.