Mori the Maniac

 

 Mori joined our family on June 15, 2022; he weighed in at 2.2 pounds at 8 weeks old. He is just over 14 weeks now and weighs about 4 pounds. I have NEVER  owned an actual puppy this young; my last Yorkie was just a few weeks shy of 1 years old when I got him, so he was out of the puppy stage. Buddy was very playful and full of energy, but he was fully trained, didn't chew and was fairly self sufficient in terms of eating and drinking. Mori came as a baby; he loves to chew; he actively searches out his trouble, and he will eat if the taste is suitable to his pallet. As a result, the floor is usually strewn with garbage because for some reason Mori believes garbage cans are just waiting for him to explore the contents. Also, his pen usually has dry dog food all over because apparently Mori feels that dry dog food doesn't belong in his dish. He wants wet dog food sprinkled with bits of human food. If we just give him wet dog food, he turns up his nose and walks away from the dish. We have tried waiting all day to not give in to his demand of a little bit of human food, but he will go all day without eating. I literally am beginning to wonder if he would starve himself before eating dog food--wet or dry. The maternal instinct in me always takes over, and I give in to his food preferences. I realize that this reaction is probably doing more harm than good, but neither do I want him getting sick from low blood sugar or something else.  Chris and I are still trying to decide the best way to get him to eat the dry dog food. Chris claims that when he gets hungry, he will eat whatever is before him. I, on the other hand, have a very difficult time watching him not eat all day. He is my baby!!

Aside from eating, Mori spends most of his day playing, running through the house and tearing up whatever he can reach, sleeping, chewing on anything and everything, and trying to uncover the mystery of why we bring him outside every few hours. At times, he will pee and poop outside in a relatively quick fashion; other times, he will meander here and there and sit down and wait for the door to open.  Then he comes in and promptly relives himself. My nurses, mom and I are trying to teach him to walk on a leash.  Mori's idea of walking is to lay down and look up at my lap. Mom and I have managed to walk him around the block two times, but most of the time he stages such a protest that he ends up riding on my lap. Buddy could never get enough walking; he would walk miles, and he would always get nervous when he had to ride on my lap for a break. He made it very clear that he was supposed to be on the ground walking. I am hoping Mori will get to the point where he loves to walk. 

While Mori is some extra work and stress, he does bring us a lot of joy.  I know that there are some people who think I am selfish for expecting Chris to do puppy chores in addition to my cares, but Mori was a decision we made together.  I feel that the joy Mori brings outweighs the messes, chew marks and chaos that he causes. Joy always comes with a price.  For example, people find joy in beautiful flowers and gardens, but those flowers and gardens need to be tended each day.  Good health brings joy, but health has to be sustained and maintained.  Some people find joy in a delicious meal, but that meal has to be prepared. Joy in Jesus comes with the price tag of forming a relationship with God and then constantly maintaining that relationship through prayer, Bible Study, personal devotions and church. 

Before getting married, I knew some people thought that I was expecting a lot from Chris. In fact, allowing him to be my primary caregiver was something that I struggled with because I am well aware of how much work I am.  Yes, it was expecting a lot; however, these hesitant people are forgetting that Chris ASKED to be my caregiver. Perhaps, Chris was more focused on the joy he would gain rather than the price of that joy. I am sure there are days now when Chris is tired of my needs, but yet he still does them out of love, respect and devotion. 

Getting back to Mori, there are days when I think we are raising a little maniac, but then when he innocently looks at me or snuggles with me, a small smile spreads across my face while joy, peace and contentment settle within me. Maniac or not, he gives us joy; he gives us laughter; he always gives us something to do or watch. I am doubly blessed by Chris and Mori. 

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart... 


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