Pets in the City

Oh the stories I could tell about our pets and city life! They came from a house where we could open the front door and they ran out. Usually the yard was fenced but even after we took ti down they woudl stay nearby. There was a huge field of grass behind our house plus the yard in front and on the sides.

Okay, now we are in the city where there is no grass, anywhere. (They are to old to walk as far as the closest park.) They have peed in the elevator here Serena tried to clean it with the shirt she was wearing. If she got out of the elevator to get cleaning supplies it would leave. She and Abby went back and tried several tiems before they were able to call that particular elevator back to their floor. Abby held the door open while Serena mopped the floor. They have peed twice i nthe basement where Serena found paper towels i nthe janitors area and mopped it up the best she could. They have peed several times on the front door mat. Once in the lobby where Kevin cleaned it with a towel that we had begun carrying every time we go out. Mom suggested just goin more often. (Keep in mind at home they went 2 or 3 times a day) So we go every 2-3 hours. We have now begun carrying the dog because she won't pee in your arms. She isn't heavy but that got old really fast! Once we walked all the way down the street and back and then she pooped in the elevator on the way back to the apartment. I had a hard tiem learning. I figured if she went i nthe street it was safe to walk back on the sidewalk. She proved me wrong every time. So I have tried to scrape dog poop off the sidewalk with the baggie several times. Now we just walk in the street all the time. It is a one way but busy during the day. Cars park on both sides and then often other cars or delivery trucks double park leaving barely enough room for the moving traffic to get through. We have a routine now when I take them. We stop as soon as we got to the edge of the street to pee. THan walk across the street to a fire hydrant (no parked cars) and then down the street to the next fire hydrant then we turn aroudn and come back. If they don't go by then they are out of luck. Mom sent a package of doggie diapers, so now Nilla wears one from the apartment until we hit the street. No more carrying her or a towel and no more embarrassing accidents in front of the police at the door or other residents.We go out at 6am 9 am noon 3 pm 6pm 9pm and usually around 11pm.

The cats were not much better. We put the litter box in the bathroom. Well they decided the entire bathroom was theirs and began goign under the bathtub as well. It is a huge tub on feet. So big that Serena laying on the floor cannot reach all the way under it and when in the tub cannot lean over the edge and reach the floor. Cleanign all of the cat mess turned into a huge chore! We moved the litter box out of the bathroom and now keep the door closed all the time so they don't think about going back in there. Back home, the cats spent most of the time during nice weather outside as well.

And our sweet children are begging us to get a chihuahua! They have forgotten about the sugar gliders. We love our animals but city life and country pets just don't mix.