New Best Friend

Friends of ours in the area got a dog almost a year ago, and we had talked about setting up a "puppy playdate" with Casey since then, but it never actually happened.

Meet Rascal:


Casey LOVES playing with other dogs, but we've found that smaller dogs or puppies are scared of him because of his size, and aren't so enthusiastic to play. Mostly, they just try to hide, or growl at him, which confuses Casey greatly. He just wants to play!

This little Scotty though? He lived up to his breed and was a scrappy, bold little thing.





They chased each other around the yard all evening, and it was hilarious. Even when they both were worn out, they still wanted to hang out with each other.




This almost (*ALMOST*) makes us want to get another dog. But, not right now. We'll just need to set up more playdates! And perhaps have friends who can confidently dog-sit if we ever get one of those Branson vacation packages :)

Casey and Rascal, new best friends!

My other baby...

Casey's been awesome lately. He loves running around in the new fenced area in our yard, and we love that we can let him run without worrying about it. Here, we're on a walk, watching hot air balloons deflate.

Also, I totally forgot- he turned FOUR YEARS OLD on Sunday. This fifth year will be a big one for him, but so far, he's taken the changes- all the odd smells and stuff entering the house- in stride. We'll see how he deals with his new little brother!

Happy birthday Casey!

Big Brother Casey

Casey's going to be a big brother! Like, really big. Like, it will be years and years till this kid outweighs Casey. I keep getting the question, "So, how do you think Casey's going to adjust?"

Mostly, I think he's going to be fine. I don't worry that he'll be aggressive toward the baby. I don't worry that he'll chew up the baby's stuff or any toys. Babies have climbed in his crate, pulled his ears, taken his toys, and he takes it all in stride. He's an intensely curious dog, so he'll want to investigate everything (and everyone) new, but once these things and people become fixtures, he'll go back to being his old laid-back self. For those of you who have met Casey, I doubt you'd use the words 'laid back' to describe him, but, trust me, when things are 'normal' in the house, he's very laid-back.

He's big, and most of what I worry about is that he doesn't know his own size or strength. When a baby is sitting & patting him, he may lean into him (like he leans into us) and knock the baby over. Not much harm done. When toddlers get excited and squeal and run around, he gets excited too, and runs around and may knock over a kid. He'll get used to the noise and commotion, and eventually not get as excited by it.

Something I am adamant about, though, is teaching kids proper behavior around dogs. Even kids that grow up without dogs in the home should know obvious stuff: Always ask permission before petting a strange dog. Offer the back of your hand for it to sniff before petting it. Don't run away from a dog. Don't put your face in its face. Don't pull/pinch/hit dogs. Don't mess with a dog while it is eating. I'm amazed that even elementary-aged kids I've come across don't have these basic manners.

With any dog, no matter how much I trusted it, I'd watch the baby and the dog intently when they're together. We've already got a tall baby/pet gate that will come in handy with keeping them separated when needed. Josh has been working hard to get a fence put up in the backyard, so we can throw Casey out there to run off energy if he's underfoot too much. We'll keep him on a leash indoors more to be able to quickly pull him away from any bad situation. Mostly, I think he'll be like Nana in Peter Pan- watchful and protective and gentle. I'm looking forward to this baby having a big (furry) brother to grow up around!

Casey

Finding Dudley

I was on my way home today in a hurry. I left work a few minutes later than I meant to, and I had to get home, let the dog out, change, throw some garden tools in my Volvo station wagon, feed the dog, and get to the church community garden to meet a friend all within a half-hour. But then I saw him.

I'm a sucker for dogs. If you hang out on my blog very long, you'll figure that out. When I see a stray dog wandering around, I want to stop, to pick it up, to find its home. I know some family is probably missing their pet, and I know how distraught I'd be if it was my dog. Sometimes I stop, sometimes I just can't. Today, I was in a hurry, but I stopped.

I saw something out of the corner of my eye while slowing down for a school zone. A gorgeous Old English Sheepdog was running alongside the sidewalk, with no owner in sight. I did a double take, to make sure there wasn't a runner or biker or mom and baby jogger city mini behind him, then headed him off at the elementary school's driveway. He, thankfully, slowed down and hesitantly peeked around my driver door when I opened it.

He obviously had owners, because he looked newly groomed- shaved for the summer. He was a very gentle dog- the fluffy type you want to give a big hug. Luckily, he had a collar with his address, phone number, and name- Dudley. I opened my back door and lifted him in- unlike other dogs, he didn't seem super-eager to go on a "ride". He was a polite rider, though, and sat patiently in the backseat as I looked at his collar again and started heading out of the school's parking lot while calling the number on the collar and looking for the address.

As I looked to turn out on the road, another Volvo station wagon slowed for the school zone. The driver was looking around- then spotted my car with the large dog in the back and excitedly pointed. No one was answering at Dudley's house- I think his owner found me! We both turned back in the parking lot, and I handed over Dudley to his family. The mom thanked me profusely, and I told her I had a sheep dog at home too, so I understood. I was excited to see the family reunited!

Dudley's owner had four kids in the car with her- I can imagine the scene as all the kids are playing outside, and the dog takes off after something. She can't chase the dog because she can't leave the kids. Getting the kids all loaded up in the car isn't an easy task, and Dudley got quite a head start on them. I was glad I was able to slow him down, and help out the family. I'd hope someone would do the same for me & Casey!

Dog Show Adventure

Saturday, we took our dog-crazy nephew to the big Indianapolis dog show. I wasn't sure how it would go- if he would be overwhelmed with the people and dogs everywhere, or if he'd enjoy the trip. Turns out, he loved it! We picked him up fairly early Saturday, and headed out on the adventure!

It's hard for a nine-year-old to be surrounded by his favorite animal, and not reach out and pet every single dog that passes his way. Mason did an awesome job keeping his hands to himself and always asking before petting someone else's dog. Show dog show people (and dogs!) can be pretty uptight when every hair is exactly in place for the judge, and I didn't want anyone to get mad at us for mussing their dog's perfectly-groomed haircut. Turns out, I was needlessly nervous, and Mason found plenty of dogs to give hugs and kisses. His favorite, a pug puppy by the name of "Toad", I didn't get any pictures of, but it climbed into his lap and loved on him well. Mason was in heaven.

We met a friend's cocker spaniel, who wanted to play:



We got to see one of my friends showing her whippet Tiger. They got a first-place ribbon!


We got to meet her great dane Connor. Mason said "He's as big as me!"


This pup in need of wrinkle cream was roly-poly and too cute!


We went to another nearby building that was housing the obedience and rally trials, and ran into Josh's coworker and family. Their golden retriever Booger and his coworker's daughter took their turn at rally, and Mason thought they did awesome.


After Mason was tired of walking around, we went to his requested lunch stop- Macaroni Grill- and then to the Carmel library for some playtime before heading home. It was a full day! We had a great time hanging out with our nephew we don't get to see very often. One-on-one time is so valuable.

(Also, I love going to dog shows!)

Free Microchipping!

When we got Casey, the details were fuzzy on his history. We were told he had purebred papers- but the people who we were getting him from didn't have them- the previous owners did. We were told he had a microchip. We were told he was neutered. At least the last one was true!

Saturday, the Hamilton County Humane Society held a free microchipping event at a bank not far from where we live. The event started at 10am, and we got there not long after 10- the line was around the building. And it was cold. But I stood out there with Casey anyway, because I knew this was important.

The bank was great- I assumed the event would be in the parking lot, but they actually let the dogs into the bank for the microchip shots. There weren't any sales people going up and down the line harping on term life insurance policies or investment accounts- they did offer a low-pressure pitch for an direct deposit account that, when we open it, they'd donate $25 to the Humane Society- but that's all. Anyway, on to the pictures

Did I mention the line was long?



Also note that the line contains ALL SMALL DOGS. Casey so badly wanted to play with some fellow dog citizen, but all these little dogs either shied away or growled at him. Most small dogs we've met are intimidated by our big dog's size. He's never growled or done anything threatening toward another dog, small dogs just don't like him. Poor Casey. He didn't know what to do, so he did what he does best, and charmed their humans with his good looks and glowing personality.


The one small dog behind us was destined to be a big dog. I LOVE Bernese Mountain Dogs. So cuddly.


If you want your own charming pup, the Hamilton County Humane Society is at a critically-full level right now. See their featured pets here and all their adoptable pets. The shelter had a few adoptable pets at the event, and I met Nala, a sweet, sweet red Aussie (same breed as Casey, different color). She was gorgeous and calm and apparently is way lower-key than our Aussie. She's not good with other dogs, so we couldn't take her home. Not that I'm allowed to get any more dogs. I'm not. But I can dream, right?

Another plug for my pup: Saturday is the last day to vote in Pet Supplies Plus' Shiny Coat Tangle, and Casey is REALLY close to the leaders. Would you vote for him?

Shiny Coat Tangle

My favorite pet supply store, Pet Supplies Plus, is having a dog photo contest. I uploaded a picture of Casey I had on hand, but probably should have taken a more up-to-date one...

Anyway, if you'd do my puppy a favor and head over there and look for Casey's picture and vote to let the world know he's a FIVE-STAR dog!

To add, I say that PSP is my favorite pet store for a variety of reasons:

• They don't sell dogs or cats. This is huge, as the overpopulation problem should convict ALL pet stores to never sell dogs or cats. Also, pet store puppies come from puppy mills, most often with inhumane conditions. Not at all what I want to support- Even if I'm not buying a puppy, I won't shop at a store that sells them. Period.
• They sell good food. Grocery stores and big chains sell the national brand name dog foods that are usually junk. Casey came to us eating some of that food- and horribly overweight and itchy because he was allergic to the sub-par ingredients. PSP has a great selection of good foods and pet supplies, and I get excited about that.
• They host community events. There's this photo contest, sure, but I have also participated in the low-cost well-pet clinics that come to my store every month or two, and the $5 nail clipping every Wednesday. They encourage good, healthy pet ownership and make it affordable. This is in addition, of course, to the weekly adoption events that happen at the store. We looked seriously at some of the rescue dogs at the store on the weekends before finding Casey.

Now, Go Vote!


If you haven't noticed, I've been in a blogging funk as of late. I have a list of things I need to blog about, but haven't been in a writing mood- as the days get shorter and colder, all I want to do is bake and hibernate. Muffins, pizza crust, and a good amount of sleep are what came of the weather this weekend. I will hopefully be back soon!

Not Allowed

Casey is NOT allowed on the furniture- not at all.* If he climbs up on the couch to take a look out the window, I yell at him "Off!" and he dutifully climbs down.

But, today, I sat in the chair, and he climbed up on my lap. It's as if the rule doesn't apply if he's sitting on me rather than the chair. (The chair barely fits me and the 50-lb dog in my lap. He must think he's a smaller lap dog, or that we've been giving him weight loss pills, so now he fits in the chair. Neither is true.)

So, did I yell at him, "Off!" and push him to the ground? I couldn't bring myself to. The cuddles in the chair were too sweet- I couldn't tell him No. I complain about his hair everywhere, but when I get to bury my face in his coat, I don't complain one bit. I love 'im, I really do. I mean, how could you not love this face?

* He's not allowed on the furniture while we're awake. He's figured out he can sleep on the couch at night and not get yelled at. Hence all the hair all over the couch he's not allowed to climb on.

Purrfect Play Organic Toys

Casey sees me reviewing all these books, and he decided he wanted something to review, too. Coincidentally, around the same time, I see a Wisebread post about a dog toy, and I tell him, This is it! You can review your favorite thing- new toys- and it will be good for you!

I'm careful about what Casey eats- we buy a food made in Indiana with human-grade, American ingredients. Thanks to that, I don't have to worry about recalls of Chinese-made dog food, and Casey stays healthier. It's a win-win. Why wouldn't I apply the same standard to his toys, which he also puts in his mouth and (often) eats? Purrfect Play makes organic dog toys right here in Indiana, using fair-trade, dye-free materials. I'm a fan already. But, would Casey be?

I warned Pam of Purrfect Play that no cloth toy stands up to Casey. I've mentioned our trouble with finding Casey toys before. We can give him hard bones (which he'll play with for a while, but then get bored with), heavy-duty toy ropes (which he eventually shreds), Nylabones (which he eventually destroys) or tennis balls (which he pulls the fuzz off, and eventually destroys) and that's it. He doesn't like chewing rubber (Kongs) and he eats rawhide too quickly and it makes him sick. And, techically, though he still plays with it, a plastic pumpkin isn't a dog toy. When we first got Casey, my parents brought over their late dog's old toys, and they all lasted about half an hour. Combined. Seriously. Toys made of cloth do not hold up to my furball.

Pam sent us a cloth toy anyway- a "dumpling" she's developing for heavy chewers. This was a heavy-duty toy. The heavy canvas outer layer was two layers thick, and inside the half-moon-shaped canvas there was a corduroy-like half-moon, with stuffing and a squeaker.

Casey took his testing and reviewing responsibilities very seriously. (See his serious face below)


His first impression: "A new toy?!? This is AWESOME!!"


He decided it was good for throwing (kind of like a boomerang or frisbee) and good for tug-of-war, since it was fairly heavy-duty. Josh helped him test this "feature":


He gave the toy a good workout that first night. he carried it along with him on a walk, the whole way, and wouldn't even put it down for a belly rub:


Above, I mentioned that other cloth toys have lasted about 30 minutes with him- if that. This lasted about 48 times as long. Twenty-four hours later, the canvas layer and inner layer had been chewed through, and squeaker in the core of the toy had been liberated.

I tried to document this with the camera, but Casey would only let me have the toy for a second, and watched me very closely while I held it. Like I said, he took his reviewing job very seriously. This hole appeared after about 15 minutes of play.


Here's his final report:
Pros

• Material - This would hold up to most dogs, I truly believe.
  
• Shape - The flat-ish shape made it good for throwing and tug of war. Also, it only had two corners, which seem to be the parts that get chewed open the fastest.
  
• Squeaker - With Casey, this is always a Pro
• Organic - When he shred or ate parts of this, I didn't worry about what he was ingesting.
  

Cons

• Really, the only downside is that he chewed through it. 

With the "dumpling" toy, he received his favorite kind of toy- a ball! This is a solid wool, felted ball in black & gray- matching his coat! You can see the excitement on his face:


This ball has been amazing. Unlike tennis balls, he hasn't tried to chew through it. Unlike all his other toys he likes us to throw, he'll actually drop this one for us- the rest, he makes us wrench from his mouth. The ball is a great size for him- slightly bigger than a tennis ball- and light, but solid wool. I was afraid he'd try to pull the fuzz apart, and he hasn't! Another thing I like about this is that it came with instructions for washing it- if it does start to get fuzzy, I can wash and dry it to pull it back together, like new! It's going in with our next load, for a test run, in its own little washer bag. This is seriously great, and is holding up beautifully (which is saying a LOT, considering how hard Casey is on toys!)

Casey encourages you to check out Purrfect Play for dog and cat toys, as well as information on why organic, natural toys matter. Because I've learned about healthy toys for Casey, I'll have a hard time going back to the grocery-store variety, because I now know there are other options out there.

What does your pet play with?

My Almost-Three-Year-Old

I've got a two-year old. He'll be 3 in a month! He's potty trained, but still has accidents sometimes. He loves his mommy and daddy, and his toys! He loves playing outside.  He's pretty good about not putting things in his mouth that he shouldn't. He's a pretty happy boy most of the time, but whines and cries for attention or to let us know what he needs. Like any 2-year-old, he makes a mess of the house all the time, and is always underfoot, wanting to be in the middle of the action.

He even has an impressive vocabulary! Here are the words he knows:
Ball
Toy
Bed
Dinner
Water
Off
No
Good
Back
Down
Sit
Stay
Come
Outside
Treat
Rope
Bone
"Go to your room"
"Daddy's home"

Yeah, my almost-three-year old is furry and has four legs instead of two, if that's not obvious already. When I'm surrounded by human two- and three-year-olds and their parents, like I was last night, I'll throw out a "Well, MY two-year-old  has been potty trained for a year and a half" line, just to not feel totally left out.

I do love my parent friends, though, and was so delighted to spend hours and hours with them last night. I file away their stories, tips, and lessons for future reference, when I have my own two-legged baby- no hurry on that, because, for now, Casey keeps our hands full!

Because I don't post enough Casey pictures

I've talked about everything from technology to term life insurance rates to table setting recently, but I haven't talked about my dog in a while...

Casey's great, still. I still swoon over his cuteness, and am embarrassed by his misbehavior. Especially when he breaks the Invisible Fence to greet a neighbor and her dog on a walk, then chases their cat up a tree, then comes back to our yard with one of their dog's tennis balls in his mouth. And then, the next morning, when I let him out the front door and then I realize he's taking longer than usual to come back and then realize it's because he's not in the yard at all. I check the back yard, and hear barking- Casey's barking- coming from the back of the neighbor's house and, finally, he comes home- with another tennis ball. It's embarrassing. I have a tennis-ball thief in my home.

The reason he breaks the Invisible Fence is this: He's a smart dog. He's figured out there's a range where his collar will beep, and a range where he'll get shocked. While we're out of his area of the yard (which is fairly frequently, since he can't get to the garden, driveway, mailbox, or garage), he sits right on the edge of the yard waiting for us, right where his collar beeps, but before he gets shocked. After doing this for a couple months, I think he's draining the battery down enough that the shock doesn't really hurt all that much. Watching him go through the fence with the battery mostly drained, he just kind of shakes his head, as if it was annoying, but not painful, which makes the fence not that much of a deterrent, and chasing the cat or rabbit through it pretty easy.

I guess I'm lucky- we have a sheepdog, which means he'll wander a little, but never run off for good. He knows how to get home, and always comes home. I've never been worried about losing him- just about making our neighbors hate us! I guess "Good fences make good neighbors" holds true in this case- and we're bad neighbors!

So, our question now is, where can we buy these collar batteries in bulk?!

Casey: One year later

From casey

One year ago, I was watching the craigslist listings like a hawk, looking for an Australian Shepherd, Aussie-mix, or Golden Retriever to add to our family. Josh and I had talked about it, and we thought we were ready. And then! A beautiful blue merle Aussie puppy! Posted for free! Very few details accompanied the posting, but the picture looked like a roly-poly puppy, and I was in love. I wanted That Dog.

I sent an email after talking to Josh. No reply. I may have even emailed a second time, I don't remember. Still nothing. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. I emailed about a golden retriever, I think, in the meantime. And then! The same Aussie was posted again! Had they not gotten my email? This time there was no asking Josh- I shot an email as quickly as I could. This time, I did get a reply. That Tuesday night, we trekked to downtown Indianapolis, to the little 1-bedroom apartment where then-named Cloud was living with a couple who had no time for him- and no room or yard. He greeted us rambunctiously. I was horrified that they were letting him chew & tug on a knotted sock for a toy, and chase a laser light (which can become a neurotic obsession in dogs of his breed. He's not over it yet.) To add: He wasn't a roly-poly puppy like I thought from the picture- he was just round thanks to being overweight and free-fed a low-quality food. So why did we bring this huge dog home? Because we were there. Because he was gorgeous. And because I kept shooting Josh these longing looks while sitting in the couple's living room.

So, there we were, on our way home. I sat in the backseat with this huge dog in my lap, with only dog food, bowls, collar & leash as supplies. We got home & realized we didn't have a crate for this dog, and didn't trust a strange dog to be free in our house, so we shut him in a bathroom & went out to get him a crate. When we came home, he had scratched and chewed the trim around the door, broke a ceramic toilet brush holder, and scratched the vinyl floor in a couple places. We set up the new crate and discovered he fought tooth & nail to avoid being in it. This began a hugely stressful month, where we were on the verge of getting rid of him just a couple weeks after he joined us.

During the following months, Casey started getting more exercise. We got him eating a better food, one he wasn't allergic to. We started an intense dog obedience class. We finally got him crate-trained, so we could leave the house in peace. He stopped panting all the time, seemed less nervous and high-strung. Eventually, he even would give us peace! He'd go and chew a bone on his own. He wouldn't whine constantly. He finally settled down. He finally realized he was home.

This morning, he has stretched out in a sunbeam, getting up periodically to bring me a toy of his (the count is 4, so far) for me to hold while he chews. He's five to ten pounds lighter than he was when we got him, and has way, way less hair. He's gentle with the kids who give him attention. We have an invisible fence now, and he hasn't broken through it in a long while- so I don't have to walk him in the snow AND he can get all the exercise he needs. He's started howling instead of barking, sending me into giggles every time. Josh and he play tug of war or frisbee, and it makes me smile to see my "boys" enjoying each other. He's a good dog, and part of the family now. The work has been worth it.

We're not done yet! He still greets visitors with way too much "enthusiasm," barking and jumping. For a dachshund or bichon frise, greeting someone with barking and jumping is cute, with our 50 lb furball, it feels threatening to guests. He steals food off the table or counter when we're not watching. He barks at the vacuum cleaner, bikes, and the rolling trash can while they are in motion. He doesn't have manners for a fancy hotel, but when I took him to the clinic of the pet store, the vet commented on how well-trained he is. Basically, he's a normal dog now, and I like having him around. It hasn't been easy, but I'm glad we persevered.

What was your first year of dog-ownership like?

A Reminder

(click for larger)
(This will remain on top of my blog until almost Christmas. I hope you're having a joyful season!)

Casey's Trick Or Treat Adventure

Casey wishes everyone a Happy Halloween!

My Buddy

Casey Vs. The Ant

I know I don't have a hunting dog; I have a herding dog. Nevertheless, I try to teach Casey to hunt- only bugs.

I wonder what he's thinking when he's deep in battle with the invading enemy.



His hunting sessions are hilarious. He goes to bite the bug, then will raise his head and shake it as if to say "Yuck!" Hilarious.

New Toy for Casey

Casey's a smart dog. Since we've had him, he's always known the difference between "dog toys" and "people things". I was worried, because his previous owners gave him socks to chew, so I was afraid he'd have 'socks' and 'dog toys' confused- but no problem so far.

Seriously, though, we'll come home from the store with a grocery bag full of other things plus a new toy, and he'll sniff the bag while I'm putting away groceries, even when I tell him to get off the counter. He knows when I pull out the toy. Once, I had a big trash bag of clothes my parents were getting rid of that I was going to go through before they were donated. Buried near the top of the bag was a frisbee- brand new, so no "dog smell"- stuck in there for Casey. He nosed through the bag and found it. I was amazed.

From casey

Last night we came home with a new toy for Casey from Meijer. He LOVES new toys. He takes them and doesn't even play with them for the first couple hours- just prances around proudly. He reminds me of Lady from Lady & the Tramp, with her new collar- proudly showing it off to whoever will pay attention. Unfortunately, he's also a heavy chewer (luckily only on his toys!) He chewed through a thick rope we got him a few months ago, so we got him another, hoping it would hold up a few months, too. No such luck. He's most the way through it after just one night. Sigh. The only things that have held up to his chewing are heavy-duty Nylabones, and even those are pretty beat up. He has no interest in chewing thick rubber things- so, the Kong just gets used to fill with treats & chase around. Same with tennis balls- he'll chase them but not chew them. He likes chewing fabric toys, but he tears them up, so it's not worth it. I like him to have a "pacifier" so he can entertain himself (though, with his bones, he still brings them over to us to hold while he chews them. He likes interaction.) and I was hoping this rope would fit the bill. Alas, no. On the upside, he REALLY likes it and carries it everywhere, including on walks, which is very comical. Oh! It just landed in my lap. Again.

Do you have a "heavy-duty chewer"? What pacifies them?

Day at the dog park

In the truck


Ridin' high


Climbing on stuff


Climbing on more stuff




Already tuckered out



Attempt at a family photo

Casey is Two!

Based on the vet records we have when we got Casey 6 months ago, today is his second birthday!

So, this means I either have a dog in the Terrible Twos, or a teenager (If 1 Dog Year = 7 People Years). Not really sure which would be worse. I think he tends more toward "teenager"- right now he's whiny and periodically vocally defiant, but much easier to reason with than he was 6 months ago (3.5 Dog Years ago?). An example: He'll be sitting there whining at me for probably no reason but that he's bored, and I'll say "Go get a toy". He'll get the idea, go get a bone or toy, and stop being bored (and stop whining at me!)

Celebrations today will be low-key because he's a dog. We'll probably take him to the dog park to celebrate. I hope to post updated pictures of him, since it's been a while.



And presents? Last night we actually got OURSELVES a present in honor of Casey. Our kitchen trash can was something like this one- I've had it since freshman year of college, and it worked just fine as a dorm trash can, but posed a couple problems in our kitchen. First, when we had guests over, the kids loved swinging the top back and forth- and their parents weren't too keen about them playing with the unsanitary trashcan. The solution was to either wedge it up against a cabinet or wall, so it wouldn't swing and be entertaining (also making it impossible to open & throw anything away) or to make sure to empty the trash & wipe down the top before the guests arrived.

The second problem came along when Casey quickly figured out he could get his entire head through the trash can opening. After picking up strewn-about trash a couple times, the trash can was relegated to the second bathroom- somewhat near the kitchen but decidedly less convenient than actually having a kitchen trash can. The few times we forgot to close the bathroom door overnight again resulted in trash strewn about.

We knew we needed a trash can that

• had a secure top that couldn't be "nosed" open
• wouldn't pour out trash if knocked over
• wouldn't open for Casey if he got near the trash can (seriously, these are out there.)

Amazingly enough, these were not easy requirements to fulfill. Most "step" trash cans have a top that can be easily lifted, and a removable can for the trash bag that would fall out if knocked over. I was afraid that a small trash can under the sink was going to be our only option- until we saw a simplehuman trash can at Costco that fit the bill. It closes securely, and doesn't have a top that can be flipped up at all. We didn't pay nearly as much as the website suggests (at all!) but it was definitely pricier than the typical kitchen trash can. And worth it! I'm excited to not have to make the trek to the bathroom to throw away food packaging anymore, or to scrape a plate after dinner! The "fingerprint-proof" feature wasn't a selling point for us, exactly, but if kids DO decide to play with it, I suppose it will still be shiny afterward...

It was entertaining when we set it up yesterday- I threw some food scraps away, and Casey nosed at the trash can, then nosed some more, and ended up pushing it around on the floor for a while, and he figured out he couldn't get into our impenetrable trash-fortress. This morning- no trash strewn about! Hooray!