Pixie is displeased

We've had to make a variety of changes as we're getting ready to start the kitchen remodel. The obvious change is that we won't be able to use our kitchen anymore and anything we would like to keep from the kitchen needed to be cleared out before the demolition work started. This means most of our kitchen items are boxed up and currently taking over a corner of the office.

The rest of our kitchen items were deemed important enough to avoid the fate of being boxed up and ended up in a corner of the living room. With a bookshelf, a wine fridge, and a newly purchased cart, we have a makeshift "kitchen" -- a word I have to use extremely loosely seeing as our only cooking elements now are the microwave and toaster oven. I suppose we can also rely on the outdoor grill but it's January in California which means incessant rain and though our temperatures don't qualify as cold (when compared to say New York), it's not exactly Hawaii outside either.

All this change by itself has been a bit rough on Pixie. If you've never owned a dog, then suffice it to say that dogs, like all other animals, can't deal with change. (Want proof? Read this.) They're built on routine and things that deviate from that routine worry them. So while I was packing up our boxes, Pixie elected to climb in my lap in an effort either to seek comfort or stop me from putting the kitchen into packages -- I'm still not sure which. All she accomplished was making both my feet fall asleep such that when I stood up, I couldn't feel either of my feet and almost fell over.

The change that's had the most profound impact on Pixie's life however is that we're having to lock her in the office when we're gone. Normally, she gets the run of the house when we're not home and a doggie-door from the living room into the backyard to do her business. However, she's something of a skittish dog, not a big fan of strangers, and thoroughly anti-stranger in her own home. With the impending arrival of many strangers who have to come and go through our property, we decided it was in everyone's best interest if she were a bit more confined.

So in preparation, we've moved one of her beds into the office with a bowl of water and a pee pad. Over these last few weeks, we've both been home for the holidays so whenever we ran errands, we've put her in the office to practice her new routine. She is displeased to say the least. It took about one practice run for her to decide she no longer wants to go into the office (along with a lot of whining and crying once she's inside). And another one for her to do this.

At least it was in my remodel plans already to replace that door and molding.