Ella and I have been laying low for the past couple of weeks, trying to recover from her recent spaying and subsequent piddling problems. Just when her UTI seemed to have cleared up (and I was almost caught up on laundry), she developed incontinence of the other kind and has been having “issues” for the past few days. Momma came home on Friday to the stinkiest shoebox on the planet as Ella had an accident of monumental proportions in her crate. And momma was nauseated for the remainder of the weekend after having to clean up that mess.

One thing I have to say about Ella, though – no amount of uncontrollable poo or pee can dampen her spirit! She has been feistier than ever this weekend, and every time I turn around she’s found something else to get into (you might see us on The Dog Whisperer soon – i think only Cesar Milan can cure her of her shredding fetish…toilet paper…plastic bags…cardboard boxes…envelopes (usually containing bills or other important documents)…).

Anyway, Ella tried on something new for size yesterday – a hanger. While I was trying to tidy up my closet, she thought she’d borrow a hanger or two and experiment with a new look. Personally, I think the white plastic asymmetrical necklace doesn’t do much for her, but you know you can’t tell adolescents anything.

And for those of you concerned Ella may have been in some sort of discomfort here, let me first say that fashion trumps pain when beauty is at stake – she’s seen momma wince after a day of wearing high heels enough to have learned that sometimes a little pain is necessary when it comes to sporting a fashion-forward look. That said, my Ella’s a lean little lady so she had plenty of room to breathe. Also, those cheapo hangers weren’t around for long. A minute after I took these shots, Ella flexed and the hanger popped off into pieces.

Ella’s UTI took it’s toll on more than just Ella and momma this week…in particular, the bedding was virtually wiped out. She hit my bed twice, her doggie bed once, my featherbed once…and then there was that mysterious wet spot on the sofa…

After peeing on my bed for a second night in a row (fooled me twice – shame on me), I vowed not to let Ella up there ever again. I put her bed right next to mine, assertively stood my ground through her protests and barking and sad-eyed pleas, and she ultimately gave in and laid down. Some time later after I’d fallen soundly to sleep, the little stinker jumped up onto the bed and in record time nuzzled herself between my left arm and my body and laid her head on my chest with a big sigh/grumble. I woke up and looked down to see her staring up at me, clearly slightly nervous as to what I would do but also thinking to herself “If I lie very still and look cute, momma can’t possibly kick me out, can she?”. Totally unfair. I melted, of course. Totally caved. Does the proverb state what sort of shame is appropriate after letting myself be fooled three times?

The good news is that Ella seems to be getting better by the day. We’ve had two pee-free nights inside of the apartment in a row now, and her constant squatting has dwindled considerably. I suspect in a couple more days she’ll be totally back to normal. Which is good. Because I’m on my last set of clean sheets and it’s going to take days to get through all the laundry I just dropped off.

Anyway, here’s one last tribute to Ella’s conehead before we hopefully put it and the urinary week from hell behind us. Here she is, resting like an obedient puppy a couple of days after her surgery…