Is 4:30 the new 5:30?

[captainsblog]

Our morning routine is changing, and not for the better. Until about a month ago, our oldest dog (about to turn 13) was getting increasingly needy about going outside during the day- but she never had trouble staying in for long stretches during the day when we were both out, and, more to the point, she rarely woke us up for a pee break during the night.  Once in awhile, usually if one of us woke HER up, she'd take advantage. 

As Inspector Clouseau used to say, net enny meur. Almost like clockwork now, within a minute either side of 4:30 a.m., she wakes up, whines, and heads for the back door- and, once back in,  then returns to sleeping, chasing Manti Te'o's imaginary squirrels, whatever dogs do quietly, for anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes until the REAL feeding time comes up at 5:30.

The other four animals have caught on to this change, and they now begin their all-out mooch at 4:30, both ante and post meridian. They still don't get fed that early at either hour, but it's not for lack of trying. Speaking of trying, our youngest cat Zoey has decided, for certain, that SHE's a dog, and she now tries to go out with Tasha at the 4:30 observance. In 12F cold and snow. Yeah, go figure.

So I'm giving thought to surrendering, and just making 4:30 the new morning time for everyone. I can't say it's better or worse for the adult humans under this roof- my schedule, in and out of house and town, is all over the place, and Eleanor can begin her workday anywhere from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., so no routine really works better for us than any other.  But it WOULD suck if, as a result of this change, Tasha just turns her clock back an hour and starts needing a potty break at 3:30 a.m.  Eventually, I suppose, we could just keep it up until we go through a 12 hour cycle of it and we have the little brat exactly where we want her.  As one limericist once put it:

"There was a young woman named Bright
Whose speed was much faster than light.
She set out one day
In a relative way,
And returned on the previous night."

Or maybe our vet has a Doctor on staff who could help. You know, with one of these:


I only hope she doesn't run into the real Doctor, though- because he'd try to get inside by pushing;)

Comments

[ellettra.livejournal.com]

My kids partied all night, too, or so it seemed. I was up almost every hour investigating Strange Noises, Suspicious Vomiting, and Starvation Yodels. I finally closed the bedroom door. This is not the usual state of affairs! I even contemplated ear plugs. Cats are of course much easier with the whole using the litter box thing, but I feel you pain with the forced early rising and fragmented sleep.