[Deadbug]

I know I'm probably one of the most OCD people on this planet. I don't even know where I get it from, other than the fact that the house I grew up in was more like a museum than a home. My parents were both professional people and they always had nice things. You couldn't touch anything for fear of breaking, scratching or damaging something. I'm not nearly that bad, but I admit I have champagne taste on a beer budget.

I've mad so many concessions in my home from baby gates to ex pens to spraying boundary on off limits areas every other day... the list goes on. My ex pen is kept in my formal dining room since it's got the room to accommodate it and they can be in the pen and still see you from there. However, Issy has learned to jump out of it at only 4 1/2 months old.

Now normally, I wouldn't stress so much, but she's a destructive chewer. I thought she'd be through teething at this age and settle down, but she hasn't. In the meantime, I stood here yesterday and watched her jump out of the pen, meander around the room and take position to begin a chew festival on my dining table.

So now I'm stressed. My dining table is only 6 months old from Bassett. NOT CHEAP! In fact, to be honest, it's irreplaceable at this stage of my life. It's one of those things you buy once and never again because of the investment. Obviously, the last thing I want is Issy reducing it to a pile of toothpicks.

Any suggestions? This is uncharted territory for me. Gabby never did any of this stuff when she was a puppy. Other than my housebreaking woes, I think I have the perfect dog in her.