The Dog's Life

Aging will be continued! This morning into the fog and fine mist, the dog and I went into the back yard. I like to give the plants some water as the fog helps soak it down into the soil. The dog leaps out of the door enthusiastically unless I open, first the main door and then the screen, very slowly. If I open the door and screen briskly she thinks she must challenge something vile! The back corner of the yard which has wild roses, and a white lilac we brought from our other home 24 years ago, and thimble berry plants and snowberry that came with the lilac. It is home to some kind of troll in the dogs mind. She will go up there smartly if I go, but if not, she has to insinuate herself punctuated with barks and look backs until she can get up into the vicinity of the corner. I think perhaps she has seen a raccoon in my neighbors yard ghosting under their porch and gets bold with that sighting, but the troll has her flummoxed.

We are truly lucky to have a very happy dog. She likes to be with us, and things make her bounce and jump and chase. Of course, we provide lots to be happy about. There is regular food, warm beds, toys to chew on, bones in appropriate places, and sticks in the yard. And she has a sister cat who likes to taunt her into chasing games in the house or out. They both seem to adjust to our winter place and our summer place and it is all just fine. The cat stays inside in the winter home, and she goes outside in the summer home. And it seems to be no big thing getting used to her routines. She checks in with a meow when she comes back in from outside in summer, and she checks in with us at mealtimes in the winter and finds places to sleep, and games to play while awake.

Our dog is a large dog, but fearful of the unknown. A branch rustling can startle her, but if she sees what did the rustle, she stands right up to that. She is cautious with people but likes every dog she meets. If a dog snaps at her, she just steps away and goes on about her business. And then there is the corner of our yard! She is totally fixated on our routines and us as her people and that can be a problem as anything else upsets her. Her Mother was fearful of us as well and we should have known, but we had fallen in love and that was that.

Routine with animals is important. As long as those remain fairly constant, life is good. Having had dogs and cats all my life I find I cannot tolerate what I see as abuse of animals of any kind. They deserve just as much attention and kindness as humans. Oh, thats right, humans abuse themselves and are vicious and cruel forgetting compassion and respect. Humans perhaps have really doomed this planet to it demise. But perhaps the speechless animals can make it right again. Oh Oh, I have mounted the soapbox. And where did that term come from. Soapbox!

If you live with an animal most of your life, and can feel relaxed about their presence, they can feel your every mood. Building trust with an animal calls for attention, softness, kindness, and love. When our dog first was with us as a puppy she would rouse up and give a guttural sound in being surprised if disturbed. As time went on, this changed and we could bump her, or move a limb and she did not respond. We had built trust. Animals have to find out if they can trust you, and then act accordingly. Wouldn't it be nice if humans could do this without having to be armed? It appears it just takes time. Trust and you will feel good. Maybe even happy like our dog. I could get on the soapbox about arms, but I won't. NRA will be proved wrong one of these days. They will start shooting each other because none of us without arms will be left! That ought to get me in trouble. Pacifist! One shot deserves another, and on and on! Pacifist!