Our old doggie is not doing well. Like with an endeared but senile relative, we put up with much displeasure, grumpiness and miscommunication. She goes through bouts when her life seems but a thread, she leaves unmentionable piles about the garage and yard, lies in a distorted motionless heap for hours and we believe she will not last a night. Then she straightens up, perks up and cleans up and seems like she will live a bit; she gets stubborn and shows signs of her former intelligence. We aren't sure if it's a hearing/seeing problem or a brain process problem which puts her in befuddled times, but there are times when the door will be standing open with light streaming through and she will hunt for the doggie door without success. There are other times when she goes to the back door and sticks her nose in the crack and waits believing that one of us will let her in as we used to before her senility robbed her of her housebroken state. It's a sad, unpleasant time.
Her bed is warmed. Her water and food dishes are always full, and the garage can handle the poop with a hosing out if she forgets to go out. Most of the time, I doubt that she misses the interaction as we do.
The cat is a cat. Not a great cat, but our cat. He is quite impatient with the spring yoyo weather. He wants out; he wants in. He follows me about wanting to cuddle, wanting to argue, wanting to bite and claw. He hates the doggy door as most cats do. He squirts in the front door when I try to go out or come in and runs to the back door wanting me to let him back into the garage where his dish is. We used to feed him in the sunroom but then he became lazy about going out into the cold and began using my plants as a latrine. So now he eats in the garage. In a few minutes he's back at the front door or at the studio door waiting for a quick opportunity. If I try to ignore him, he follows me about griping in cat language and butting my leg with his head. Louis calls him the butthead cat. A couple of times he's stood up and caught my behind with a razor claw and then tore away to hide under the bed with the cedar boards and howl, knowing that if I get a hand on him I will beat him.
The fish love to be fed. They love that morning moment when I grab the fishfood tub and sprinkle their sustenance into the tank. They will come up and peck my hand if I do anything inside the tank before feeding them. If I sit for my morning time before feeding them, they will stick their heads out of the water and make slurpy noises. That's what fish do. No need to expect more.
Gus doesn't like the garage doors so he's moved on. I'm devastated! NOT!
We've talked about getting another dog. The neighbor cats and small animals are beginning to invade and I want to start a garden soon. I'm just not sure. This time, I want a comfortable dog. Since Shambley wasn't really a breed, I can't get another like him. I don't hate shitzus, but I don't think I'll go there again. I loved our nephew Anthony's dog, a golden retriever, but I don't know for sure. Louis used to say he wanted an irish setter. I think Wegman's weimeraners are perhaps the most intelligent, cooperative dogs on the planet but that doesn't say it would be if I got one. I knew a guy with a wolf. Awesome, intelligent animal, but I like having company and they are kind of exclusive. Wouldn't want any small children to go missing.
I'm done with wildlife as pets. It didn't ever really work. I don't want anything that will foul the pool or kill my gardens.
May your day be good and fruitful.
Blessings
I have two 18 year old cats that I never wanted. In fact I expressly forbade their purchase. The irritation of their early morning call for food is a constant reminder of how I was once King by title only. The male one is starting to show signs of age and a desire to do as little as possible in what time he has left, and whilst I often resent their very existence, I almost immediately feel guilt. In his prime he was a champion mouser, a loyal defender of my Kingdom and on one occasion, a fox slayer. His increasing frailty is a source of sadness. I am constantly reminded of the sense of injustice and upset I felt as a child when I lived every line of Black Beauty. Curse that Anna Sewell! I hope his last days are happy
ReplyDeleteMy favorite dog ever was a border collie.
ReplyDeleteIt is tough when your pets begin to age. Gunner, my Irish Setter, went last year, and I will be surprised if Hannah, the Aussie, makes it thru the summer. We have debated on another dog, but there is a good chance we will grow into senility at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI remember Gunner as a pup. A blur of red, and impossible to keep in the yard. We sprung him from jail several times. Irish Setters are very high energy dogs, though, and as much as I loved him, I don’t think I have the energy for one now. I think it is a time of casting off stones for me.
Shitzu's are nice pets in a lot of ways. The one we have is stubborn and was hard to play with, but fun as a pup still. Their hair tangles, but they don't shed and they aren't exceptionally yappy dogs. They are aggressive toward other dogs. I guess it's an eat or be eaten issue given her smallness. The best dog I ever had is a toss between a black lab and a lasso apsos-miniature spitz mix. They were very different but both had excellent qualities and gave me much joy. But sometimes I think that I didn't know about the black lab or the lasso-spitz until I had one and would just like to find a good fit.
ReplyDeletei like cats, but Tracy is severely allergic so they can't come live with us. we have had the different pets, parakeets, cockatiels, cockatoo, peacocks, ducks, geese, chickens (many of all these were incubated and raised by yours truly) a pet pig, salt water fish, many dogs and yes, one pet heifer named Baby that thought she was a dog.
ReplyDeletemy favorite is the yellow lab, that is why our new baby is a yellow lab. Pretty, smart/bright, loving and full of life that brings us joy.
my favorite dog was Ember, a big yellow wolfie looking dog (supposedly she was a collie/hybrid wolf golden retriever mix...) She was my girl - I still miss her.
ReplyDeleteWe have heeler/aussie shep/border collie mixes now. Sweet dogs but they bark at the THOUGHT of anything...they howl at trains...oh they bug!
We also have a resident feline of whom I will not speak and we've had several lizards (including a five foot long green iguana) several betta fish and a rat. (I liked the rat, actually. Very playful and friendly)
holy whiskers! a fox slayin' kitty? WOW! That's impressive. Our feline left me the trailing end of a mouse once...some present that was....the hind feet, and the tail....eeesh.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter had rats for a time when she was a teen. They chewed the ends of her curtains and had babies. She loved them. Me not so much.
ReplyDelete