I LOVE my father in-law's Chesapeake Bay Retriever, S. If he could talk, I'm sure he'd remind me that I've been neglecting my blog.
S is a gentle soul. Goofiest being I ever met! I never in my life imagined I'd be so attached to a four-legged creature as I have become to him. He's my buddy. He's the live Snoopy I have adored all my life (in the Peanuts cartoon strip)! :-)
I can be annoyed with him, and he will forgive me. Present-tense animal: he's not likely to remember what happened 10 hours ago (I don't think!).
He's sensitive, like me. If anyone hollers at him that he's bad or to get out of the way when that person is working, he'll quickly back off and keep his distance. I would do the same. Nobody wants to be another person's punching bag when she or he is in a bad mood. I sure as hell don't. And I can tell S doesn't either. When I see he's been hurt, my heart goes to him...and I try to give him lots of J love, which often comes in the form of massages. I am, after all, a licensed massage therapist! ;-)
If I accidentally step on him, open the door wide open (w/o looking to see if he's there), or become sharp with him, I will always apologize right away.
Fil leaves S here during much of the week, so hubby and I are with him most of the time. This is the closest we'll ever come to being parents. ;-D
As S is an action dog and requires vigorous physical activity, we try to play with him, and take him out swimming in the river everyday (while we take it easy in the canoe!). Yes, I know, we have it good! And so does he--but he doesn't know it, I don't think. Or maybe he does? ;-) He sure knows where the comfortable spots are in our home and my parents in-law's home!
That's why I wish he could talk and tell me what's he's thinking! Instead, I'm left to interpret his gestures, and deep, penetrating gazes. What do they mean?
For example:
Getting on the couch and turning his back toward me.
You hurt my feelings!
I am really pissed at you (because you won't throw my stinky toy around the living room)!
Sitting very still before me while I'm on the sofa snacking on popcorn, ice cream or some other dessert, and gazing at me with great intensity:
Can I have some?
When are you going to share with me?
You know you love me! Why aren't you sharing with me?
Putting his chin on my arm while I'm eating dinner and gazing at me with great intensity:
I love you! Will you share some of your dinner with me?
If I look at you long enough like this, I bet you'll give me a piece of fish/veggie/whatever's on your plate!
Plopping down on the floor loudly and with a *sigh*:
I am soooooooooooooooooooooo completely booooooooooooooooored!
You're ignoring me! I'm gonna turn my back on you since you're not paying attention to me!
No one wants to play with me? Humph! (plop!)
No one at the table is going to share her/his food with me? *tsk*!! (plop!)
I am sooooooooooooooooooooo completely tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired!
When he sees something unfamiliar in a familiar place--patio furniture, laundry hanging outside, a ladder in the house, a spider or an insect, and he starts barking ferociously as if they're enemy combatants:
Oh, my God! What the heck is going on here? Where did these invaders come from?!
You better watch out! I'm gonna get you if you move! I'm here to protect the family!
What are you doing HERE? Get out! Go away! I'LL take care of YOU!
When he runs up to every visitor and wants to lick them all over:
Oh, oh! COMPANY! I LOVE COMPANY!!
I LOVE YOU! (I don't care if you're family or the mailman!)
LOVE ME! Please love me! Pet me! Shower your affections upon me!
When he lets out deep, soulful barks as he first jumps into the water, whether river or swimming pool, and also while swimming and then finding shallow spots to hold himself high and go off on a barking frenzy:
Oh God! THIS is what I've been waiting for ALL day! %-D
This is how life should BE! Hear my bark echo throughout the town! Let me fool J into thinking there is more than one dog here!!
Why aren't you guys in the water with ME?!?!
LOOK AT ME! WATCH ME!
The deep, piercing look of utter disbelief and betrayal when we leave him alone at night or when going out to run errands:
Again? How can you do this to me yet again?
I cannot believe this is happening to me!
No! Please don't leave me! Are you really going?
What other things does he do?
I know that when he sits in front of me or lies down on his side, he wants a massage. Sometimes he gets three (mini) massages in a day!
Or, if he goes into the dining room, looks back at me, then looks toward the kitchen, it means he wants to go out.
If outside, and he's facing away from the door, he's not ready to come in.
Those three things~I don't need him to talk to me then!
He also messes up my floor. That's what I get for allowing him in our cottage, which I didn't allow for the first 10 months he was here. But when I saw him napping so peacefully on our sofa the first time, he had me wrapped around his paw...I couldn't bring myself to wake him up. He was just too cute, and looked so happy! :-)
Living out in the country is very peaceful. But it's also a lot dirtier, with more bugs (BIGGER bugs!) and spiders. I never aspired to be a domestic goddess--I've got better things to do with my time, and housework to me is a Sisyphean endeavor, but as I have let my beloved four-legged buddy into our humble domain, I must contend with cleaning more, because our kitchen floor is white, and EVERYTHING shows. :-( Ugh!
If only S would use his big tongue to lap up his dirty pawprints! %-0 After all, he's like a vacuum cleaner in the water, seemingly sucking up any leaf or piece of bark that floats by (but not always keeping it).
And because he's such a people person, he wants to be where the people are, even if we are doing such a mundane chore as washing dishes. He'll walk right up to us and want attention...but he never offers to help! :-(
This dog is SO easily bored. He can let the world know with the loudest, deepest sighs! %-0 He sniffs our books on our bookshelves, occasionally. I'll bet he's envious of us reading books, seeing fil read the newspaper, or watching us on the computer! ;-)
What a dog he would be if he could discuss great literature, the news, solve a mathematical proof for hubby (or fix a computer bug!)!
Could he be thinking:
I am soooooo jealous! Why can't dogs do what humans can do?
Wishful thinking, eh? It's probably more like:
You humans! This is so incredibly boring to lie here and watch you read/work on the computer/watch the tube! You should be OUTSIDE, running around, chasing geese and rabbits and squirrels! Getting your paws muddy! Getting yourself dirty and stinky! THAT'S LIVING! %-D
Whatever he thinks, it must be intense because his head is always warm (like mine!). Once he laid his head on my lap and it was so hot that I began to wonder if he was going to burn a hole in my jeans!!
Talk or no talk, I love S very much. He's the ultimate goof partner, and reminds me of what's important in life: to be yourself and be free!
Whenever I might fall into a sour mood, hubby brings S over to help me put things into perspective: the world is not coming to an end (though S often sulks!)! CHILL! Just look at ME! :-D
Woof woof!!
"A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue."
- Anonymous
