While
Foley is doing better, she can run to the bedroom at bedtime (with me,
playing defense, trying to block her with my snapping) and she can climb
the stairs (if she is in the mood) she is not the walker she used to
be. Once she does her business she gives Daddy her: “I want to go home
now!” look. Depending on where we are on the walk Daddy either picks
her up and carries her until I have concluded my business or her brings
Foley home and I get a solo walk.
Being
walked alone is wicked cool. I can sniff what I want, bark at what I
want, spend as much time as I need reading tree mail. When we duel
walked Foley would stop because she needed a rest or hurried me through
my sniffing because the subject matter did not interest her, or became
embroiled in some other senior dog’s tree mail that I was not interested
in. (“It took me so long to pee today. And I was up three times
during the night to pee. I think it is going to rain on Thursday. My
lumbago is acting up. Did you see Betty White on Fallon?. She’s still
got it going on.”) Boring!
Once
I am on my solo walk I find my inner swag. My little tail rises a bit
higher. My head is up sniffing for whatever whafs by. If I see
something I begin to bark to my heart’s content without anyone like
Foley telling me to shush (OK, Daddy does but we don’t listen to him.)
And
when I see someone all the attention is mine. There is some small
talk from Daddy about how Foley’s knee is bothering her and then it is
about me. Of course I still run up to people and, when they start to
show me attention, rush backwards in fear, but I am working on it. I
don’t have the little voice saying “that person is going to hurt you,”
because that little voice belonged to Foley.
And
I can do my business in peace. Nothing is worse than when you are in
position and your co-walker sees something, gets excited, and starts to
pull. The next thing you know you are being dragged across the grass
leaving a poop trail. If your parents don’t understand this then have
someone put a leash on them, have them hold it while they are sitting on
the toilet, then take off dragging them after you. After this they
will have some understanding of my plight.
I
love my sister and I am sorry she is hurting but I am sure she will be
feeling better by summer and joining me for walks again so I am going to
enjoy this bit of fortune while I can.
