Heart Like a Dog

The Good, the Bad, and the Oh My God of living with dogs!

Day Forty Nine – A dog's devotion.

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Have you seen the picture on CNN (or anywhere for that matter) of the dog sitting by the grave of its owner?  To me it is one of the most beautiful and at the same time one of saddest things I have ever seen. 

The dog’s owner was  killed in the flooding and mudslides in Brazil and amid the makeshift graves that house the bodies of some of the 630 people who have been recovered, lays Leao a medium-sized brown dog loyal to his owner even into death.

The picture just broke my heart and made me realize that when a disaster of this magnitude occurs, it is not only human beings who suffer sadness and loss.  One of my causes is the Animal Rescue site, where you can click a button and one of their sponsors will donate food to help animals who have been rescued.  They also have a neat little online store where you can purchase animal related products for those animal lovers in your life.  There is an option for an e-mail reminder and The Animal Rescue Site will send you an e-mail reminder every day, which includes a link that will take you directly to the “click here” button.

It is probable that someone will find a way to get Leao away from his owner’s grave, and find a good home for him, but there will be many others who won’t be as lucky.  If you have a minute, please go to The Animal Rescue site and click a button to help an animal in need.

Day Forty Eight – There's nothing quite as peaceful…

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There’s nothing quite as peaceful to me as walking in the woods during winter, while snow crunches under your feet but the rest of the world is quieted by the blanket of snow provided by mother nature. 

We are lucky enough to live on a cul-de-sac that ends with a giant soccer field and hiking trails that branch off from it.  Since I had today off and was trying to get as much done as possible, I decided to forgo the dog park and take the dogs up to the trails.  I had done this last week and let them go off leash and was very pleased with the way Delilah reacted, and I thought the more I can do this, the better she will be.

As I said, the street ends in a cul-de-sac so ALL the snow that the plow moved ended up right at the entrance to the park, snow about 8 feet deep and about 5 feet wide, but it did not deter us! 

I noticed right away that there was a woman inside, climbing the path to the field; I also noticed she had a dog so before I let my dogs out I hollered out to her and asked if her dog was friendly and if she minded if my dogs were off leash (hers already was but I wanted to be polite.)  She said no problem, so out they jumped and made quick work of the huge snow bank.  They got to the woman and her dog much quicker than I did, but everyone got along wonderfully.  As we walked up we chatted a little bit and she told me she had another dog somewhere in the park and that most people who walked their dogs up there, had them off leash. 

We didn’t stay together too long, as she needed to head home, so the dogs and I headed off.  People had been up there hiking so certain trails were well packed.  The dogs did really well, running ahead and sometimes off the path but always returning to me when I called.   We did two loops around and then headed home, it was an enjoyable part of my afternoon, me and my dogs and the quiet of the woods.

Day Forty Seven – My dog fetches!

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Today we decided to attempt the dog park; we figured by now four days after the storm someone had probably shoveled the paths; and we were right!

There were only a few dogs there today and my dogs ran a lot more than they usually do; which was awesome.  Some of the snow in the play area had been packed down, so we could walk a little too (which helps to keep us warm.)

We have been trying to play fetch with our dogs for years, when Sampson was a puppy we would throw the ball and he would catch it.  We could do that for about three times, then he would take the ball and lay on as if to say, “try to throw this.”  Delilah will sometimes play fetch in the house with a ball and I can throw it a few times, but then she loses interest.  I have never had success with her playing fetch with the ball outside; although they tell me at daycare that the dogs do play fetch.  I always throw the ball and laugh when I tell them they are failed retrievers.

Today for some unknown reason, we threw a stick and Delilah fetched it; so we threw it again and she fetched it again, and again, and again!  At one point I threw it in the soft snow and she had her head buried half-way up her neck trying to get that stick, she came up with it, her face covered with snow and her tail just wagging away.  I said to Chet, I cannot believe after three and a half years, we finally figured out how to get her to play fetch. 

By the way, the dogs are now passed out on the couch.  Mission accomplished.

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