Friday, September 27, 2024

Surveillance

 


As a puppy, Charly loved being in the kitchen.  The place that creates great smells, and would be carpeted with crumbs and bits if she wasn’t watching.  In her young life, lazing in the kitchen was a near second favourite past-time, although it lacked in action compared to running outside.  I find myself reconsidering “action” and modifying the definition for my old dog.  Let’s consider this attached picture…of a thousand words.  And, here’s a few more! 

To New Readers, this old dog may look lethargic and lack interest in life.  But Old Readers will recall Charly’s superior sentry capabilities from OldDogBlog on October 3, 2023 “Sunset on surfing”.  This photo simply captures her biding her time.  She’s waiting for the big beef ribs that are simmering in the crock pot for about six hours.  She did avail herself of an opportunity to go outside to pee, she did eat her own early supper, and she did have a nap or two in this area rather than one of her many comfortable beds.  But, make no mistake, this is an action shot.  Charly’s excitement in this photo is a little more contained than when she was a young dog – this is a product of years of experience.  She’s seen the crock pot before and knows it takes hours to cook anything.  But, her attentive brown eyes watch intently as I baste.  Eyeing the crock pot cook pounds of meat is a different kind of marathon than she undertook in her younger years.  But as her old self, it’s exciting all the same.

 

(And by the way, those ribs were fantastic…!)

Friday, September 20, 2024

Off Switch


  Like most dog owners, we trained Charly as a puppy to respond to some hand signals – a snap for her to “sit”; a wave of the hand down for “off”; a flat hand held out and moved towards her for “wait”.  All of these accompanied the verbal commands.  When Charly lost her hearing, these gestures became very useful.  And more developed.  It’s surprising how many actions and touches we use to communicate with Charly in a day!

There are a few constants I use almost every morning.  In the kitchen before dawn, Charly sometimes vocalizes as breakfast is being served.  I have to put my finger to my lips as if to say “shush” while shaking my head – I don’t want her to wake everyone else up.  After she’s eaten and I’ve change out of pyjamas, a quick double-slap of my thigh for “follow me” moves us to the garage door.  In the garage while I lace my shoes, my index finger wag and overly furrowed brows indicate she should stop tearing parcels or stop licking soil from a plant awaiting care.  Sometimes I have to put my hands on my hips and scowl.  After our walk, she waits for the gentle double-tap on her bum to tell her she can go through the door and back inside the house.  

 

My favourite signal comes at day’s end.  Charly habitually goes outside on last time just before her bedtime.  She’s excellent at telling time, and routinely comes to myself or my spouse at around 8 pm or 8:30 at the latest.  She stares with a cocked head, or noses us.  After being taken outside, all of us in the family used to call it a night.  But, as my tween daughter morphs into a night owl, the three of us humans stay up later.  Charly doesn’t quite understand what is happening and she would prefer that we not stay up later.  (Frankly, I’m inclined to agree).  How do I explain to her that she should go to sleep?  I’m really not sure how this came to be:  I press her front chest gently but firmly with my four fingers – like a button.  And, Charly goes to her bed…switched off for the night…recharging for dawn.

Friday, September 13, 2024

Cock-a-doodle-doo, of sorts


  For the first couple years of Charly’s life, she enjoyed sleeping on the bed.  When I bought her, I had no intentions of letting her sleep on the bed – a little crate awaited her on the floor when she first arrived as a puppy.  The crate was placed on the bed the first night, then beside the bed thereafter.  I think it was the regularity of her wake-ups in the dark (usually to go out to pee, but sometimes just for reassurance) that convinced me to let her sleep on the bed one night – it would be easier for me to be woken up to take her out.  It was a very slippery slope…one night turned into every night.  And, Charly became accustomed to waking me up to go outside.  Eventually, she thought this was her job - to wake me up.

Charly proved to be great at this job – sometimes overly enthusiastic.  The wake-up calls would come too early – and I’m a morning-person.  They also became a bit unfriendly.  The cute puppy nips at my ears and wet nosing on my face morphed into kicks with her hind legs.  I would open my eyes afterward to see her still and looking out the nearby picture window, pretending she knew not who had done that.  

 

Now, Readers, you may expect that as an old dog, when Charly began to inhabit only the main floor (see OldDogBlog on November 3, 2023 “Bedroom Renovation”) that I slept like a princess-sans-pea.  After all, my bedroom is a whole floor above her, or a whole floor beneath her in the basement in the high heat of summer.  Let me dash both our expectations:  Charly the senior dog continues to execute her duties.  She is additionally motivated because breakfast precedes “walks”, and my service commences only after I’m awake and moving.  In spite of her deafness, she has learned that even from the main floor where she sleeps, she can wake me.  It’s not by barking (thankfully).  It’s not by howling (also, thankfully).  It’s by scratching at the floor by the staircase to the upper level.  The noise travels upstairs and is not blocked out by the bedroom door.  And, on those hot summer days, the scratching at the floor by the staircase to the lower level happens to be right above my head where I sleep in the basement.  Charly, even as an old rooster, refuses to retire.  (And I guess I will always get that worm!) 

(This blog is dedicated to Gracie who recently passed xoxo).

Wagon wheels

    As Charly’s mobility decreases, my concern increases.     I worry that she is not physically able to experience enough smells.     I wor...