PUPPY SITTING

Our dog Toby died just over 8 years ago.  Our cat Cooper too a month later. So we have been without animal companions for a good long time.  Before that we had cats and/or dogs (usually both) non-stop in our married life.  We decided after losing our two long-time "roomies" to the scourges of cancer and old age, we wanted to see how it might feel to live in a home where every surface wasn't covered in animal hair, where Hub didn't have to sneeze uncontrollably whenever the cat jumped on his lap, where we did not have to make homemade dog food to deal with our pup's food allergies, and to have a yard that didn't have worn dirt paths from the dog's daily run/route around the property -- not to mention poop pick up, dog walks in all weather, ruined hardwood floors from wet paws and scratchy claws, stinky litter boxes, furniture as scratching posts, vet bills, boarding kennel guilt.  

I sound like a curmudgeon.  And I admit to a bit of that sensibility.  We were, we realized, finished with the responsibility and "hassle" of pets.  

I know I'm offending some of you.  And causing you to think less of me.  Causing you, perhaps, to wonder if I have a caring bone in my body; if I even have a heart!  I get it.  In my defense, I think a family pet is a lovely thing.  

We ensured our sons grew up with the love and companionship of always having a dog and at least two cats in the house (and innumerable fish, a couple of parakeets, a pet rat for God's sake!)  And they weren't just for the kids -- we loved them all too and grieved mightily with their passing.  (I mean the dogs and cats...not so much the fish, birds, and definitely not the rat.  But I made Hub take the rat to the vet to be euthanized when after two years he developed an ugly tumor -- which was about 18 months after my then 8 yr old son had lost interest in him.  The vet was shocked -- said it was first to have a rat brought in for the final injection. LOL  He charged Hub a nominal off-the-top-of-his-head ten bucks to do the deed.  See?  I have a heart!!!)   

But as an empty nest retired couple who wanted more freedom to be away from home for more than 5-6 hours at a time, we knew we didn't want to have another dog and Hub's allergies put the kibosh on another cat, at his request; a request which I very reluctantly agreed to, but now see the wisdom of.

Today we are nearly at the end of a walk down memory lane.  We are pup-sitting a one-year-old Australian Cattle Dog (AKA Blue Heeler) for 8 days for Son One's family.  Rocko arrived mid-last week with crate, bed, bowls, food, treats, leash, collar, poop bags/poop scoop, a bag of toys, emergency contact info for the vet and a long goodbye from his humans.   

He has been here before, but in the yard and on the back deck during our outdoor Covid-protocol picnics.  By nature the breed is cautious around new people and places and with so little socialization available to him this past year, perhaps more so.  At any rate it took most of the first day for him to leave the kitchen.  He found his spot on the rug by the back door, no doubt hoping his people would soon return.

Eventually we coaxed him further in and he realized no bad thing was going to happen. He seemed to trust us and, so as long as we were nearby, he was relatively happy, both indoors and out.  Until we took him for a walk at the Marina.  He was afraid of everything.  Noises, people, railings, shadows, and particularly the solid metal grates in the sidewalk that rattled and clanged when we walked over them.  He took to coming to a dead stop or taking a wide berth around them.  We were sad for him, so cut the walk a bit short, but did notice he was becoming slightly more comfortable toward the end.

The next couple of days we walked around the neighborhood instead and that went much better.  He was more familiar with a normal sidewalk and grass to sniff.  OK.  Got it.  Actually, I started to empathize.  I have anxiety disorder too.  Mine is better controlled, but those grates....I totally get it!  It's not that Rocko and I think that a bad thing will happen once and be scary, then we get over it.  NO!  We are convinced some bad thing MIGHT happen EVERY TIME!!!  Best to avoid whatever is scary and not take a chance, right?  I like walking a familiar path too.

Anyway, now, 7 days in, he's fully part of the household.  We have a routine and he is totally comfortable here and no longer needs us in his sights constantly.  He runs all around the yard, exploring and sniffing and chasing the tennis ball with limitless endurance and enthusiasm.  He has completely destroyed all of his "indestructible" toys, (including a couple I'd kept here for his "canine cousin", Oliver), the detritus strewn everywhere.  He convinced us to give up one chair for him to claim, but even with that restriction, there is dog hair on all of our furniture, carpet, floors, and our clothing all of the time.   He tracks in pine needles, grass, and dead leaves, and leaves wet, slightly muddy paw prints in his wake.  He barks out the front window at every passer-by, (with a rather high-pitched shrillness that hurts my ears) protecting his domain.  

And he's sweet.  His wagging tail when he sees us makes me happy, especially in the mornings when I first greet him for the day -- his whole body wags.  I love how he rolls over to get his belly scratched. He brings us toys to play with and runs to us (most of the time) with a call to him.  It's cute how he prances, proudly bringing his ball for us to throw again and again or gifts us a stick he's found in the garden.  It's cute how he likes to closely follow us around the house, gently "herding" as is his instinct.  I love seeing him curled up asleep on his chair, relaxed and cozy and at peace for his naps.  At bedtime, he goes into his crate on his own -- his familiar den -- and sleeps through the night.  

It's been fun and a fine bonding experience for us all.  We've grown very fond of him and him us.  I'm glad we did this.  I'm also glad he will go home to his family tomorrow; he will be a wiggly happy dog when he greets them again.  And we will spend Friday vacuuming.  😁

At least, that's the view from here...©