every. time.

i give Sam yummy stick of chewing. he chews the chew with deep concentration as i prepare for bed, dress down, tuck under...
...and then he races down the stairs, and back up again, and comes to the bedroom door, whimpering in a pityful way.
"what do you want, lummox?" i ask, affectionately. not that i need to. it's clear what he wants.

i get up, trudge down the stairs, and open the door into the rainy garden, which Sam enters like a bullet. the garden he'd shown no interest in in the many hours before bedtime. i watch him disappear into the darkness, and settle down to wait.

why do i fall for it every time? he surely doesn't need to "do" anything out there, all he wants to do is play in the rain with all his chew stick energy, and perhaps "reward" me with some rainswept evening entertainment.

but i'd bet that if i one night decided to ignore his request, he'd have an accident some way or another. because that's just the kind of dog he is.

cheerleading

i've heard about dogs that get nervous if you stare at their food, or won't eat if there's anyone around. because i used to think Sam was a nervous dog -- hah! -- i would often serve his food in a different room, then leave to give him some privacy.

well, now he's on a complete dry food diet and the last thing anyone should do is leave the room. in fact, there are days when he won't eat unless he's accompanied by at least one human who patiently listens to his crunching. usually it's my daughter, who fortunately likes perching on the stairs or whatever, observing him. then she'll fill his bowl with toys and try serving it to him as a dessert.

dogs in training

in norway, where one might occasionally meet a bear, hunting dogs are tested against this rather cozy brown fellow. as is evident, many of them are hesitant about the furry fellow.

the problem with dog dangers -- as seen by us and by them -- is that they can appear infrequently and unpredictably, so that there's often no time to get the dog used to them (if it's not really a threat) or taught to avoid them (if it is). where, for instance, can i get a steady supply of model planes or passing hot air balloons? and why do the dogs Sam is scared of always appear when i have little or no treats to distract him with?

perhaps i should construct some cats and dogs on wheels, after all. but wheely flying machines?

on second thought...

i needn't have worried about Sam's energy levels.

not about his energy levels being low, at any rate.



comments disabled on account of repeated attempts to sell me chinese spam.

a dog called Rabbit

i'm not sure if Sam's fully alright after his stay in the kennel. he seems so subdued. either he's matured a lot, or he's a wee bit under the weater. or, as the husband claims, he's in starvation mode. we've dropped the wet food from his diet, and there's only so much dry food he will eat in one go.

however, i'm still willing to give the first theory its time. the reason is that Sam's relation to other dogs has really improved while he's been away, playing with the other kennelees. he basically knows how to meet and greet other dogs now.

the first demonstration came on our first walk together, when we met another dog. did Sam lie down, refusing to meet the other dog? no. did he try to flee? certainly not. did he leap towards the other one? well, he did turn towards it slightly, eager to have a good sniffff, but didn't pull and certainly didn't leap.

this could just have been natural progression, as Sam has been getting steadily better in relation to other dogs as he's gotten more used to seeing them. however, the true test came yesterday. i spotted someone walking three dogs a bit up the road. unsurprisingly, it was the Dog Lady. she had her two regular dogs, and a little shih tzu called Rabbit.

Sam approached the little pack with some apprehension -- ears down, body curled inwards and so on. he wagged slightly as he approached, then wagged more as he greeted his old friend Nanook. and then he greeted Rabbit. the two of them clicked instantly, and there was a lot of sniffing. however, what i'd come to expect did not happen.

in earlier times, Sam has become quite excited with such a meetingg. sooner or later, he would start leaping around like a... well, rabbit. this time, the whole thing was a very civilised affair. there's been a great change. hopefully, it's his brain that has improved, and not his health that has declined!

hello postman

Sam is back from a month-long stay in a kennel. poor chap, he has both picked up a runny tummy and an, um, bedsore? on one leg. this despite it being a really good establishment which lets dogs run loose and play several times a day. we're not leaving him anywhere for a long time.

he celebrated his return by greeting the postman across the fence. as can be expected, this man was a wee bit nervous about being approaced  by such a ferocious-looking dog. fortunately, he soon realised the goodness of Sam's intentions, and gave him a pat. we're rebuilding trust between canines and mail carriers, one sniff at a time.

neighbours

Sam's out in the garden, investigating barks from the house next door. some new people have just moved in, and they appear to have a dog -- as well as a cat, a white one which showed up outside the other night as we let Sam out and was unusually calm around such a big, monstrous dog.

unlike the cat, we've barely caught a glimpse of the dog, and heard little from it. until today. it seems to be saying "woe! ay am bored and lonely," poor thing. well, there's not much we can do about that, although i'm sure Sam would love to entertain it. fortunately, he tends towards the strong and silly type, so he'll run up and down the garden a bit, jumping on the fence if he's very intrigued, but he won't bark back.


photo Through the fence (cc-by-nc-sa) by Chromewavesdotorg.