Jim keeps telling me that we don’t need the barrier to keep Zoe in the back third of our “new” SUV. Today she did great en route to the groomer. I arranged it so she could play in daycare for two hours to tire her out before the nail trim, bath and undercoat grooming. She knew something was up as she was breathing heavily and her heart was pounding.
So she got her first ride in the car. I took her favorite sheepskin liner from the trunk of the Honda and shook most of the fur off of it, then lined the back of the SUV. Then I went back and got her and lifted her in. She seemed fine, was looking out the windows and I kept telling her she was good.
Then I parked, told her to stay and went around back to get her. She vaulted into the back seat, no doubt scratching the leather. Told her to stay again and she went up front.
My drycleaner is right around the corner so I asked if I could leave the car there as it’s an impossible (not to mention ridiculous) drive. As I brought Jim’s shirts in, Zoe was outside with friend Peaches and others. I said hi as I purposefully strode by. En route back to the car several minutes later, Zoe looked for me and followed me along the fence and sat there looking for me.
In a car she doesn’t yet recognize, I drove by her and she was still there, the lonely girl looking for her mother. It felt like that first day of kindergarten all over again, when the big kids wouldn’t let me off the school bus so I sat alone in the back seat while the driver took the bus back to the lot. When he got to the lot my mother was on the phone and the dispatcher said “there’s the bus now. Yes, there’s a little girl sitting there.” Today, I drove around the block and Zoe was still there looking for me. Heart wrenching.
A while ago I called to see if she was OK. They brought her inside and put a ball in play and there she was, literally “belle of the b-a-l-l.” And I was afraid I raised a sissy dog! I do miss her when she’s not here with me, tripping me while I take laundry out to fold or getting underfoot in the kitchen.
Hope to pick her up soon but am waiting for the cable guy to come as we’ve had no cable for over 24 hours. I had to depend upon email and blogs to give me the Alaska Senate results!
I’ll try to let Zoe get out more with her friends, and be a better dog mom. Hope y’all are having a great day. Dee
Cooking with Dee 