Zoe

Warm fur at my side
No, I won’t walk without you
Our morning routine

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During the winter I don’t like to turn on central heat, so Jim usually folds a quilt in half and places it on his side of the bed (and may take out his safe oil-warmed heater). Zoe likes to be on the highest and comfiest place possible, so she goes to sleep with Jim, the night walker.

Around 4 a.m. she comes alongside me, with all four paws touching me or her entire back along my legs. That’s to make sure her early morning walker cannot go anywhere without her knowing about it.

You’ve see photos and recently, brief video clips, and she looks like a fox but really she’s a herder except we sissified her by making her a “city dog.”

When we named her at six weeks (already spayed) coming home from the shelter we made rules. No sofa, no bed. Then at five months she had trouble walking and we found out she had the most severe case of puppy hip dysplasia our vet (Val the Vet, our cousin) had ever seen. Zoe got the first hip removed, not replaced, at six months and looked pitiful with her entire hindquarters shaved. We were told to baby her only 48 hours then make her walk. I let her up on the bed so she wouldn’t have to wear an E-collar (lampshade) because she was so lame. That way I could make sure she wasn’t biting at her stitches at night.

Val saved her first hip and showed us. The bed thing continued. I did a lot of research and consults and in TX or anywhere an Aggie is where to go! At nine months she had her right hip excised, and I asked that only that quarter be shaved as the razor burn bothered her more than the stitches the first time. They said she’d look strange. I said she’ll look strange anyway!

She has come leaps and bounds from that time and will turn five around the time of our 6th wedding anniversary. A couple of years ago we finally got a king bed (great because Jim’s 6’4″ and between the two of them they leave me very little space) but it’s high and our bedroom has concrete floors where she slips and slides while running or jumping. The solution was runners, 2′ x 6′ on either side of the bed with rubber backing. Also a rubber-backed rug in the bathroom. So Zoe vaults into bed sometimes starting in the bathroom (I have to crunch up to give her space), launches herself from the runner itself when fully awake, or sits by me and whines until Ms. Otis gets out of bed and starts the elevator. Yes, me lifting a 40 lb. dog up to bed. And when I leave for even 15 minutes during the night because I can’t sleep, she takes over my pillow. Another name for her is The Usurper.

Yes, sometimes, rarely, I have to lift her up, but only when she is really tired. Remember that this pup grew her own hips from cartilage and can now run and jump up. Pretty amazing girl and she loves people and other dogs, even cats as a pup. I’d watch out for guinea pigs, hamsters and bunnies, though. She might play roughly with them.

So I was awake between 1:00 and 6:30 this morning and checked my email, blog and news. Went back to bed at 4:00 and thought of the haiku poem and had to get up and scribble it out. That’s your gift for the day. Dee

p.s. She’s right here awaiting dinner, going out and Jim coming home for dinner. It’s ten-minute lasagne (prep time) tonight.