GPS

For dogs?

I felt so bad last week. My new/old neighbors were moving in next door, so since I’d taken care of their dog before I offered (with Zoe’s approval, of course) to take him in for a few hours.

B is blind. He gets around great but he knows where he lives now (they used to be our neighbors a few years ago in the other tower) and hung out by our front door for the first hour. I know he likes Zoe’s bed so brought it out to the living room so we could all hang out together. I didn’t really think about where I placed it, closest to us.

He got onto the bed, inserted his big head into the side of the tv cabinet, jerked upwards and hit his noggin. Then he ran back to the front door to await his parents’ return. That lasted another 20 minutes, I moved Zoe’s bed a foot away so there were no impediments and he came back and settled in.

Ran into his folks on the elevator yesterday and they said there’s a new gadget, something for blind dogs that is a sort of GPS that keeps them from hurting themselves by running into things. I hope it works!

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Tit for Tat

My old, sane dog had a basket of about 25 toys and tennis balls in a basket by the front door. She knew by car sound who was visiting and worryingly nosed through the basket to find the exact stuffed animal with which to greet our guest. Diesel Mercedes, sounds like a sewing machine, my sister, must be Clifford The Big Red Dog!

Well, Zoe has been through that basket and eviscerated every stuffed animal in it. In moments, batting and squeaker all over the floors. Because it is at the top of the closet with a felt heart lined with lace and tiny beads from a lovely friend, the teddy bear Chani’s ashes are in is away from Zoe’s awful relationship to stuffed toys.

Zoe has one toy we call Precious. It is an indestructible mesh toy with a latex toy with squeaker stuffed inside. The first one had to be thrown away not because she got through it, but because after ten years it began to deteriorate. We got another, now there’s a latex gorilla inside and she squeaks it incessantly when I let her have it, which is seldom. It’s a treat.

Her friend was not interested in Precious and no amount of Zoe showing off worked, but Zoe doesn’t know B is blind. He acts like a normal dog.

When folks were finished with the move, they returned and got B. Zoe went in right after him. He got a plush large faux lamb “bone” and took it around his new home. He kept it from Zoe and pranced around as if he never needed a GPS. He was home and has had plenty of time to reconnoiter our place as well. Zoe never got to tear his toy to shreds. Serves her right! Their folks have been so kind to me. I hope B will be our guest often. They don’t play, but like to be near each other.

Cheers! Dee