No, she’s not sick or anything but Zoe, our dog nearing age ten, is the happiest animal I’ve ever met. I’ve worked with thousands of dogs and cats over 20 years and even though we had to take her hips out as a pup she grew her own and just is happy, sleepy, hungry or needy every day.
I can’t think of what to do without her or in her final days. Years ago before we married my husband said let’s have babies. I said OK but first we have to get a dog to find out how bad you are. He’s horrible. He is the “fun guy” dad who lets her off leash and tosses the ball and lets her eat icky stuff off the road or in the bushes that she tosses on the bed and I’ve five loads of laundry to do.
Disciplinarian and food wench am I. Guess who she waits at the door for when I’m out shopping for groceries on the weekend? Me. She loves him. She really likes and tolerates me. My husband would disagree as he believes I’m her sun and moon as he is mine.
We’re on our own this evening and she stays right by me and barks at any noise. She takes good care of me. And it’s nice to have someone to talk to, even though she doesn’t really talk back. She probably has beaten a monkey with word knowledge, however. Even if we spell something out, she knows what it is. Ball is now “spherical device.”
I always adopted the unadoptable animals. My first was abused by a law enforcement officer so was afraid of men, children and men in uniform. I cured her of that and she was the sweetest dog, beloved by all the kids in our park. They all gave the park a tree in her memory.
For once, I wanted a pup who could be normal. Of course she wasn’t because she had the worst hips her vet had ever seen. But she got over it, and a couple of days later was happy as can be. I bought an E-Collar (in “Up” they call it the Cone of Shame) and it is still taped to the back of a picture, unused.
Yes, I let her get up on the bed and she’s remained there ever since. She’ll go with either who will lift her up and sit for a while sleeping or watching tv. Why? Because even though the hip surgeries hurt and I was worried she’d get at her stitches, she had razor burn and that was her primary concern.
I left her at the grocery store the other day, tied her to the bicycle rack and was in the store for just a few moments. I walked home and thought I forgot something. Oh, no! I ran full-out until I got to the street she was on, about three minutes, then took deep breaths and walked slowly and calmly to get her.
Yesterday there were three men and I walked Zoe on a 6′ leash held between my fingers at 2′ and one man recoiled in horror at the sight of a dog but she was several feet away from him. His friend said “He’s afraid of dogs.” I said I was sorry to hear that.” Friend “He’s a human being.” Me at my mailbox with short-leash dog 20 feet away “So am I, in case you haven’t noticed.” Then he told me my dog wasn’t human and I said she never got anywhere near him and was under my control at every moment.
Zoe knows who likes her and who doesn’t. People in the neighborhood know her name, not always mine. I can tell you that if you want to meet a perfect “starter dog” pick Zoe. A two-year old could take food out of her bowl and she’d just look up at me and question, will I get more? Here’s to happy dogs, from a secret cat lover too, Dee
Cooking with Dee 