Month: October 2018

Two things, one funny and one very moving to me:
1) I AM FAILING at this potty training thing. Doing my best, but sheesh! On the plus side, I am burning a lot of calories going out for long walks and then coming in and watching her pee right when she gets in the door.  I am taking her out at least every half hour unless she’s crated, and I don’t keep her crated for more than an hour or hour and a half at a time, then we go immediately outside & she pees, then we play/eat/ be together (whatever’s on the schedule), then I crate her, then after about an hour or so of rest for Squirt & me, REPEAT. And she still manages to pee inside…  My vet has explained everything to me — Nutmeg is just overstimulated when she’s outside and forgets to pee.  We’ll be fine, but it’s pretty comical when I don’t catch her before she squats…
2) On one of these walks, a dog about Tank’s size came up to us and Squirt went WILD. It was a golden, didn’t look like Tank, but the right size. She couldn’t stop flying around in front of him, and yelping – she was ecstatic! She has NEVER acted like this before, ever. W.O.W. My little girl MISSES HER BROTHER. And I miss him too.  Have any of you had similar experiences with pet sibling grief?  I know dogs recognize one another by smell, but this was truly exceptional behavior on her part.

 

Well, less than one month after sending Tankie to Jesus, I got a puppy.  Her name is Nutmeg, and she is a doll.  Squirt is less bored, and Nutmeg is a joy – in and of herself, and she also brings me closer to my grief for Tank.

The pic of Tankie is a screen shot from 2012 when I was trying to get him to smile for me, and he obliged.  I love this pic best of all of them I have, because I see his love for me in it.  Much love to all of you who still have your three-legged fur babies with you.  I wish them long, long, happy lives.

On a lighter note, I never get to name my dogs!!!  Squirt – name thought up by one of my students – we were watching 2001: A Space Odyssey, and she is named for Heywood Floyd’s daughter (really Stanley Kubrick’s daughter), in Heywood’s most human moment, when he calls her Squirt.  Tank’s name was given to him by his first owner, and he answered to it, + Squirt & Tank was funny, so I kept it.  Nutmeg was named by the new, super-intelligent receptionist at the vet’s office.  She was real quick with that name, and everyone really likes it.  Plus, my first boarder who I love very much, the daughter of a dear friend, her name is Meg.  So it’s a done deal.  Now I’m going to see how you all are doing – I’m on fall break & so can spend some time reading your blogs!