(no subject)
I was all ready to write more in my dragon story, but kept getting interrupted with phone calls, dog walks, work issues and other things. I got all of one sentence. A tad frustrating, but I guess that means I just have to wait for another time to get back into it.
Last week, a friend's grandmother died. As it's a small family, she was asking her family friends (as in, people that knew her and her mother) for help serving as pall-bearers. So, Saturday I once again joined five others and carried a woman to her grave. I think they were the best, most peaceful family of bereaved I've ever known. No wailing, a few tears, but mostly acceptance and a sense that at last, their beloved no longer had a foot on either side of the veil. As I sat through the service, I started thinking about how I might like my own funeral to go and realized that I could have all the preferences in the world, but in the end I'd be ok if my death was unremarked entirely. No aggrandizement or huge ceremony required. If I've lived right, I can die peacefully no matter who or what is or is not there to extol virtue in my name. Deciding that brought a sense of peace as well.
Yesterday, a couple came and met Snoopy and they loved him. He obligingly sat in the lady's lap on the floor, accepting love and cuddles and showing off the calm, relaxed dog he is becoming. He still doesn't like his human to leave the house without him, but at this stage if he's had a good 30 minutes exercise, he'll relax and be perfectly happy cuddling or laying in his bed most of the rest of the day. They said they fully understood he'd be wired for bear, nervous and upset for several months upon moving in with them, but that knowing what he was likely to even out to made it clear that he would be a fantastic third dog to even out their two rambunctious 2yr old pointers. I find myself torn between thrilled and sad. It's not the most active lifestyle for me, but I've kinda gotten to enjoy his company. In the evening when I sit to spend my relaxation time with the dogs on the couch, he's taken sometimes to coming and, if no other dog is there, climbing into my lap and finally settling himself to lay down beside me in such a way that my arm drapes naturally over his shoulders. There he rests happily.
I think he'll gladly cuddle them though. THEY will let him sleep in the bed with them.
I showed them the measures I've taken with his wire crate to keep him from busting out when I leave. All cheap and easy measures consisting of a few small zip ties and some cheap snap rings. The snap rings might not be necessary, the zip ties just make the crate less collapsible. They hope that, since he'll be in the laundry room with the other two dogs also in crates, that he'll be less upset. Also, they close the laundry room door, so if he does break out, his damages are limited. In the long run, it's an excellent match. I'll just miss him.
On the other hand, not having a dog with separation anxiety might mean I start doing things in the evening again. Like, I really need to get back to the pool on alternate evenings for a bit. I must expend more energy to make up for the massive quantities of food I've found myself wanting.
Last week, a friend's grandmother died. As it's a small family, she was asking her family friends (as in, people that knew her and her mother) for help serving as pall-bearers. So, Saturday I once again joined five others and carried a woman to her grave. I think they were the best, most peaceful family of bereaved I've ever known. No wailing, a few tears, but mostly acceptance and a sense that at last, their beloved no longer had a foot on either side of the veil. As I sat through the service, I started thinking about how I might like my own funeral to go and realized that I could have all the preferences in the world, but in the end I'd be ok if my death was unremarked entirely. No aggrandizement or huge ceremony required. If I've lived right, I can die peacefully no matter who or what is or is not there to extol virtue in my name. Deciding that brought a sense of peace as well.
Yesterday, a couple came and met Snoopy and they loved him. He obligingly sat in the lady's lap on the floor, accepting love and cuddles and showing off the calm, relaxed dog he is becoming. He still doesn't like his human to leave the house without him, but at this stage if he's had a good 30 minutes exercise, he'll relax and be perfectly happy cuddling or laying in his bed most of the rest of the day. They said they fully understood he'd be wired for bear, nervous and upset for several months upon moving in with them, but that knowing what he was likely to even out to made it clear that he would be a fantastic third dog to even out their two rambunctious 2yr old pointers. I find myself torn between thrilled and sad. It's not the most active lifestyle for me, but I've kinda gotten to enjoy his company. In the evening when I sit to spend my relaxation time with the dogs on the couch, he's taken sometimes to coming and, if no other dog is there, climbing into my lap and finally settling himself to lay down beside me in such a way that my arm drapes naturally over his shoulders. There he rests happily.
I think he'll gladly cuddle them though. THEY will let him sleep in the bed with them.
I showed them the measures I've taken with his wire crate to keep him from busting out when I leave. All cheap and easy measures consisting of a few small zip ties and some cheap snap rings. The snap rings might not be necessary, the zip ties just make the crate less collapsible. They hope that, since he'll be in the laundry room with the other two dogs also in crates, that he'll be less upset. Also, they close the laundry room door, so if he does break out, his damages are limited. In the long run, it's an excellent match. I'll just miss him.
On the other hand, not having a dog with separation anxiety might mean I start doing things in the evening again. Like, I really need to get back to the pool on alternate evenings for a bit. I must expend more energy to make up for the massive quantities of food I've found myself wanting.