Listening to River

[gwendally]

For a dozen years I used to walk my kid to school in the mornings. I'd fall out of bed and into clothes and get some exercise (and the dog a walk) before I came home to start my day. Now that the youngest is gone to college, I decided to start walking my husband to the bus, instead. My husband's bus is a bit farther away and a bit earlier, so

Comments

[pondhopper]

How well I get this. My dogs speak to me and I to them and we understand each other really well. Dogs speak in sign language (or it can be vocal as well and certain sounds they make mean certain things). And they sure get what I'm telling them. There is a great book called How to Speak Dog that I read years ago and it's like learning sign language. Dogs speak with every part of their body, behaviour and postures. Those of us who live with them and pay attention end up speaking dog. They are great communicators.

[elenbarathi]

Awww, River sounds so adorable, wriggling with joy for her walkies - what a wonderful encouragement for getting out of bed for your walkies!

LOL, it was just the opposite for little Coco, the dog I looked after in June. I'd let her out to go pee, then I'd get dressed, make the bed and shut the bedroom door - I'd let her in; she'd run upstairs expecting to get back in bed like she does with her 'Mom', but noooo! 'Auntie' be lacing up the hiking-boots, ready to ramble up the ridge! Coco is high-energy, high-maintenance, spoiled rotten; my strategy was to wear her out like a toddler, so she'd go to sleep and let me be for a bit.

My family got a beagle puppy the month before I was born, so Dog is a first language for me, but also all my family are animal lovers who understand their speech. It's always bizarre to realize that a lot of people just don't have any idea what animals are saying to them, or even that they are saying something - dogs, cats, horses, birds, the wild beasties who are mostly saying GO AWAY HUMAN LEAVE ME ALONE in

[miss_ljv]

It's crazy to me when people say pets are just pets. MY pets have thoughts, opinions and personalities. I didn't think anything of your story until I got to the part about your husband! It's so natural and embedded in my life!!