Happy Gotcha Day, Grady!

As hard as it is to believe, it has been a whole year since Grady immigrated to Canada. The trip from Albany, NY to St. Stephen, NB where I picked him up was just the beginning of our journey. I think I got an inkling of that when he rushed out of Joanne’s vehicle and wedged himself between my knees, then tried to scale me like a mountain.

What I/he have learned so far:

-There is nothing he won’t eat. True, he does not care for lettuce by itself, but if it’s on an unguarded sandwich, it’s gone.

-It is possible to steal and unwrap a loaf of French bread covered in a crinkly plastic bag, without ever being found out until the empty bag is discovered in your bed.

-Frozen pizza pockets are absolutely yummy. Who needs them cooked?

-Goofy faces and big, sad puppy dog eyes are excellent protection when you have done one of the above.

-He is a boob man. It’s the first thing his paws go for, whether you’re sitting down or standing up.

-A perverted sense of humour is not the sole property of the human race.

-How much water a dog’s bladder can hold is directly related to whether it is raining or not. E.g., the more rain, the more the bladder is filled and thus the more urgent a call to the outdoors.

-Human crotches are the very best place to wipe a mouth with big flews and a gallon of water dripping from them.

-When there is nothing more exciting to do and you’re bored, barking out of the blue at 4 a.m. will get you the attention you seek. Although not necessarily with favourable results.

-The furry, moving squeaky toys known as cats do not always want to be squeaked, but they are great fun anyway.

-When the car drives up to the place that smells good, there will be two Timbits. And if the second one is not forthcoming, then climbing over the front seat will produce it.

-Once a year you get a big treasure trove of goodies. It’s called a birthday, or in Grady’s case, Gotcha Day.

I have also learned that I am a masochist. That alligator has 16 squeakies in it.

Read Full Post »

Anthropomorphism my a…ah…Aunt Fanny

They say you shouldn’t put human emotions on an animal. But I prefer to think of it as interpreting their body language in human terms. After all, the “experts” will tell you that a dog that is poised and still with their mouth closed, may be about to attack out of fear or aggression. And what is aggression but anger on steroids? You have fear and anger there, both human emotions/reactions. So neener neener to the academia macadamia (college degree toting nuts), my dog communicates himself in human terms. How does he express himself? Let me count the ways…..

Confusion
When I first saw him it was in this photo he had just been sprung from animal control on Friday, because they wouldn’t guarantee he would be there on Saturday. Nobody wanted him. Nobody came for him. He had been wandering the streets “for a while”, hungry and blind. At this point in his life, I don’t think he knew where he was.

Lost
Grady was transported from Albany, NY to Calais, ME by a wonderful group of dog lovers. The number of changes to his life in just a few days was staggering: from a shelter, to a rescue, being neutered, then passed along a chain of people in strange vehicles…and yet he did not fight against what was happening to him. He took it in stride, even though he couldn’t see where he was going, from a physical or emotional perspective.

Tired
Over 600 miles later, in the back seat of my car, I’m sure he wondered if there was ever an end to the new cars and new people.

Hope
Almost six weeks and a lot of good food and grooming later, he begins to have a light, even in his blind eyes, that says maybe this is home.

Humour
It wasn’t long before his puckish and frequently twisted sense of humour emerged, and his reactions, even to a simple “listen” command was to make faces.

Contemplative
Grady is a great thinker. But I have gone from wondering if he’s just pondering the mysteries of life, to fearing what he would get up to next. These moods were often followed by one of his silly faces. See above.

Depressed
He wasn’t the only one. And no, it wasn’t because he is wearing ladies panties. Grady had a tumour removed from the back of his left haunch. Because we had no alternative, he needed to wear the hard cone, which deprived him of his freedom and the ability to use echo location to find his way around. There were so many more emotional expressions over those two weeks, including panic, frustration, hysteria, disbelief and guilt. The last was mine. It was the worst two weeks of our first year together.

Resilience
As always I am amazed at his resilience. While it’s true that animals don’t focus on their misfortunes, they still suffer from reactions to and the consequences of illness, mistreatment and stress. Yet by October, Grady was back on top of the world, enough to give me “back talk” about wearing a costume for Halloween.

Secure
Although cats may not have been a big part of his life before, Grady took them along with the other changes and made the most of it. Only a secure dog is going to share his bed with three of them.

Innocence
No, it wasn’t me that stole your cheese sandwich off the counter. Or the almost whole loaf of French bread. Didn’t touch the frozen pizza pockets either.

Romantic?
Afraid not. He couldn’t see the roses I put down there for a prop when he came and laid his paw on my knee as he so often does. Still, and despite being blind, I swear there is love in his eyes.

Patient Fraud
I can’t tell you how many times I have had him out and people say “oh what a patient puppy!” or “What a well behaved dog!” He’s fooled the groomer, the vet techs, the pet store staff, the Tim Horton’s girls…..

Exuberance
Taken a nano second before he launched himself at me.

Joie de vivre
Which he is always willing to share with his best bud, Fuzzy.

Now….tell me that dogs can’t communicate their feelings. I think not.

Read Full Post »