After six weeks, enough was enough. Since I love lying on the loveseat in the living room, it has a protective cover on it. I stood up on that thing and emptied my bladder. That will teach Daddy! He was not happy, but did not scold much. He pulled off the cover and threw it in the washing machine. I decided that now was the time to get his attention and let him know that I am done with this routine! So I stood up on the loveseat again, and peed some more. This time Daddy was not pleased! But, instead of giving me more loving attention and nice walks, he became dogmatic and shut me in the den while he was gone all day. What a bummer!
Mommy came home for only a week at the end of October and again at the end of December. It was wonderful having her home! And I pulled every reverse retrieve trick I could think up – towels, socks out of the hamper, an envelope off her desk, the dish cloth in the sink, the softsoap container on the counter, and, of course, shoes that are not put away. Mommy didn’t have her normal sparkle. She seemed to be very sad. They talked about Karin, my big sister, a lot. In fact, Daddy has been very sad and lonely since Mommy went away in September. I try to sit on his lap to cheer him up, and I snuggle close to him in bed, but it doesn’t seem to help. We didn’t even have any Christmas decorations this year. Daddy left me at the kennel for over two and half weeks over Christmas, and, when they both returned, they didn’t even give me a single Christmas present.
Mommy went away again after New Year’s. Winter came with mountains of snow. Daddy now trusts me to run in our yard without being on a leash, so I had unrestrained fun in the deep snowbanks when he let me out. At the beginning of February, Mommy came home again. When Daddy opened the back to put her suitcases in, I jumped out and ran past her to check out the parking garage. Why should I say “hello” to her when she doesn’t want to live with me any more. But she did stay home this time, though she was very blue. She had no energy to take me for walks, plus she said that there was too much snow. After a couple of weeks, she started driving me to doggie park in the mornings. But we didn’t encounter many friends. We might see one or two dogs a day, but sometimes we didn’t see anyone. Even Frank, the candyman because he always has dog biscuits, wasn’t always there, and, when he was, he has tears in his eyes like Mommy does. I rarely see my best friends that play chase with me.
One day late in February, I rode with Mommy to Buffalo. It is always fun crossing the border, because those nice people in uniforms always pet me, but they never give me a treat even though I ask politely. Well, maybe it isn’t so polite to be barking and thrusting myself at them. Mommy stopped at her mailbox and picked up a big box of cards with Karin’s picture on them. Then she left me in the car while she went inside a bookstore all day with her box of cards. She came out once to let me go potty, and I tried to run away as soon as she opened the door. But she called me, and I reluctantly obeyed, only because I knew she had treats. It was cold in the car, but my chocolate coat kept me comfortable.
By April, the snow was gone, and we began walking to doggie park. The birds are singing and Mommy would stop to watch them. I don’t know why she finds them interesting. I think bunnies are far more interesting. I am allowed to shop at the nursery, so, as soon as we pull into the parking lot, I begin yelping with joy. Mommy was not very happy that I was so loud, plus leaping at the end of my leash, when she let me out. Everyone in the parking lot was staring at me as if I were some kind of vicious dog. Once I expressed my exuberance, I calmed down and we did our shopping for spring flowers.
On Saturday, April 18, Mommy and I went outside for a potty break. As soon as we left the garage, the neighbors came out too. I started to run to say hello, but was stopped short in my tracks when I smelled something intriguing at my paws!!! There was a tiny little squirrel on the driveway. I insisted on playing with it, so Mommy tied me to a tree. The adults couldn’t figure out what kind of baby it was or where it came from. Marianne shoveled it up and threw it over the fence into the woods. No sooner had she done that than another baby fell off the roof at their feet! Then they discovered that a third baby was lying in the eave. The pest man came on Monday and found where the nest probably is – on the roof where the soffit cuts into the roof. But it was raining too hard for him to climb up there and check for more babies and the mama. He will have to come back on a sunny day.
Mommy told me on April 21 that I was now four years old, but I didn’t get any presents. She keeps telling everyone that I am four now, but that I haven’t slowed down a bit and am still as goofy as ever. That sounds like a good thing to me! Surely she doesn’t want me to roll over and play dead! She did take my picture illustrating my waggish behavior. I had stolen a little old towel from the laundry room and wouldn’t let her or Daddy get near it. I am usually pretty good about letting them have their shoes or towels back these days, but this one I want for myself. They will have to try to trick me out of this one.
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