At least I woke up laughing.
Otis was curled up next to me, his head near my stomach. I looked over and noticed Zoe in a mirror position, with her head on Tim’s stomach. She stretched out to put a paw over his leg to show even more ownership. Tim rolled over but this didn’t budge Zoe. She had her human body pillow and she wasn’t moving. This amused me greatly, because Tim goes to great lengths to build a pillow fortress so this doesn’t happen. He rolls around a lot in his sleep and likes to move unencumbered by dogs, which is how they both end up on my side most of the time.
Zoe is really chatty today. She’s also cranky. I gave her the orange treat ball, but she growled at Otis more fiercely than normal when he tried to get in on the fun. She would have no idea how to play with that toy if it hadn’t been for him, though– she’d still be using it as a chew toy instead of rolling it around to dislodge the treats.
I read one of the saddest things ever: The Sports Guy on ESPN lost one of his dogs to lymphoma. If you want a good cry, go here. If you don’t, I’d highly suggest not clicking through. I was fine during the one-year anniversary of Abby’s passing, but reading this was like tearing the wound open again. He’s an excellent writer and this is a beautiful tribute to his dog.
It’s finally above freezing so we took the dogs for an extended walk yesterday. We’ve been giving Otis a green bone to hold in his mouth while he walks so he doesn’t chew on his leash. We were wondering if this would also help when he encountered other dogs. We met two Chihuahuas as well as a German Shepherd. He dropped the toy the minute he saw the two little dogs, and he refused to take it back, chewing on his collar and leash instead. He did slightly better with the larger dog (which is weird, because you would think he would view it as more of a threat). He kept the toy in his mouth so there was no barking or lunging, but he still shook his head violently so I could tell he was upset. I’m hoping now that the weather is warmer, we can work with him more, giving him treats as an incentive to behave.
I’m looking forward to getting out in the fresh air again. It’s another warm and sunny day, but it’s supposed to get cold again. It will be up and down for the next several weeks, but at least we’ll get some warmth mixed in with the cold (I hope).
