Age and Wisdom Meets Youth and Beauty

A year ago when Bunny came to join our family, I was a bit surprised by her reaction to Lilac. Lilac is the oldest hound here in our house, and she was a brood mama to two litters of puppies. Usually, when she meets young dogs, she gives them a bit of discipline (one deep, serious bark, and I have no idea what she says in that one bark, but the youngsters always take it seriously) and then goes on her way, ignoring the young dog. She tends to avoid puppies and young dogs, perhaps because she feels she is done with that sort of nonsense now.


Of course, as soon as Bunny came here, she made herself completely at home. She made her introductions to Lilac and Hawk and after a tour of her new castle, the little princess needed a place to lay down. She looked around at the various dog beds scattered across the floor and decided to lay right next to Lilac on the big orthopedic dog bed. My husband was shocked. I was shocked. Lilac was stunned. Another dog was laying down next to her?! She didn't growl or curl up a lip, but she did make a departure from that particular bed after a period of polite tolerance.

Lilac has never gotten after Bunny, save for an unfortunate incident where Bunny didn't see her foot and stepped on it in passing. She hasn't encouraged Bunny to be close to her either, though. Hawk took her under his wing for a little bit, playing with her before he just got too worn out to keep up with her and letting her follow him about. Blueberry ignored her completely, although I suspect that she was playing with her in secret, just not when we could see her sink to such a low. However, it was Lilac that Bunny really wanted an in with.

She tried joining in when Lilac would pounce on a toy. This always resulted in Lilac dropping the game and going to lay down. Bunny would try pouncing on it again to try to get her interested, but it was always a no go.

Bunny continued to try to lay down next to Lilac on the dog bed. Lilac obviously did not know what to make of it. I suspect their conversations were brief.

Bunny: Oh, you're laying on this big, cushy bed again!

Lilac: Yes, yes I am! It's good for my old bones.

Bunny: I'm really small! I'll just curl up over here on this side.

Lilac: You know, there's another bed that nobody's using over there...

Bunny: Yes, and there's nobody there to snuggle with!

Lilac: Exactly! And this bed was made for stretching out... Hey, what are you doing?

Bunny: I'm getting comfy!

Lilac: (sigh) I'll just go stretch out over there then.

Bunny: Two hounds can fit on this bed!

Lilac: Nevertheless...

One thing that Lilac has always done since we brought her here is pick up a toy (usually a Mother Bunny bunny or tribble), shake it and then try to carry it outside. Over the years we've had many arguments about whether or not she needs to bring her bunny outside. Heaven forbid that we interrupt this ritual, however! Everyone in our house knows that Lilac has to at least bring it to the back door. Bunny saw this as a divine opportunity.

So, one day as Lilac grabbed her bunny and started to get ready to go outside, Bunny ran over and grabbed the other side, starting a game of tug of war. Lilac was so stunned that she lost her rabbit! Bunny pranced around the room victoriously. She had won. It wasn't the stuffed bunny that she wanted, though, it was Lilac's attention. Since that day, Bunny often tries to get Lilac to play before we go outside. However, for Lilac, it isn't playing. She growls ferociously at Bunny, who dances around her with the other side of the rabbit in her mouth. It's no contest, really. She can always take the bunny from Lilac, but I discouraged her. It seems a bit too much to ask of the old lady dog to let the puppy win.

Surprisingly, Bunny seems to have realized it on her own as well. Recently, I've noticed that she doesn't try to take the bunny from Lilac, but instead wages a brief race to pick the bunny up. I'm pretty sure she lets Lilac win. And, in return, Lilac seems to have decided to tolerate having Bunny close to her. It seems like a fair compromise.

The Princess Puppy and the Pea

When we had Treat, she slept on the bed with us and that was okay, although a bit uncomfortable at times. We sort of made up our minds that after we lost her, we wouldn't have any more dogs sleeping on the bed. Our others didn't seem to have an interest in it. Once in a while Blueberry would get up there with us, but it was unusual for her to sleep all night there. So, we decided that it was alright if she got up there with us, but we weren't going to encourage her.

A month later, Bunny came to our house. She didn't get the memo about cute, adorable little puppies sleeping on the floor. Oh no! That very first night, she hopped right up on our bed and curled up right beside me. I was smitten. My husband was smitten. So, from the get go, the princess had her king-sized bed to sleep on. On occasion, she will sleep on a dog bed on the floor -- usually during the summer when it gets hot. Most of the time, however, she sleeps on the bed with us. Truth be told, if the door were open, she'd probably sleep in there all day, too.



Her habit of sleeping on the bed has instilled certain routines for us, however. A remarkable phenomenon happens when Bunny gets on to the bed. At the vet's office, the scale says she weighs 50.8 pounds, however, after she lays down on our bed, she suddenly weighs around five hundred pounds. Trying to move her over is an exercise in complete futility. So, generally, one of us goes to bed first, and gets comfortable, while piling a few pillows on the other side of the bed so the other person can have a space, while Bunny curls up in the center.

This sounds simple enough, I know. Yet somehow, when Bunny lays down, she always manages to be sideways, her little behind curled up in the middle of the space where your back should be. We're not talking about even a little sliver of space left over that you can cling to here, we're talking about just enough space so that Bunny's tail doesn't fall off the edge of the bed. On nights when I come to bed last, I walk in a few minutes after my husband and the hounds have turned in for the evening and generally find that my husband has misjudged how much space I actually require on my side of the bed, or that Bunny has rearranged the pillows in her favor. Amazingly enough, she manages to fall into a deep slumber in a matter of mere moments after curling up on the bed. This results in me arriving at the bed and the following conversation ensuing.

Me: Bunny, scoot over, I need to get into the bed!

Bunny: (ear twitches)

Me: I know you are not asleep yet!

Bunny : (burrows nose under husband's side of the blankets)

Me: Bunny! I'll still snuggle with you, but you have to let me get into the bed!

Bunny: (lays very still)

Husband: Bunny, I know you're not asleep! You were just pawing me to pet you! Now scoot over!

Bunny: (cracking open one golden eye) Sooooooo sleepy...

Me: You faker! Move over!

Husband: Bunny, move over and let her in the bed!

Bunny: (large yawn, followed by the nose burrowing even deeper into the blankets)

Husband: Alright Bunny! Look out!

At this point, my husband begins moving his hand under the covers, which always gets some kind of reaction from Bunny. Sometimes she pounces on it. Sometimes it's the evil eye. Then there are other times when she pretends indifference, but that never lasts for long. At bedtime, however, there's another reaction.

Bunny: (suddenly alert) What are you doing?!

Husband: I'm going to move you over.

Bunny: You wouldn't dare! You know how hard the wrinkles in the blanket are on my sensitive skin!

Husband: Well, you've left us no choice.

Bunny: But I'm so sleepy! (exaggerated puppy yawn)

Me: Alight, fine, I'll do it!

Bunny: (leaping up) Okay! Okay! Sheesh! You people!

At this point, Bunny does stand up, and I get under the covers as quickly as possible. No sooner do I lay down than Bunny curls up against me as close as she can get. At least she's forgiving!

Wordless Wednesday 9/09 -- What Really Happens When We're Not Home

The Fourth Photo

We were tagged by Jey of The Depp Effect for the Fourth Photo challenge. We were supposed to go through, find the fourth photo in our photo files and post it. So, if you've been tagged, post your fourth photo, mention who tagged you and name three others to post their fourth photo.

The photo is of our girl Treat, as we got ready to attend Dewey a couple of years. It would prove to be her last trip with us. Going on any kind of trip was almost more excitement than Treat could bear, but going to Dewey was especially thrilling. She supervised all the packing and would have slept in the suitcases if she could have to make sure she got to go. In this picture, she was beside her own suitcase. Yes, she was so spoiled that she needed her own bag to carry all her things on the trip. Treat was the best traveller I have ever known. Life was always an adventure waiting to be had!

So, who else would like to play this game? How about Melody of Melody Sez? Perhaps Dory and her Mama from Dory's Backyard? Maybe Emma Rose will try it? We'll have to check out their blogs and see!

The Sky Is Falling -- And Other Mythic Tales by Hawk!

Hawk is the only male greyhound we have here in the house. He came home five months after we got Treat, and she chose him at the kennel. When I say that she chose him, I mean that we met one dog who was so frightened they had to drag him out of the kennel for us to meet and despite all her efforts, he wouldn't even look at her. Hawk came out of the back and we saw a side of Treat we'd never seen before -- our reserved little princess was jumping, barking and chasing him in an attempt to play. Two more hounds came in and she completely ignored them. She turned her cold little shoulder firmly their way. Hawk came back out and she came to life again. We brought him home that day.

Our intention when we brought him home was that he'd make Treat feel safer when we went out on walks. She had developed the habit of freezing up on our walks whenever a strange dog barked at her, even though she dearly loved going for walks. We figured a big, confident male greyhound would make her feel safer and make walking fun again.

That wasn't quite how it happened. It turns out that Hawk is a nervous sort of guy. The end result was what we hoped for, since Treat decided that she had to go out and protect the big lug from the world, it just didn't happen in the way we'd expected.

Treat and Hawk were always quite a pair. They served as role models for almost two dozen greyhounds that went through our home as fosters. Still, there was a unity between them that kept other hounds slightly out of their inner circle. Treat had epilepsy and Hawk was always very concerned about her when her seizures hit. While he would never stand up for himself, my mom's ten pound Bichon-Maltese cross used to put him in a corner, he would always stand up for Treat and me. He went after that same little dog once for going after Treat, and that little dog didn't mess with him again!

The funny thing about Hawk is that you never know what his neurosis of the day will be. Some days, he is convinced the sky will fall on him at any moment. This started after an unfortunate incident when we heard gunfire going off out on our walk. If we get in the car and go somewhere else, it's fine, but if we try to walk here in town, forget about it! He knows that the sky WILL fall on him one day. I'm sure that's how he will eventually die.

Other days, it's power cords! Pull a cord out of the wall and let it move in any way and he is a mass of quivering jello! I have never figured out the reason for this fear. I do know that one day he refused to go back across the living room after he realized that he'd walked over the fan cord that was plugged in to the wall while the fan was running. When I unplug the laptop to take it with me in the morning, I must do it with the utmost caution, lest it make noise or touch him while he sleeps on the nearby dog bed.

One day, he frightened himself out of a sound sleep with one of his own farts. I could not make that up. I nearly had a heart attack as my big, eighty pound dog leaped off the dog bed and streaked across the room. I thought the apocalypse was truly upon us! Then the stench hit me and I was sure that it had. From across the room, the frightened dog turned, sniffed at his butt and I swear that if dogs could blush, he would have. Being the horrible greyhound owner that I am, I laughed until tears streaked down my face. He never saw the humor in the situation.

Step over him while he's sleeping and you'll be lucky not to be knocked to the ground as he flails and then leaps to his feet. Any movement near where he sleeps is highly suspect. How he's managed not to injure one of us or himself with that one in the past nine years is beyond me.

Still, Hawk is one of those rare gems who is utterly devoted to his family. It bothers him a great deal at night if we're not all in the same room where he can keep watch over us. If I hadn't seen his pedigree, I'd swear there was some border collie in him! He is also affectionate in a way that is different from the girls. If you're having a bad day, Hawk is the one who looks like he could cry along with you. If he were human, he'd look like a tall, lanky cowboy and have the soul of a poet. He was not an easy dog when we got him, it was a lot of work. And yet, when I look at him now, and see how far he's come from what he was, I feel the most proud of him. The perseverance of his spirit is stronger than almost anyone else I've ever met. I look at him now and see his body growing frail, and he has missed Treat terribly since we lost her last year. I see the sands slipping through the hourglass of our time together and I realize that I want to cherish every one of those grains of sand. So even though the possibility looms that the sky might fall at any moment, I realize that just means that we'll have to take some long drives together. I realize that what may seem like a trivial accomplishment for some is a huge leap for others. The life lessons I've learned from him have been quiet and subtle, but they are important just the same. I feel lucky that I've been able to learn them with him!