A Strange Shadow

A few days ago, Diamond and I were on our daily walk enjoying the early evening breeze and lengthening shadows. The sun was low on the horizon ahead and to the right of us, casting our elongated shadows slightly behind us, to our left.

I was gazing at the sky and deepening green on the trees lining the road, when Diamond began slightly pulling on her leash. I glanced down at her to see that she was looking back over her right shoulder. Thinking about the bicycle race we had encountered the week-end before while walking, I immediately thought that she must be looking for bicyclers coming up on us from behind. I tugged on her leash, gently scolded her, and got her back into a heel position, giving her a treat for obeying my command.

We walked on a few more steps when she looked back again. I glanced back to my left, where she was at her station beside me, about to scold her again for not behaving correctly. I was startled to see a third shadow on the road behind us. I wheeled around to see who was following us, seeing nothing but empty road. There was no one there. Diamond continued to look back, as if she could see something.
I re-checked our shadows, and the third shadow was gone. Now, I joined Diamond in looking back behind us every few steps. What could have caused the third shadow? What could Diamond see that I couldn’t?

As we continued our walk, Diamond calmed down and began paying more attention to the road ahead. My thoughts wandered to thoughts of guardian angels, ghosts, and other explanations for an additional shadow on the road with ours. I decided that something, or someone, was following us and got caught by the sunshine. When I related this event to a friend of mine, she suggested that it might have been one of my parents watching over me that afternoon.

I don’t know who or what it was, and have no good explanations. I do know what I saw, and it was, indeed, a shadow that didn’t belong to either Diamond or me. I might have thought it was all in my imagination if Diamond hadn’t been acting the way she was, looking back and putting tension on her leash as she kept turning her head to check the road behind us. I felt no fear, but instead a warm reassurance that we were not alone, and certainly not in any danger. Diamond never growled, barked, or moved into any defensive protective stances with me. Whatever it was, it simply caught her attention and curiosity, like the bicycle riders we had seen a few days earlier.

Those guardian angels need to be more careful about their shadows!

My Girl, Diamond

Yesterday was Diamond’s appointment for her yearly physical with her vet, Dr. Jeff. She knew something exciting was about to happen when we pulled the car into the parking area of the clinic. She could hardly wait to get out of the car and into the building. She loves Dr. Jeff and his staff, and also relishes the smells in there. Forgetting the ‘Heel’ command, she practically dragged me from the car to the door.

We were called into the examination area as soon as we signed in, not giving her a chance to sniff the floor and furniture first. “Let’s see how much you weigh,” the assistant said to Diamond, then to me, “She’s too big to lift. Can you get her to walk onto the scales?”

Obviously, she didn’t know my girl very well. I took the leash and pulled slightly in the direction of the huge scale. Diamond knew what I wanted from her, and stepped gingerly onto the platform and sat down. Then came the surprise – 102 pounds! Diamond had gained over 5 pounds since last year. I silently gave a prayer of thanks for the daily longs walks we take together – it could have been much worse!

Once settled in the examining room, we waited patiently for Dr. Jeff to come in to see us. Diamond kept her eyes focused on the closed door, and cocked her head in anticipation with every sound she heard from the other side. Finally, Dr. Jeff stepped into the room, greeted her warmly, and she was a happy girl.

Diamond didn’t know what Dr. Jeff began talking to me about. If she had, she might not have looked quite so happy. “Diamond is a Senior Dog now that she’s 7 years old,” Dr. Jeff told me. “Have you noticed any changes in her since last year?” I admitted that I had. Besides the weight gain, she seems to be getting lazier and not so energetic about racing around the yard or playing. She also has been showing less interest in her food, although she eats well. She’s just not excited about dinner the way she used to be. She also has trouble at times getting up from her favorite position, “Down –Stay.”

Dr. Jeff looked at me, and said, “She’s just like us. As she ages, her metabolism slows down and things begin to change for her.” It felt like déjà vu for me – I had heard almost these identical words at my annual physical exam a few months ago. We’re both getting to be old ladies!

Dr. Jeff proceeded to give me his advice. No more table scraps, except for special treats. No more bones to gnaw on, unless they are big and lean (and don’t let her chew them up), increase the daily exercise (walking), begin including glucosamine and chondroitin in Diamond’s diet for arthritis, take off a few pounds. The good news was that peanuts are still o.k.- Diamond’s favorite treat. I was relieved to hear this, and I felt like Diamond was, too. While he talked, he slipped in 4 shots, which Diamond didn’t even seem to notice. She was fascinated with Dr. Jeff’s voice and his gentle ways with her.

“Let’s give her three to four months of good eating, plenty of exercise, and the glucosamine and chondroitin,” Dr. Jeff said to me. “Bring her in to be weighed on a regular basis. If she doesn’t perk up and lose some weight, then we’ll run some tests on her to see if there’s something going on inside that we can’t see.” And, to Diamond, he said, “You’re a beautiful lady, Diamond.”

And she is. As we left Dr. Jeff’s office, Diamond looked up at me with understanding in her eyes. “We may be getting older, but we’re in this together,” her eyes said to me. Wagging her tail and giving my hand a nudge with her nose, I knew she was ready for a walk and a treat for being such a good girl.

The long walks will do us both good!

A Dog Named Buddie

Anyone who reads my blog knows by now that I love animals, both my own and other people’s. While my pets hold a special place in my heart, I have many animal friends, and I am always on the lookout for one who might be my next pal.

New York City is a perfect place to make animal friends, especially dogs. They are everywhere! I see them walking on sidewalks and in parks, traveling through airports and on planes, and waiting patiently while their people enjoy an outdoor restaurant or rest in a park. Whenever I can, I ask permission to pet these wonderful creatures, and more often than not, I am given the all-clear for a pat on the head and sometimes a lick on the face.

This past week, when I was in New York visiting Brian and Roy, I spotted a perfectly adorable little dog while riding the subway. He was nestled in a pet carrier on his owner’s lap, and all I could see were two bright eyes, a long nose, and two of the longest ears I’d ever seen. He and his owner were seated across from Brian and me. After gazing at the pup for a few minutes, noting how calm and content he seemed to be, I pointed him out to Brian, and asked if he thought it would be o.k. for me to take a photo of the little dog. Brian whispered that I’d better not do it without asking permission first. I asked Brian to nudge the man, and after getting his attention, I asked him if I could photograph him and his dog. He said that it would be fine and then inquired if I was using a digital camera. After acknowledging that indeed I was, he pulled out a business card and asked me if I’d email him the photo. I found out that the little fella’s name was Buddie, a name which seemed to fit what I could see of the little guy snuggled up in his carrier.

I watched this duo until they got off of the subway, thinking about master and pet, and imagining this little dog napping on an office floor somewhere while his owner worked. I thought how nice it was to be able to take Buddie to work and for a ride on the subway.

After returning home from my trip, I downloaded my photos from my camera and pulled the man’s business card from my wallet. I wrote him a quick note, attached the photo, and sent it on its way.

As so often in my life, this was not the end of the story. Last night I received an email thanking me for the photo. The content of the message brought tears to my eyes: “Thank you so very much for the photo! Buddie is actually rather sick and hasn't got long to live so the pic meant a lot to me. Hope you enjoyed your time in New York.”

As I look back at that particular subway ride, I am glad that I asked permission to take the photo. It turned out to be much more than a chance encounter. Even though I don’t know Buddie or his owner, I count the little guy as one of my animal friends and he holds a permanent spot in my heart.

The Rockster

Our new kitten, Rocky, has been with us a week, and already he has made a place for himself in our family. He is now seven weeks old, and weighs a whopping 1-1/2 pounds! Tom and Diamond have accepted him as an annoyance that’s probably not going to go away, and they are showing more interest in him. Tom tackles him for a daily bath, and Diamond mothers him by following him around the house and nudging him when she thinks he is heading in the wrong direction. Laughter is now a common sound in our home, as he entertains us with his kitten antics.

We named him Rocky, because we want him to grow up to be tough and to be a fighter. He needs a big name to live up to. It’s a cruel world outside of our barn home, and predators are out there hungry to nab a helpless little animal. It happened to our little Max early one morning last November. He was our sweet and happy little adopted kitty, who, full-grown, only weighed about eight pounds. He wasn’t a fighter. Diamond found him on the side of the road when he was about eight weeks old, and he let her drag him around like a rag doll. He never fought back with her, which I believe was his downfall. When something outside nabbed him in the early morning hours, he probably reacted the way he did when Diamond picked him up in her mouth, and let whatever it was drag him off into the woods. We never saw him again. Both Phil and I mourned for months, and wondered if we would ever want to chance bringing another kitty into our home.

Rocky has changed our minds on this issue in the week that he has been here. Rocky, unlike Max, arches his back like a miniature Halloween cat and gives Diamond a swift jab across her snout when she gets too dominant with him. He is letting her know in his own way that he’s not going to let her push him around! He also is fascinated with Tom’s tail, and has sent him flying to the upper rafters, just to escape his pestering. He is fearless and will attack anything, including our feet and shoes, a plastic bag, or a piece of dust on the floor. He is too busy most of the time to be affectionate, but I am hoping that he will discover that my lap is a good place to take a nap. Right now, he simply crashes in mid-play, and takes his naps wherever he happens to land.

Rocky is home.