by jphilo | Jun 23, 2008 | Family
Life got exciting around here when Ellie and Abby, two wiener dogs, came for a visit. They’re here while my brother and his family are on vacation. Abby, you may recall, was our dog until Anne went to college. Then, at my sister-in-law Valerie’s request, she moved to their house last October.
Both dogs miss Valerie, and Valerie misses them. In fact, the dogs received an email from Val Saturday morning. You’ll find the dogs’ reply to their beloved mistress below.
Dear Valerie,
We miss you very much. Ellie is not eating very much and doesn’t appreciate the bald guy who gives her pills. But don’t worry, I eat all Ellie’s left over food for her and any pills she spits out.
However, things aren’t fair around here. Ever since they figured out Ellie will eat if the short-haired lady puts a spoonful of turkey broth on her dog food, they’ve been putting me in the other room when Ellie eats. This is not right, even though I do get to lick the bald guy’s ankles every morning.
Two things are really good around here: sleeping upstairs with the girl and running around the big yard. We really like that, Ellie even more than me. In fact, I shouldn’t tell you, but she got a little sunburn yesterday on the bare, white spots on her back. The girl put aloe lotion on the spots last night. This morning she put some sun block on her. I don’t think it’s fair that Ellie gets so much attention from the girl. But I am dealing with it.
I know I used to live here and I shouldn’t say this, but I like you guys better. I am making the best of things, barking at every noise, licking the dishes when the dishwasher is open, and cheering up Ellie as best I can. It’s not fair that I have to do all the work while Ellie gets all the attention. But I won’t complain.
Have a good time, but don’t forget about us. Enjoy Washington DC. Bring back pictures of all the War Dog Memorials.
Barks and licks,
Abby
by jphilo | Dec 20, 2007 | Family
The holidays are here, and in a joint custody home like ours that means we have Abby the dog for Christmas vacation. Between the arrival of the dog and the daughter, things are busy around here.
The dog is adjusting well, considering her fragile canine psyche. So far she’s slept twelve hours a night, in a concerted effort to help the college daughter catch up on a semester of lost sleep. She’s kept the sweat quotient at bay by licking Hiram’s head after he works out. And she’s upped my hot flash incidents by cramming her warm little body next to mine in the hours between my bedtime and the daughter’s.
She’s had a few neurotic episodes. The first one was Sunday morning when we all went to church and left her home alone. The second was when I went outside to chop ice a few days ago and she thought I’d abandoned her again. The third was yesterday when she drank to much water and threw up on our bedroom carpet.
Yesterday she got an Hallmark e-card from the dogs at her other house. They had a little help from my sister-in-law, I think. My sister-in-law’s dogs think of this kind of thing. Abby doesn’t. But when introduced to new concepts, she catches on pretty quick. With a little help from me, Abby sent a return e-card. She chose an interactive card that allows the recipients to dress a dachshund in human clothes.
I discovered the carpet vomit right after our Hallmark moment. Abby looked at me. I looked at Abby. I’m pretty sure we were thinking the same thing.
Life is way better when the dog is at the sister-in-law’s house.
by jphilo | Oct 19, 2007 | Family
Our house is quiet today. Abby, our Barney Fife of a daschund, is in Ankeny at my brother and sister-in-law’s house. Ever since Anne left for college in August, Abby’s been lonesome. On her best days she’s a needy dog, but now she’s much more so. She’s been staying with my brother and sister-in-law whenever we’re out of town, which has been often this fall, and all of us noticed how much calmer she is there. Their two other dogs (Ellie, one of them, is the bigger dog in the photo above), keep Abby company so even when the humans are gone, she’s is never alone.
My sister-in-law offered to adopt Abby, but Anne isn’t ready to let the dog go completely. So we’ve worked out a joint custody arrangement. Abby will live with us on weekends when Anne is home, during the holiday breaks, and during the summer. But for most of the year, our barky little dog will live where she has lots of company.
It’s a little weird today without her around. There’s nobody to bark at the dishwasher when it clicks on and off. There’s nobody to lick the sweat off of Hiram’s bald head when he’s done jogging. And there’s nobody to bark at the rabbits that bait her, sitting just beyond her reach when she’s outside on her leash.
It’s awfully quiet around here, but I’m getting used to it. But I don’t plan on taking Abby’s place on sweat removal detail. Sorry, Hiram.
by jphilo | Oct 15, 2007 | Family
Our daughter’s home for fall break, her first visit since she went to college in August. the only things she missed at college were home cooking, her dog Abby and being able to spread out on her full-sized bed. She’s getting her fill of all three while she’s here.
We’ve noticed a few definite increases since her arrival: the twittiness of the dog, the number of times the phone rings, and the length of the grocery list. Not that I’m complaining. The extra activities are fun. But I’m surprised at how quickly Hiram and I adapted to her absence compared to the dog. Abby did not adapt; instead she casts smoldering glances at the two people who live with her, the ones who don’t play with her enough, don’t feed her enough and don’t let her sleep in their bed.
Anne leaves tomorrow evening. She and a new friend are driving back together. I think she’ll be ready to return, once we get all her laundry done, that is. And though Hiram and I miss her after she goes we’ll settle back into our routine, though I may turn pale when I get the next grocery receipt and the water bill.
I’m don’t think Abby will handle things quite as well. She’s grown quite attached to the old fleece blanket that lines her doggy bed, the one Anne put there for her. She’ll probably hide under it and chew a few more holes in it and cast surly glances at us when we don’t make Anne reappear. Nobody warned us that the dog would have the hardest time adjusting to the empty nest.
Doggy angst is way tougher than teen angst ever was. The dog may need therapy – or a new fleece blanket, whichever is cheaper.
