A Boy and His Dog

Day 26: Blogging for Down Syndrome Awareness and the 31 For 21 Challenge

Well, two days in, and the cat is no longer running into the mirror or the sliding glass door.  We figure he is after that ginger cat looking back at him: he either has a head ache and is waiting for it to ease before he goes back on the offensive, or he has determined that the other ginger cat can stay.   For now, he thinks it’s a laugh riot to stare at the dog, waiting for her to fall asleep and then jump at her. The dog, does nothing, doesn’t even bother to open her eyes, but the cat...he jumps back, pauses and then attacks again, still no response…the third time, he attacks and she lifts her head to see what the annoying gnat is doing and the cat jumps in the air and backwards because her movement has scared the bejesus out of him.  I admit, I laughed out loud and had Sydney come running for the play by play. 

Silly cat!  Good Grief!  The good news in this story is that the future service dog has grown to let the cat alone.  She never wanted to do anything but play with that cat, BUT, she would bolt and if Bradley were ever in the way he would be flattened if she continued that behavior.  I’m ecstatic that we have that one under control.  She will sit, lay down, and if there are treats involved she will stay for a few seconds…almost a minute.  So her long stay is an issue, and her meet to greet is still a nightmare.  She and I don’t get to many visitors, so she forgets what she is supposed to do. 

Eric wanted me to take the lead on her training because she will be with me the most because I am with Bradley the most.  And sometimes she rocks it with me, but then we try a second session later and it’s almost like she has no idea what I am asking her to do.  And I look like an idiot because I am talking to her, “How come you did all this before and now you won’t even sit?  What the Hell?”  You’ll all be pleased to know that she does not reply, though she does tilt her head in the most adorable way.  “Now you want to listen?”  Grrr….  Which makes her growl back at me playfully…yeah, end of training session and I go looking for chocolate and wonder why the Hell I have no chocolate stashed anywhere in this house…oh right, my waistline.   To be fair, I sometimes feel like after a session with me, the dog is sitting there wishing she could have one of her bones… or even better someone’s underwear – cleanliness is not important.  Or even Bradley’s wooden train set, one of those pieces that might have been left out…that would sure ease the pain of these sessions I am sure.  Hah, I’m on to you dog!  I run through this house like a whirlwind, constantly looking for things she might enjoy chewing on, and inevitably – she outsmarts me.  She’s quick, and has a better nose and higher drive than I do. 

But in spite of all this nonsense, she is the brightest little light that has come into Bradley’s life.  He went from mildly curious about her to looking for her.  And though she is still quite in tune with the adults that pay for her dog food, she doesn’t wander too far from him.  In the mornings, he used to get up and make it to the living room before I could even find my glasses.  To their mutual benefit, they would both be outside, her to her morning needs, Bradley to his daily mischief.  What always made me feel a wee bit better was that when Bradley would venture down the side of the house to more dangerous areas, she always go with him.  I figure they are well matched in their constant need to up their shenanigans, but at least he has a buddy to get into trouble with, and a buddy that checks on him, one that he can use to help get himself back up again when he invariably falls down.  We keep upping our Bradley proofing, so he rarely makes it out before I get out here too, but still…it’s a work in progress.

I know experts say that dogs hate to be hugged, I know this…but he’s only six, and that’s what he needs the most.  So, Sheba might not like that Bradley hugs onto her, and she may not be a fan when he bends over her to hold on and rub his face in her fur…but I sort of think she enjoys it as much as he does.  She waits it out and tries to lick him.  She is learning to stay with him inside.  We put her to sit, and down near his chair, and when he chooses to sprawl on the floor, she will bring her bone and lay beside him or at his head.  She is making the moves to willingly be with him and that is magical.  When he cries, she wants to know why, and when he’s in the bath she believes that she is saving him by trying to empty the tub by drinking all the water.  We’re working on that one to the point that now she sits with her head on Eric’s knee while he sits on the side of the tub and she never takes her eyes off of Bradley.  Makes baths more of a challenge, but we aren’t really afraid of challenges.  The simplest things turn into the biggest challenges before we realize it.  Shrug… 

She’s thirteen months old, and though she seems to be at her full growth, she’s still a really big puppy inside.  We’re hoping to see her grow out of her rebellious stage and into her whatever the next stage is that is hopefully calmer and more willing to listen stage.  Geesh…I think I am waiting for the exact same thing with the girls…Holy Crap…I have three teens in my house at one time!  Well, a fourteen year old, a twelve year old that is a bit ahead of her peers, and the dog….  And to tell you the very honest truth, I couldn’t be happier. 

I love the chaos that comes with three kids and a dog.  I love that in this moment, Bradley is as stable as he ever gets, and we are allowed to focus on life other than medically.  I do so with a grain of salt, understanding that the other shoe will inevitably drop; but at the same time, focusing on the ability to keep that shoe up there where it belongs for as long as I possibly can.  These are the best years and I make sure that kids know it, and feel it and believe it.  When they are grown and gone, they will remember these years the most, their young minds barely remembering growing up in Japan as the best place to be, but not sure why.  No pressure, but these years have to be good!  

Okay, off to work on that long down sit; one of us is going to master this, and if it’s me – I think I’m okay with that.

Happy Wednesday!!!