Dog days of Fall...

Yeah, yeah, I know it's supposed to be summer. It feels like summer around here. It was close to 90 yesterday. Too hot to trot.

My dog--we'll call her Toots--wasn't even interested in going out for a walk. There isn't much that will keep her from a walk these days, but the heat was too much for her so we stayed inside until late afternoon.

When we finally went out for our walk, it was still pretty warm so she mostly wanted to flop down on the grass and look around...with her tongue hanging out. What is it about dogs and that tongue? And the panting. Boy, when there's a thunderstorm, the panting is almost louder than the thunder.

She's slowing down a lot these day. Sleeping more. And she spends a lot more time up on the daybed with the pillows piled all around her. She has a favorite pillow that she puts her head on and another that she props her bad leg up on. Once she's all comfy, then it's time for some zzzzz's.

She's funny. She used to be such a confrontational dog. Now she's really mellowed out. Somebody's running down the street? Nice. A kid rides his bicycle to close? Peace, man. Some little kid runs up to her to pet her? She yawns.

The squirrels, however are different. Any squirrel, anywhere is in deep danger. She can spy a squirrel across the parking lot and down the block. It's a good thing that they can run a lot faster than her. They zip up the tree and wham! she's dragging my arm out of the socket to get to them.

Today she did something she hasn't done in a long time. While she was sprawled out in the grass she found a stick to gnaw on. When she finished with it, it was just a pile of splinters. I have no idea what she got from chewing on that stick, but she certainly enjoyed it.

Whenever we're gone--whether it's ten minutes or four hours--she greets us at the door like we've been gone for days. There's an entire ritual. The panting. The barking. Following us from room to room. Then I sit at my desk and that's her signal that we're really home to stay. Poppy gives her a treat which she consumes almost faster than he tosses it to her. Then...then she's okay.

The last few nights when we went out, there was a big ol' frog on the front doorstep. The first night she sniffed it and nudged it and backed away when it hopped about six inches away. The next few nights she circled around that frog like it was a bad smell. One night I had to nudge the frog on it's way before she would pass it to go inside. Sad, very sad. Frog, 1; Toots, 0.

I suppose there are worse things to be afraid of. Like squirrels.

Anny

Have you checked Kelly's blog at www.kkirch.blogspot.com to see what she's done with the Blogga Saga? No? Well trot right over there. Then drop by to check out what Amarinda's up to at www.amarindajones.blogspot.com because she's sure to have a unique Aussie perspective on something in life. And then have a good day.