[stylist] Old Dogs and Old Tricks
Brad Dunsé
lists at braddunsemusic.com
Thu Jan 19 18:57:18 UTC 2012
Thanks Brenda. Glad it wasn't too sad. If only
they could be like birds, with hlife spans similar to humans. 'smioel'.
Brad
On 1/19/2012 11:56 AM Brenda said...
>Hi Brad
>I really enjoyed this. You might put "sad" in the subject line though.
>I have a hard time with anything ungood
>happening to animals (and sometimes even
>people). I'm glad I read it. I like how it
>progressed and related back to humans at the end.
>Brenda
>
>
>
>On 1/18/2012 9:13 PM, Brad Dunsé wrote:
>>This was a blog bit I wrote a year and a half
>>ago. A friend is experiencing similar, so I
>>looked it up and re-read it today. I tossed a
>>couple fixes in it but it probably could use
>>more. Nonetheless I thought to post it here as
>>is, despite its length of 1470 words. Don't
>>feel you need to scour over for detailed
>>feedback. If something stands out as your read, great.
>>
>>Old Dogs and Old Tricks
>>
>>The morning routine is commanded by a series of
>>whimpers and whines before I even get in a full
>>cup of coffee. Standing before me with a stubby
>>tail jittering back and forth, rear end swaying
>>left and right, intense pupils staring out of
>>brown eyes and a tongue dangling to the right
>>side of the mouth over huge teeth, is my old dog Buster.
>>
>>Now Buster, surprising to most, is a she, not a
>>he. When I decided on a liver and white English
>>Springer spaniel pup so many years ago now, I
>>was determined to call him Buster Brown... you
>>know as the old shoe company? The fact that I
>>prefer female pups was no barrier for my naming
>>conventions. So walking through the parks and
>>neighborhoods with my wife to my left and pup
>>in-between, calling out shortened nick names
>>like, "Good Busty girl ... That's my Busty girl
>>... Come here big busty girl," pretty much
>>jerks the heads of passersby as they dart
>>widened eyes from wife to pup to wife to pup,
>>wondering "Which one is he talking to?"
>>
>>The morning visual and audible ceremony is
>>reminder I need to give her a morning dose of
>>meds, or p I l l as I have to say, as to not
>>evoke canine hysteria. She likes the p I l ls
>>because she gets them wrapped in a small piece
>>of bread followed by a small handful of little
>>dog bone treats I scatter on the floor, to
>>which I call out "Scatter treats... scatter
>>treats" OK so I'm a total dorkster when it comes to my pup.
>>
>>Now, Buster is nearly 14-years-old, has had a
>>wonderful life having gone camping, canoeing,
>>goose chasing, long walks, sightseeing, bird
>>watching, and really has lived a good, full
>>life. At fourteen however, her beer barrel body
>>is riddled with fatty tumors, for over a year
>>now has a fist-sized tumor in one lung, has
>>tooth issues, takes one med to keep the tumor
>>from growing too fast, takes another med to
>>prevent coughing and wheezing attacks caused by
>>fluid building up in the lung, and takes yet
>>more meds for joint medicine to help the
>>arthritis. Her back is swayed resembling an old
>>1900s barn soon to cave in from the center. Her
>>front-leg limp is getting more pronounced, and
>>her hip movement is very stiff. She doesn't
>>always come when you call because she is flat
>>out tired. I question whether she actually
>>hears half the time, and she'll crash into your
>>legs if there's not enough lights on. But, she
>>is able to scale up and down 13 steps each time
>>she goes out to do her job in the back yard.
>>She still enjoys her special moments on a short
>>walk, or blackened teeth from a good dose of
>>spring dirt from rooting around for whatever
>>she roots around for, as my wife and I chat
>>while swaying to and fro on our backyard swing.
>>To our surprise, as well as our veterinarian's
>>... as she puts it, "Buster just doesn't know
>>she is sick," and continues to plod on without too much complaint.
>>
>>Now, Buster has had a long-time appetite for
>>bread products. Giving it to her as a
>>medication corn dog doesn't help I'm sure, but
>>I'm tired of putting my fingers down a saliva
>>filled mouth ..., if I'd wanted that sort of
>>excitement I'd have considered dentistry as a
>>profession, so bread is the preferred dispensation methodology.
>>
>>Before you get misty eyed over this pup's
>>condition, she still is able to pull off her
>>Houdini routine. What do I mean? Well, her
>>biggest trick is her disappearing trick. No.
>>She doesn't disappear, however nice that might
>>be at times of misbehaving, which seems to be
>>increasing with age; it is the bread products that she can make disappear.
>>
>>After catching her standing at the counter top
>>with her bowed rear-legs stretched to the
>>ground and nose to the air, sniffing out items
>>on the countertop, we began to be mindful of
>>what was left on the counter, as in when one
>>comes home from grocery shopping for instance?
>>
>>Having gone down stairs to do something, my
>>wife had come down as well to put something
>>away. We heard a big clickety clack, clickety
>>clack on the floor upstairs. My wife and I
>>simultaneously snapped heads towards each other
>>and dashed for the stairs yelling "BUSTER!! Get
>>out of there!" By the time we got up stairs the
>>only thing we saw was a lip smacking smile on
>>my dog, and an empty plastic bag of freshly
>>bought hot dog buns on the floor, which
>>disappeared in less than a minute! Do you know
>>what bread products tend to do to an elderly
>>dogs gastric activity? Let's just say there's
>>no need to blame the dog; everyone in the house knows it was the dog.
>>
>>Who is excused from the Houdini trick? Not
>>grandma, no. At my parent's place where Buster
>>can do no wrong, my elderly mom had just gotten
>>home from shopping and I came up the stairs to
>>find her in a Sherlock Holmes hunch looking all
>>around the kitchen and hallway for something.
>>
>>"You looking for something mom?" I said.
>>
>>"Yeah. I thought I had bought some hot dog buns..."
>>
>>Oh no! I thought. "Well, umm where were they?"
>>
>>"I thought they were in the bag next to the
>>pantry," she mumbled as she scoured the floor.
>>
>>"Look for an empty bag mom; I think Buster may have found them."
>>
>>"Hahahaha," she laughed... "I don't think so,
>>I've been right here the whole time. I must have put them away somewhere"."
>>
>>But nope. Sure enough, there lay the empty bag
>>as evidence the disappearing bun trickster
>>struck again, in broad daylight with people walking by!
>>
>>This happened again the day of my daughter's
>>going away get together, before she shipped off
>>to Kyrgyz Republic for her Peace Corps
>>assignment. An hour or so before the party
>>started, I heard my sweet soft spoken daughter
>>yelling, "Buster! No! Bad dog. What's wrong
>>with you! Get out of there. Let go of it! NOW!"
>>
>>Fortunately, our olfactories were spared by my
>>daughter's save, but the buns were yet a loss from toothy punctures.
>>
>>As I sat watching my pup this morning with head
>>in bowl, lapping up water in her traditional
>>triplet manner ... slurp slurp slurp ... slurp
>>slurp slurp ... slurp slurp slurp ..., legs
>>quivering under her own body weight, back
>>caving from weakening muscles, breathing
>>through her nose as she drank, hearing a snap
>>of mucus in her nostrils now and again as the
>>effects of the tumor begins to become more
>>evident; for just a second the image of a much
>>more youthful Buster stood at the water bowl. I
>>remembered all the wonderful times we've had
>>together playing hide-n-seek with the treats as
>>she's sniff them out under me as I lay on the
>>floor, making her think she called up birds
>>with her barks as I pointed out a bird flying
>>by saying "Call 'em up pal... call up some
>>birds!" and making her balance a treat on her
>>nose, her staring at it cross eyed until I'd
>>say "OK pal," then snapping her head in a
>>circle and eat the treat out of thin air. Soon
>>the shapely muscular image of my pup was
>>replaced with the current, swaggered version,
>>and I realize time is drawing near for us to
>>say good bye to a very good friend. As I
>>watched and listened to her drink, somehow all
>>the mischievous antics and misbehavior didn't
>>seem to matter much anymore. I saluted her in
>>my mind, honoring her maintenance of a good
>>disposition between the groans at night, trying
>>to get comfortable as she lays her tired self
>>for a night's unrest, and struggling on the
>>13th step on her way back up from her morning constitutional. .
>>
>>We can certainly learn from these canine life
>>blessings we call pets... all the things she's
>>done over the years that have upset or annoyed
>>us seem to have little impact as the chances
>>for her to repeat those behaviors are reduced daily, and the end draws closer.
>>
>>Why then, can't we afford that right to family
>>and friends now, instead of waiting until it's
>>too late? The trick my old dog Buster has
>>taught me living her life, really unselfishly,
>>despite the natural instinct to capitalize on
>>opportunities when they present themselves, is
>>being there unconditionally for others when she
>>felt every which way but comfortable, and in
>>her own trials, only wants to please and spend
>>time with others, all the while hiding any
>>discomfort until it is just not possible any longer.
>>
>> Now... wouldn't that be an old trick for a few of us old dogs to learn?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Brad Dunsé
>>
>>"Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and
>>waiting for the other person to die." --Unknown
>>
>>http://www.braddunsemusic.com
>>
>>http://www.facebook.com/braddunse
>>
>>http://www.twitter.com/braddunse
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Brad Dunsé
"The key to change is to let go of fear." --Roseanne Cash
http://www.braddunsemusic.com
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