Thursday, December 10, 2015
Day care crash point
Orion played at day care so hard he was out cold. He ha been an indoor dog mostly since the tick levels have increased... Needed the day to run.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Thanksgiving
Orion tucks beneath my feet, dodging in and out as I zip back and forth in the kitchen throwing ingredients into the tall pot on the stove. It is the day before Thanksgiving and my once little dog is thankful for the treats falling around me as I turn quickly with a pile of walnuts in my hands to add to the fudge. I pull the plastic from the Fluff container, "Marisa, you'll want to see this," I say as Orion plops into a sit. I hold the plastic as Orion gives it a lick. Fluff flips from his tongue up to his nose. It sticks on the fur below his nose and he flicks his tongue again trying to get it. More fluff spreads to his fur. I'm chuckling. I'm also wishing I had a video camera rolling, but sometimes laughing is just enough.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Fall
The crisp air from the morning faded into a cool afternoon. The light was sharp on the decline and leaves covered the backyard of my friend's house. As usual, I was alone in the yard watching as Orion ran with happy abandon, trailed closely by a possibly happier border collie. Even if he was so insane in the car I almost wanted to cry on my way over, I loved watching him be so happy.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Mindless
I move into the living room and flop down on the couch. My sheet is still there from sleeping on it the night before--taking advantage of the prime AC room. Orion lumbers over and climbs up on his end, plunking down right between my legs. I am mindlessly patting his back while chatting on the phone. As I hang up, he moves beside me and demands some scratches and kisses. I oblige.
"You have halitosis Orion," I say, as his breath has begin to stink as of late. "I'm going to have to start brushing your teeth with more regularity." I scratch his butt. "And you smell like a pond. I really need to get you a shower as well."
He ignores me, and after much scratching and attention wanders off to his "tent"--a pop up crate I have set up in the corner. After finishing my book, I flop down at the entrance to his tent.
"You know you're roof is leaking," I say, noting the ceiling of the tent where the zipper is pulled back and the pillow on top of the crate is falling through. "Want me to repair your roof for you?" He just moves further back in the tent. "Alright." I do it anyways.
It's a rainy day. I feel pretty lousy myself but move to my studio desk to try and fake productivity. He moves to his bed under my desk. It's a pretty good thing to have a dog I think.
"You have halitosis Orion," I say, as his breath has begin to stink as of late. "I'm going to have to start brushing your teeth with more regularity." I scratch his butt. "And you smell like a pond. I really need to get you a shower as well."
He ignores me, and after much scratching and attention wanders off to his "tent"--a pop up crate I have set up in the corner. After finishing my book, I flop down at the entrance to his tent.
"You know you're roof is leaking," I say, noting the ceiling of the tent where the zipper is pulled back and the pillow on top of the crate is falling through. "Want me to repair your roof for you?" He just moves further back in the tent. "Alright." I do it anyways.
It's a rainy day. I feel pretty lousy myself but move to my studio desk to try and fake productivity. He moves to his bed under my desk. It's a pretty good thing to have a dog I think.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Don't feed the animals
Friday Night:
"Did you see the raccoon???!" My neighbor creeps back from the roof top porch we have, eyes sparkling.
"No, but I heard Karen mention she saw one yesterday and it ate a piece of bread she gave it," I mention walking Orion more quickly by the roof top.
"It's huge!"
"Yeah and we just gave it a slice of pizza," my other neighbor chimed in.
Somehow in the back of my head the age old, "Don't feed the animals," is running through my head though I can appreciate the excitement of seeing wild animals up close. We move on to our evening walk.
Saturday:
"Hey Moll, the raccoon was back last night and I noticed it has a hurt foot. I feel so bad," neighbor one mentions as I walk up from my morning walk.
"Well you could probably call pet rescue centers around here and they might have some ideas. Or look up if there are any antibiotics that they can have."
"Yeah I just feel so bad. I gave it another piece of bread because it came back."
Sunday:
I see my neighbors out cleaning the porch. Beach wafts my way.
"We read up on the raccoons and their poop can have all kinds of diseases in it and we didn't want the cats being sick."
"I'm still feeling bad about the foot though. And the rescue folks said they don't take in hurt animals."
"What's the point of a rescue then?" I ask.
Monday:
I'm thinking about the raccoon myself as I'm walking by the porch. Yes, it's coming back because it's getting a free easy meal. On the one hand I'm still of the opinion that feeding him/her is a terrible idea because of creating this habit and because of their known rabies issues... and yet, too, I'm beginning to feel a little bad about the sore foot too. What if I threw him/her some bread too? Or the birds... "Leave nature to nature," my friend tells me when I explain the predicament my "neighborhood" is experiencing.
Tuesday Night:
It's ten o'clock. I throw open the outside door as I always do, ready to round the corner to walk down and let Orion out. As the door is halfway through it's full swing Orion takes off at a full sprint. My mind flashes, "What the hell..." as I clamp down on the leash, he's going so quickly I'm not getting a grip, and I barely register a cat, then a raccoon running ahead of Orion down the porch. I reach with my free hand to try and 'grab' the leash, the ribbon long leash but quickly feel the burn on my index finger that comes with a fast moving ribbon over skin. "NO ORION!" I yell, as the raccoon makes it to the roof and Orion shoves his nose between the porch posts that block him from his could-have-been-new-best-friend. I start reeling him in, reminiscing on the trouble I always get myself into at night when I am lazy and think it's a good idea to use his retracting leash and prong color rather than his normal leash and harness... one broken arm, and now one burnt finger.
We decide to go in the front door and as I turn to return to my hallway I notice a bag of garbage outside the door. Of course the raccoon was at my end of the apartment complex. Orion snags the napkin and pizza crust that fell from the ripped bag and I drag him into the hallway to pry open his mouth and make him leave the napkin on the floor. The pizza crust long gone.
Out the front door we go, only to have locked ourselves out of the front entrance. We have to go past the raccoon hide out anyways. Sighing I create a death grip on his leash and drag him past. He is now out cold and I am now contemplating the error of our ways this past week with unrefutable clarity.
"Did you see the raccoon???!" My neighbor creeps back from the roof top porch we have, eyes sparkling.
"No, but I heard Karen mention she saw one yesterday and it ate a piece of bread she gave it," I mention walking Orion more quickly by the roof top.
"It's huge!"
"Yeah and we just gave it a slice of pizza," my other neighbor chimed in.
Somehow in the back of my head the age old, "Don't feed the animals," is running through my head though I can appreciate the excitement of seeing wild animals up close. We move on to our evening walk.
Saturday:
"Hey Moll, the raccoon was back last night and I noticed it has a hurt foot. I feel so bad," neighbor one mentions as I walk up from my morning walk.
"Well you could probably call pet rescue centers around here and they might have some ideas. Or look up if there are any antibiotics that they can have."
"Yeah I just feel so bad. I gave it another piece of bread because it came back."
Sunday:
I see my neighbors out cleaning the porch. Beach wafts my way.
"We read up on the raccoons and their poop can have all kinds of diseases in it and we didn't want the cats being sick."
"I'm still feeling bad about the foot though. And the rescue folks said they don't take in hurt animals."
"What's the point of a rescue then?" I ask.
Monday:
I'm thinking about the raccoon myself as I'm walking by the porch. Yes, it's coming back because it's getting a free easy meal. On the one hand I'm still of the opinion that feeding him/her is a terrible idea because of creating this habit and because of their known rabies issues... and yet, too, I'm beginning to feel a little bad about the sore foot too. What if I threw him/her some bread too? Or the birds... "Leave nature to nature," my friend tells me when I explain the predicament my "neighborhood" is experiencing.
Tuesday Night:
It's ten o'clock. I throw open the outside door as I always do, ready to round the corner to walk down and let Orion out. As the door is halfway through it's full swing Orion takes off at a full sprint. My mind flashes, "What the hell..." as I clamp down on the leash, he's going so quickly I'm not getting a grip, and I barely register a cat, then a raccoon running ahead of Orion down the porch. I reach with my free hand to try and 'grab' the leash, the ribbon long leash but quickly feel the burn on my index finger that comes with a fast moving ribbon over skin. "NO ORION!" I yell, as the raccoon makes it to the roof and Orion shoves his nose between the porch posts that block him from his could-have-been-new-best-friend. I start reeling him in, reminiscing on the trouble I always get myself into at night when I am lazy and think it's a good idea to use his retracting leash and prong color rather than his normal leash and harness... one broken arm, and now one burnt finger.
We decide to go in the front door and as I turn to return to my hallway I notice a bag of garbage outside the door. Of course the raccoon was at my end of the apartment complex. Orion snags the napkin and pizza crust that fell from the ripped bag and I drag him into the hallway to pry open his mouth and make him leave the napkin on the floor. The pizza crust long gone.
Out the front door we go, only to have locked ourselves out of the front entrance. We have to go past the raccoon hide out anyways. Sighing I create a death grip on his leash and drag him past. He is now out cold and I am now contemplating the error of our ways this past week with unrefutable clarity.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Sunshine
Both of us were happy to feel the sun shinning on our faces this afternoon. I think Orion, much like myself, is sick of being indoors. Sick of the grey skies. Sick of the snow piles. It is now, while spring flirts with New England, I'm reminded of how much I enjoy spending summers with Orion--walking to the pond to watch him splash around... not having a set agenda....
Friday, March 13, 2015
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Blizzard Juno
Well the epic blizzard was anticlimactic but one boy loved playing in the snow plowed piles. Up and down, rolling, digging, jumping, leaping, the boy had no qualms with the single digit temperatures.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Citronella
After the first week of dog training class I walked away (borrowed) the instructor's citronella spray collar to test out on Orion in the car. Tonight was the first test and I have never laughed so hard on a car ride with him. Granted my car and his head now reek of citronella but it was so worth it...
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