Lost Bone

"Go on, go to the bathroom." I loop back into the house.

Orion disappears for awhile.

I hear the leash brush against the wood porch. I peer around the corner and his yellow head glows in the porch light and he has a bone tucked in his cheek.

I laugh.

"I thought you buried that out there. Glad to see you found it!"

In Orion waltzes with a dirty raw hide bone happily poised in his mouth.

Welcome home

I pull open the door and the bell jars as it jostles against the movement. I flip the outside light to off as I make my way through the lit hallway of my parent's house. I see the fire glowing in the living room and half hope to see a yellow dog bound around the corner, or asleep in a curled ball on the corner of the couch but neither appear. I quietly set my bags at the foot of the stairs and work my way upstairs to my bedroom. It's pushing one am, the perks of commuting an hour and a half to work and having a late shift. 

The door to my room is shut, and I open it, again hoping to see a yellow dog greet me, but instead I am greeted with a blast of cold air. Gotta love a skylight's insulation in a New England night sky. I guess the boy is enjoying his first sleepover party in Nana and Grandpa's room. I try not to be disappointed. I know how much he likes hanging out with Chloe and my parents. They do have a fluffier blanket. 

I tinker with the thought of opening the door and trying to sneak him out. Realistically, I know he'll resist. Again, fluffier blanket. So I crawl into my own bed and think about how I may save my legs an evening of being bruised as a 65 pound dog walks across them. Maybe I'll even sleep in.

One thirty rolls around and I'm still awake thinking about the elections. Mom stumbles out of her room muttering something about, "Oh good she's here..." And then in leaps my boy and I get kisses, and excitement, and I give him big hugs, and snuggle up next to him so the room warms up a bit, and off to sleep I go.

Fleas

"Orion I don't understand why you are so itchy. We can try benedryl tomorrow?" I say as he bounces away from my friendly pat.
To run a hand down his back is to press the gas pedal on a car, his foot leaps forward in great scratching anticipation.
I sigh and roll back into bed.
Curious, I pop up again, snag my computer from it's neglected state on the floor and type in, "Dog Fleas".
Images flash before my face and I squirm slightly in remembrance of my summer of Scabies and Bed Bugs. I could do for a stretch without the creepy crawlies.
I glance through them, landing on a site that seems reliable, and begin to read.
"...and an adversion to light. Hard to spot. Will leave poop trails that look like dirt in fur..."
"Oh no..."
I look over at him curled in a ball.
He jumps, as if startled.
"Orion come here."
I chase him around the room, finally pinning him in front of the bureau, grab the headlight from the top of the dresser and flick it on real quickly. Sure enough, a black spot scurries into his fur.
"You have got to be kidding," I say. After all, between the two of us, I don't think there's anything left for us to contract that crawls and eats you... scabies, bed bugs, tape worms, fleas....
"Well," I roll off him, he dashes for the corner of the room. "We will just have to treat you in the morning."
I flick off the head lamp and crawl back into bed.
"I'm sorry buddy. I really do sympathize."
"If it makes you feel better, Chloe probably has them too and we can sit on her in the morning to check. It's always nicer to have someone else going down with you. Gives you company in the very least."

Mountain day

Orion had his first mountain hike. We went to climb Mt. Monadnock (the most frequently climbed mountain in the US) but dogs were not allowed so we down graded to Pack Monadnock near by. Pack Monadnock happened to be all large boulders for a better part of the hike. Orion scampered up them. I did my best to hold on to him, sometimes reminding him to go slower or we'd fall over the cliff. He got a special treat at the top, as did myself, and we settled in for the picture above. It is funny to me to see this one because Orion is usually such a smily dog, I feel like here he is not smiling, but then, he is a dog and his face is probably more like, hey, I'm looking at the camera, what's suppose to happen now???

Snake snake snake?

Disclaimer: I've had a whole cup of coffee.

Orion has been enjoying the fall. Or maybe he's been enjoying the added company in his world. There's my dad, who I think secretly appreciates having another male in the house, even if he's a dog--and also the fact Orion is a buddy, ie. likes to just be around you--most of our other dogs just hang around mum.

There's Mum, who gives him treats and admonishes him like a true Nana, and laughs at his antics, gives him pats on the head.

There's Chloe, who acts like she wants to eat him, but wiggles her tail and chases him about and hangs with him on the porch.

Then, there's me, the constant in his world, so he looks to me and checks in on me and hangs with me.

So out we go, Dad and I, to collect some boxes from our friend's Don and Cindy's house. They live out in the country in this beautiful old tavern nestled in some fall leaves, an old cemetery on a ridge, and a horse field on the side. I could totally live there. That being said, we let Orion sprint around the yard and he was thrilled. I was too, right until he ducked his head under the horse field fence and sprinted in to the horse field. The three horses were fortunately far on the other side and not moving, so Orion sprinted around there, me hollering to "COME HERE ORION! COME ON!" Setting down my camera to get ready to hop the fence and he came flying back under. Dad's standing by the garage laughing... 

Then off we go up the street to hike across the dam and Orion was able to have his first experience with...

He was facinated. He didn't quite know what to do. His head darted left and right to watch the snake and I told Dad to hold him long enough to snap the pic. No clue what kind of snake but I thought it was cute none-the-less.

Nod

Sometimes I catch myself watching Orion sleep, watching as his head bobs ever so slightly, and it reminds me of my grandfather, who passed away at the ripe age of ninety-nine. He always had a slight bounce. Technically it could be considered Parkinson's I'm sure, but to me, it was just Grandpa--his head always nodding just a bit. I think he would have liked Orion. I enjoy those moments where Orion does bounce just to have a chance to be reminded of Grandpa.

Treat distribution.

"Yeah! You try and break his treats in half!" I say to my dad.
"Give it here you wuss," he says, getting up from the couch. I smile and pass it over. There's no way he's going to get this. I've used a serrated knife and still couldn't get it. He won't put that much effort in. I turn to zip up the treat bag. Dad disappears. Ma asks me something and I turn expecting to see Dad in the kitchen.
I hear instead, the faint sound of the table saw running in the garage.
Dad steps inside.
"Here you go!"
He tosses me two perfectly split halves.
Cheater.