Short Excerpts

Short Snippets –  Secret Moments Revealed!

DOG SECRETS as Whispered to the Dog Sitter is a series of heartwarming and often hilarious stories.  Here are some Snippets for your enjoyment.

SECRET MOMENT ONE

This moment is taken when Carly and Lacee who arrived for Doggy Daycare on the same day.  Both dogs are young and full of piss and vinegar.  Carly is a Golden Retriever and Lacee is a Chihuahua, rescued from Mexico.  Here is a Short Snippet from the chapter called Naughty Dogs are More Exciting:

Lacee – High Energy, Deep Thinker!

I want to share an incident that demonstrates Lacee’s high energy. Carly being rather unsuspecting would come up to Lacee and reach her paws out to her with a little dance that invited Lacee to play. In response, Lacee quickly raised her upper lip in a snarl accompanied by a deep growl saying in dog language, “Back off Carly. I am small but never doubt my power.  I’m tough…a street dog born in Mexico! Grrr! You understand?” For sure, Carly understood. Carly’s backing off would be Lacee’s cue that she had succeeded in showing Carly who was boss. With her one-upmanship mission accomplished, Lacee would dart off in a rather teasing pompous manner. Not able to resist the tease, Carly would chase Lacee round the house. They ran from the living room into the kitchen, then into the hallway and back around into the living room in hot pursuit. After the tenth time, I would open the back door encouraging these canine mischief makers to continue their play outside.

If you come closer I will growl at you, and I know you can’t tolerate my growl.” In no uncertain terms Lacee reminds Carly that, “I am Leader of the Pack”.

It is a riot to watch Carly and Lacee chase outside. Although Lacee is a small dog she can run so quickly that you can barely see her little feet as they fly through the air. Although Carly is right on Lacee’s heels, she is always an inch behind Lacee. When Lacee finally gets winded she does one of her fast turnabouts and stands perfectly still. In dog language she says, “Come any closer to me, Carly, and I will growl at you. I know you can’t stand it when I growl at you.” In no uncertain terms Lacee reminds Carly that, “I am Leader of the Pack”.

Carly- Gentle, Powerful, Irresistable

Carly- Gentle, Powerful, Irresistable

When Carly and Lacee finish chasing oanothup and down the paths in the woods both dogs are worn out, happy, and a step closer to being best friends. Watching Carly tower over Lacee, Carly looks like Lacee’s dog mother. In reality, Carly is a very gentle and submissive dog and prefers Lacee being the Pack Leader.

SECRET MOMENT TWO

Casey is an eight year old Pomeranian female dog.  Her owner, Gabriela, lives in a suite downstairs in the home where Blenda does her dog sitting.  Here is a Short Snippet from the chapter called The Sweetest Dog in the Whole Wide World: When I touched Casey’s tummy, she whimpered. I knew she was hurting, and did not know what was wrong. I changed into my bathrobe, and decided I would sleep on the couch with Casey until her Mom arrived. I was ready to turn off the lights when I heard Gabriela’s car pull into the driveway. I went outside and told Gabriela that Casey was upstairs with me, and asked her to please come up when she was ready.

Casey – So Sweet she will Capture your Heart!

Gabriela went to Casey and as she gently stroked Casey’s body, you could see the love and concern flowing from her hands and heart to Casey. Gabriela knocked on the back door. I let her in. Wow! Did she look great in her beautiful black cocktail dress. Here she was so happy, and I had dreadful news to impart. I can never describe to you how awful it felt to tell my good friend and neighbor that her precious dog was very sick and laying on the couch in the other room. There are no words to adequately capture this heart-wrenching task. Gabriela went over to where Casey was lying.  As she gently stroked Casey’s body, you could see the love and concern flowing from her hands and heart to Casey. Like me, Gabriela had no idea what was the matter. Concerned, she lifted Casey into her arms. Carefully she walked over to the back door and in her elegant high heels descended down the steep fifteen back stairs. Holding back tears, I watched as Gabriela disappeared into the shadows and into her own suite. I couldn’t help but wonder if this might be the last time I would see Casey.  I had to fight back running to Casey and telling her one more time how much I loved her.

Shortly after Casey left it hit me like a ton of bricks.  Instantly, I knew what was wrong with Casey. She must have some obstruction in her tummy that rapidly got worse during the day. The answer seemed clear as day. I thought, this was one time when fear had blocked my Intuition. “Interesting,” I thought, “shortly after Casey was safely turned over to Gabriela, the answer was revealed to me.” Fortunately Gabriela had the next day off. She took Casey to her Vet. The Veterinarian clinic x-rayed her and discovered Casey had something stuck in her tummy. The x-ray technicians had no idea what it was except that it was rectangular in shape. The clinic said they could operate to remove it but weren’t sure if they would be successful since Casey’s pancreas was inflamed. Casey’s Vet was away for the day.  The staff at the clinic promised to look after Casey and call the following morning with the advice of the doctor.

We were all worried. Gabriela came upstairs to our place and visited.  Together we watched television in an attempt to take our minds off Casey. Even though we prayed for the return of Good Health for Casey, there was a part of me that knew my prayer was biased and should have been for the Well Being of Casey.

That night I was restless and did not sleep well. The next morning Gabriela called saying that the Veterinarian told her that he could operate on Casey. This was great news and seemed very promising. My faith was restored. I went out shopping. When I returned there was no news.

They wanted to know if they should wake up Casey so I could say good bye. I told them “No, waking up Casey would be cruel. She is already at peace. Let Casey remain at peace. Put Casey down so she won’t suffer.”

Two hours later there was a knock at the back door. I opened the door and Gabriela stood before me. With tears running down her cheeks she sobbed, “They opened Casey up and discovered that she had cancer of the pancreas, and there was little hope for her. Even if they did another operation to remove the cancer the operation might not succeed, and Casey would probably only have a very short while to live. With this news, I asked the doctor to put Casey down. They wanted to know if they should wake up Casey so I could say good bye. I told them “No, waking up Casey would be cruel. She is already at peace. Let Casey remain at peace. Put Casey down so she won’t suffer.”

We all cried and consoled each other for the loss of the Sweetest Dog in the Whole Wide World! Together we read the poem about Rainbow Bridge. Reading the poem helped soothe our aching hearts. Gabriela knew Casey was happy at Rainbow Bridge, and would be waiting for her when her time came. Meanwhile, we all realized that whatever had gotten lodged in Casey’s tummy was a blessing in disguise. Because of the obstruction, she did not have to suffer months of slow pain and the torture dying of cancer. Right up to her end, Casey was surrounded by love. Casey deserved the best! Fortunately, we survivors had each other for comfort.

SECRET MOMENT THREE

Rascal is an eight month old miniature Dachshund full of life.  His owners are Jonathan and Melissa from Taiwan.  This was his first time being left for dog sitting.  Rascal looked like an Alien with his long floppy ears, big saucer like eyes and sleek long body that was only a few inches off the ground.  Here is a short snippet from the chapter called Rascal the Alien Dog:

Two days after their initial intake interview, the doorbell rang. Rascal arrived. Jonathan was carrying a huge big box of diaper pads. Looking at the gigantic box of diapers I felt completely overwhelmed. Sensing my anxiety, Jonathan assured me that it would all work out. I can’t say that I believed Jonathan or that his kind words helped, yet I was thankful we shared a good working relationship. His wife, Melissa, helped by changing the subject. Melissa said she was sorry that she had forgotten Rascal’s leash.  I assured Melissa this would be okay as I had many leashes. They had no bed for Rascal so I assured Melissa we could use our spare doggie bed. Finally Jonathan and Melissa said good bye, and I managed to pick Rascal up and hold him up to the living room window so he could see his Mom and Dad leaving. Jonathan and Melissa drove off.

Rascal – Who Could Ever Resist Me?

Now Raymond and I had Rascal all to ourselves. To put the dog at ease and win some brownie points, I thought I would be real smart and take Rascal out for a walk. Truthfully, I also was hopeful Rascal would do his business outside rather than inside the house. Because I had two other dogs in addition to Rascal, I put Rascal on a third leash. When all dogs were securely on their leashes, I headed outside. I closed the front door and was walking across the front lawn when suddenly Rascal yanked himself loose from his collar and started racing toward the street. Shocked and scared stiff, I yelled, “RASCAL, come back! Come back right now Rascal!” RASCAL had deaf ears.  He ran out into the middle of the street. Terrified, I ran after Rascal. I had visions of Rascal running away or getting run over by a car. Rascal was so small. I worried, “How could anyone even see Rascal?”

Rascal was hanging upside down, but at this point I didn’t care how Rascal was hanging, or the fact that he was peeing all over me.

“My God!” I panicked as I saw a car approaching us. Standing in the middle of the street, I raised up my hands employing the car to stop. Perhaps more terrified than I was, Rascal started running round in circles. I bent over, and by the grace of God managed to grab him. Absolutely terrified, Rascal peed all over me including showering my face with his wet pee. Rascal was hanging upside down, but at this point I didn’t care how Rascal was hanging, or the fact that he was peeing all over me. All I cared about was that I could get him off the street and returned to safety. I must have been quite the sight with two dogs on leash and the third miniature dachshund hanging upside down being frantically carried across the street by a little old lady. “Heck with it!” I congratulated myself, “I made it!” I managed to get the little bugger inside the house and shut the door.

At last safely inside, I took a good look at Rascal’s collar and observed that it had some expandable elastic on it. I thought, “No wonder Rascal got loose. All Rascal had to do was slip his head out of the collar. This takes the cake! There will be no walks for Rascal until I get him a proper collar.”

 

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