Dekker Writes
I invite you to pretend for a moment that you see paw prints, a bit of drool and some kibble crumbs on this page. Such is life when you live with a dog.
Dekker would blush (do dogs blush?) if he knew I was writing about him but nothing would change. There are certain traits that can never be ‘trained’ away. Drool is one of them.
What I am most interested in is not what I can teach my dog, but what he has to teach others. I share these snippets of advice from Dekker with encouragement for you to listen to your own fur-friend.
You won’t hear a lot unless you pick up a pen or pencil and begin writing. That’s when the fun begins.
Start with a question and believe that you are going to receive the answer and soon you will be recording profound wisdom…or at least some opinions, from your buddy.
Here are some of the questions Dekker has been chewing on this week.
Dear Dekker,
How is dog-love different from human love? I want to know why people will
love the yappiest of puppies and have no patience with their own children.
They go on and on about how much a puppy loves them even
while he chews up their slippers. But put the same person in a
daycare filled with preschoolers
and they can’t get out fast enough.
Thanks, The Old Woman in the Shoe
Woof Woof, Old Woman, I guess you would know about yapping and playing. It must get quite noisy in your shoe. I suspect the difference lies in expectations.
My person expects a few things of me, like picking up my own toys when I am asked, and pooping outside. But not nearly as much as she expects of other people.
Mostly she lets me sleep and dream and eat and chase a ball. I may have a few more expectations than the average pup because I am a service dog, but when my jacket is off I am allowed to just hang out around the house like my friend, Bowser next door.
Bowser doesn’t follow any commands. None.
He knows no special tricks. He yaps when the doorbell rings, and chews her shoes unless she hides them. He won’t even come when he is called and she can get so angry with him.
Her love seems to be tied to his behavior, but he loves his person unconditionally. Most of us dogs are like that. We don’t love our humans because of what they do or don’t do.
We love them because.
Just because.
Especially when they don’t love themselves. We can tell, and that’s when you will notice more cuddles. Dogs don’t judge their humans for being impatient, unkind, or even destructive.
Isn’t that the kind of love that works best in the long run?
Dear Dekker,
I recently lost my dog, Jasper, and my heart is heavy.
Someone told me to get another dog, but I am 84 years old
and don’t expect that I will live as long
as any dog I might get. I just don’t think
it is fair to the dog. What do you think?
Thanks, Old Ollie
Woof Woof Ollie, Please don’t hesitate to offer the space in your heart and home to another dog. It won’t fill the Jasper-shaped hole in your heart but you there is a dog right now who is looking for you.
There may be only a couple of years left for him too. One the other hand, a younger pup will keep you moving and engaged with life.
As you age, you will provide for your dog as you would for your new Ford truck when you become unable to drive responsibily. You would find a new owner for your truck and you can do the same for your dog.
Just remember when that day comes, to give your dog the gift of total surrender.
Don’t send any old toys or blankets that would have your scent on them and he will be fine. And his new person will have a gift of love that only you could give.
What better way to say goodbye to life.
Dear Dekker,
All of my friends have either a dog or a cat…or several of both.
My problem is I am allergic to animals. My eyes itch
and my nose runs for days after spending any time
in their homes. I can’t ask my friends to get rid
of their animals for my sake but I am not
ready to get rid of my friends, either.
What can you suggest?
Thanks, Itchy Irvin
Woof woof, Irvin, I understand allergies a little bit, although I don’t itch. There are certain foods I have to stay away from or I get sick. I wouldn’t know what they are if my person didn’t keep them out of my dish.
When there is food there I eat it, allergy or not. It all tastes good to me! It isn’t easy to avoid those things that make us sick—and especially difficult if they are part of your friends’ lives and homes where you like to go.
Why is the only option you suggest getting rid of your friends? There are many ways to visit, outdoors, in restaurants, or at places like concerts and museums, for example.
However, if it were me, I would find a good vet (doc?) and ask about getting desensitized. The pain of injections is a lot less than the pain of missing your friends.
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