Dog Tired

That is a saying I have heard most of my life but I never knew exactly what it meant or where the phrase originated. Whoever came up with that saying must have worked third shift because all I want to do is sleep all of he time even though I can't. Molly sleeps 12 hours a night, her and I take about a 30 minute walk when I come home in the morning, and then she sleeps about six more hours before I take her for another short walk. At least we have much more room to roam on this property and not as much interference, rules, or obstacles to avoid. We have nature at it's finest. Molly and I have the sun and the moon, the rain and the snow, the flowers and the trees, and the birds and the bees and almost as many creatures as a zoo.

The Good Bye Routine

A man has a special bond with his dog. It is a bond that is only shared between him and his dog. That bond is based on companionship, trust, and silence. The man will share information with his dog that only his dog will know about. I unburden my soul to Molly on our walks in the mornings and in the afternoons and I know she understands.

I hate leaving Molly here by herself when I go to work. There is a routine that we go through when I am getting ready to leave. We have a routine that we go through before I leave for work whether it is in the morning or at night. I call Molly into the bedroom and using phrases like "Daddy loves his girl" and "you be a good girl for Daddy tonight" doesn't exactly make me look like the manliest of men, it all goes back to that bond that Molly and I share. It is an unspoken and unconditional love that vonly Molly and I understand.

Meh With The World

Molly and I are both meh with the world right now. She is not happy that I am working third shift although she did pick up a daytime nap buddy. She would rather have me here all the time but I have to work so I can support Molly in the manner that she is accustomed. That would be sleeping on the bed, a dog food bowl in every room in the house, and treats every time I take her on a walk and we successfully make it back in the house. Now that I realize all of that, Molly has no reason to be meh with the world but I do.

Surviving The Night

Molly survived my first night on third shift although I worried about her quiet a bit. I left the light on for her like it was a Motel 6 but I don't know if that helped her any or not. I usually put all of my "valuables" in my bedroom so she can guard those but my philosophy has always been if you break in, take whatever you want but if you hurt Molly, I will hunt you down. My paltry items can be replaced. I did work hard to get what little I have, but I cannot replace Molly. Another dog is not Molly. Another dog is another dog.

When I came in at 7 AM, Molly was laying in the middle of the bed asleep and I immediately took her outside and we had a nice little walk. It is so great to be greeted by someone (and yes Molly is a someone) who loves you unconditionally.

A Little Help From My Friend

Now that Molly has entered the "mature" (she likes that more than being called old) of her life, she needs a little help from time to time. It reminds me of the Beatles song "I get by with a little help from my friends." Molly really can't jump any more and the only way she can get on my bed is to throw her front paws up first and pull her back legs up behind her. Sometimes it is a struggle but she is usually able to make it. This morning, I was getting ready to leave for the Doctor's office and Molly was preparing herself to get on the bed. It is like watching a gymnast try to mount the balance beam. Molly hates being picked up but does not mind a boost once in a while so she threw her front paws up there and I grabbed her and gave her a quick boost. She appreciated it by laying down and taking a nap.

Molly The Show Dog

My girlfriend is a hairstylist and she is always taking pictures of Molly and showing them off to her clients. The clients remark about how pretty she is and all of that kind of stuff. Molly will pose for Maggie for whatever reason. Whenever I try to get her to pose, she turns her head or starts licking her butt or something like that. For Molly, being photogenic does have its limits. I take lousy pics with my cell phone. Some people take better pictures with their cell phone than I do my Nikon. By the time I break out the Nikon, the photo op with Molly is gone. It is all in the life of the diva. You have to be ready with the camera at all times.

Breakfast In Bed

As Molly has gotten older she has gotten a lot of special treatment, I will be the first to admit that. This morning was one of those mornings. I had some scrambled eggs left over, Molly had gone back to bed after our morning walk so I just went into the bedroom and laid the plate down in front of her on the bed. The plate of eggs caught her attention and I didn't even make her get up. I take care of Molly.

Molly's New Friend

Molly has really taken a liking to my girlfriend. When we went on our afternoon walk yesterday afternoon, my girlfriend was lagging behind and Molly would trot out ten or twenty steps and then look behind her to make sure my girlfriend was coming. Molly finally stopped and waited on her and then she pranced down the driveway with that tail perfectly curled and a bounce in her step. She was almost prancing down the driveway, showing off for my girlfriend. Molly sits on her feet, lays beside her, and tries to get my girlfriend to pet her. My girlfriend is not that brave yet because Molly has still got her eye on her, watching her close.

Waking Up In A Bad Mood

Molly is famous for waking up in a bad mood and she reminded me of that last night when I went to bed. I touched on the back to tell her good night and I did not realize she was in such a deep sleep. She came up biting and snapping and was ready to tear me in half until she realized who I was. It was almost a reflex for her and she could lay a hurting on someone if she wanted to. She has bit me like that before and it did not feel good. It was not completely her fault but I was on the receiving end of a bite mark and their was blood.

Molly Joins The Family

Somebody asked me the other day how it was that Molly came to join my family and I really love telling this story. We went one Saturday morning about 11 AM to the Henderson County Humane Society (I am proud to say Molly is a rescue dog) and the man on duty walked us around to the back of the facility where there were about 25 to 30 dogs in a single cage. All of the dogs ran over to us but one in particular caught my attention. She was the smallest of the bunch but she was crawling over the top of the rest of them to get to me. Without any hesitation, I said, "I want that one!"

I was asked why I chose that one and my answer was pretty simple. "I didn't choose that one. She chose me." My father was a dog man through and through and I remember him telling me one time how to go about picking out a dog. He told me "Pick the one that comes to you first. That is the dog that wants to be yours."

My next door neighbor at that time was the one that picked out the name Molly but the name really suited her. She was my dog from day one and we have both saved each other from certain disaster but that is a story for another day.

Dog Tired

I had a spiritual pep talk with Molly last night. I walked into the bedroom and she just looked so tired. I can't even begin to describe the look that she had on her face. I laid down beside her and started petting her and I told her that everything was going to be alright and I wanted her to leave on her terms. I also told her that I would miss her greatly but she had protected me as best that she could and I did not want her to be in any pain. I took on a walk before we went to bed and she had perked up a little by then. Watching her transition to a senior dog is very hard for me to watch. She has been my protector and my best friend.

Molly's World Turned Upside Down

Over the course of the past couple of months, Molly's world has been turned upside down and, unfortunately, it is about to get flipped again. I have to start working third shift as of next Monday night, meaning I will be gone all night long and have to leave Molly by herself. I will be home all day of course, but it will be another change that Molly has to deal with. Molly is a lot like me and she does not like change. I do not think this change will be better for either of us but I did not have many choices and I had to cut the best deal for myself. Molly and I will have to adjust. We do not have a choice.

Molly's Sanctuary

I have managed to craft Molly and me a sanctuary. I call it my "reading room" where I hope great things will be crafted and created, written and perfected. Molly sanctuary is the walk in closet in my reading room. She obviously feels comfortable in there and we can spend our quiet time in there together. I even put Molly a food bowl in there so she can have something to snack on. Later on maybe a little mini fridge for me so I want have to leave in the middle of me creating my Frankenstein. I have already created my Frankenstein, I just have to perfect him.

The 3 AM Wakeup Call

I threw Molly's bathroom break schedule off last night and I had to pay the price for it. I took her out to early yesterday afternoon and did not take her back out, fed her some tacos, and other unhealthy stuff, and I was out at 3 AM this morning as a result. I had my flashlight so I could see all of the creatures of the night and what they were up to at that time of night. I barely remember any of it with the exception that I remember thinking that "I am going back to sleep. I don't have to get up and go to work." Sleep I did. Molly didn't even wake me up again but we somehow managed to change sides of the bed. I have never figured out how she does that.

Coming Out Of Her Shell

Molly has really had a hard time of it for the past five weeks. She has suffered loss the only way dog can- silently. Her actions have to tell me how she is feeling since she can't do it herself. It has only been me and Molly for the most part. My girlfriend visits as often as she can and those visits really perk Molly up. Molly comes out of her hiding place and wags her tail and greets my girlfriend. She circles around her several times and makes sure she gives her a good "sniff down" and grants her approval. I also make sure that I include my girlfriend on mine and Molly's afternoon walks and she is more comfortable around my girlfriend now. These visits are helping to bring Molly out of her shell.

Glow In The Dark Eyes

Since I have returned to work, I have to walk Molly in the dark now so I went out and bought a high power flashlight to be able to see all of he creatures of the night a little bit better. We started out on our walk about 5:15 this morning and we start down the driveway so I start shining my light into the woods to see if I can see anything. I was almost immediately met by a pair of "glow in the dark" eyeballs that was hunkered down close to the ground. All I could see was the glowing eyes and I could not see what they were connected to so I got a little bit nervous.

Molly and I definitely had the attention of the glowing eyes. I scanned the perimeter of the woods to see if I could see anything else and when I came back to the spot of the glowing eyes, they were gone. Molly and I circled back around and the glowing eyes must have tracked us every step of the way because they also circled around to get in front of us. That was when I found out the glowing eyes belonged to a cat.

That scene reminded me of the Sylvester the Cat cartoon where Butch the dog says to Sylvester, "Go ahead cat. Scratch me!" There was a Panther standing behind Sylvester the Cat that sawed Butch the Dog into pieces with his claws. I was not wanting a repeat of that scene so I waited patiently until the cat left.

Not Getting Away

Molly has been more clingy than usual lately and today was the worst day yet. I came home and took her for her early afternoon walk. I had to park my car a little ways down the driveway because the construction crew was on the property. When I walked into the bedroom Molly was hiding in the corner of my room so I am guessing that the noise the construction crew was making scared her a little bit. I came in, gave her a little reassurance, and off we went.

When the construction guys left, I went out to move my car and Molly went nuts with the barking. When I came back into the house, I had to get Molly's attention to let her know I was back. Then I went to take a shower and she did everything but get in the shower with me to keep me in sight. It is good to be wanted.

Cheer The Pup Up

Molly and I are both in kind of a rut. I keep trying to remember the things that used to cheer both of us up. Nothing really comes to mind. I even broke out one of her old dog toys the other day. She grabbed ahold of it for a few seconds and put it down and hasn't looked at it since.

I decided to simplify things and take possessions out of the picture. We just enjoyed walking through the woods, enjoying nature, and spending time together. It is hot in the afternoons when I get home so we go for brief walks then. It cools down a little bit late in the afternoons so we take more extensive walks then. I came to the realization that Molly is not going to be around much longer and we do need to enjoy the simple things.

This Is The Spot

I have often wondered how a dog picks a spot where it uses the bathroom. I understand the whole peeing thing where they pee over the top of another dog's pee to "one up" the previous dog. Molly will search the entire yard for that perfect spot to drop a load and it drives me insane. We will start at one end of the yard and work our way over pretty much the entire ten acres and end up back where we started and she will pinch a loaf. I think she does it so she can stay outside the entire time even if it is 100 degrees outside. Compared to the alternative of her leaving it in the house, I am along for the walk.

You Are Not Leaving

Molly decided to end all of the arguments today about my girlfriend leaving when Molly decided to sit on her feet. At first, she just sat on her feet then she decided to sprawl on them. She just spread out on the top of her feet and went to sleep. I have honestly not seen Molly do that before. My girlfriend has still not petted Molly but Molly appears to like her.

My girlfriend needed up so I conned Molly into going for a walk with me so the problem was solved. Molly always needs out for a walk and I always oblige. Everyone could stand a good walk everyday.

An Open Invitation

When you pile your laundry on the bed, whether it is clean or ready to be washed, must be like an open invitation to your pet to curl up in the middle of it and take a nap. This morning I was getting ready to leave and I had sorted my laundry before I started washing it and when I turn around, Molly is in the middle of it, making her little nest and arranging it to her maximum comfort level, and preparing for her early morning nap. Molly especially loves the laundry right after I take it out of the dryer and it is nice and fluffy and warm. When I came back home, she was still in the middle of it, snoozing away.

Our Nightly Ritual

Molly and I have developed a rather unique nightly routine that just goes to show everyone wants to be loved. A few minutes before bedtime, Molly will go hide in the closet in my reading room and I will have to go get her so we can go to bed. I have to beg her to come out because I do not want her to sleep in there by herself. With a few pats of my leg and a steady chorus of "C'mon girl, c'mon Molly, let's go to bed, " she will finally walk out and walk into the bedroom. I have to convince her to hop up on the bed and do a little cheerleading to but we are finally ready to go to sleep. It is a routine that is played out almost every night now but I don't mind.

Dan's Home

Molly is always happy to see me come home because we always take our post-work walk. Today might be the hottest day we have had all year long and luckily for both of us, Molly did her thing and we headed back to the house. Molly quickly noticed that the air conditioning is on the inside of the house, no matter what smells good on the outside. If Molly wants to smell something good she can take a whiff of my shoes or my feet.

Surviving The Day

Today was my first day back at work and Molly and I both survived the day. I want to establish a routine for me and for Molly that becomes a habit for both of us. Things like getting up at the same time everyday, taking our walks at the same time, and getting home at the same time everyday. I got up and did some stretches that are designed to help my body get ready for work and Molly wanted no part in doing any stretches. When I took her on our morning walk, I had to give her the big pep talk about me going back to work. I think she understood. Let's see how well any of this works for me over the long haul.

Molly was happy to see me when I got home and we did a quick tour of the grounds and there was nothing really worth seeing, or in Molly's case, sniffing. I am now soaking my feet and Molly went back to napping, we might as well develop an afternoon routine as well. She was just glad to have me home.

Under Attack

Molly and I may have to move to get away from the wildlife around here. Between the bears, mountain lions, and snakes, I found an in-ground bees nest this morning on my walk with Molly. I am very allergic to bees so I had to hustle Molly out of there. Allergic or not, she will still get stung and it hurts like hell. I may have to teach Molly to sit on the can and read the newspaper. It would be much simpler and less adventurous than our daily walks.

We can keep our distance from the bears, the mountain lions are sneaky and quick as hell so I have to look over my shoulder, the snakes are fine as long as I see them first and can steer clear of them, and the most deadly of all might end up being the bees. They may be small but they are relentless.

Shark Week

This is "Shark Week" on The Discovery Channel and Molly and I caught some of it last night. They dropped some guy in one of those cages to the ocean floor while he took pics of all of the sharks that swam buy. They estimated one of them to be about 18 feet long. That is a huge shark. A perfect eating machine.

Earlier in the day I saw a surfing contest where dogs were the surfers. They would put them on surfboards and let the dogs ride in. A surfboard is like a shark attractant anyway. Molly hates the ocean because I took her to Wrightsville Beach one time and she refused to get in the water. After hearing about all of these shark attacks in North and South Carolina and how close the sharks were getting to the shore, Molly and I will not be getting in the water anytime soon.

Movie Night

My girlfriend and I decided to have a nice, quiet evening at home on July 4th and watch a movie. We picked out something very appropriate for July 4th, American Pie. Nothing is more American than apple pie. Any time we have date night at my house, Molly is going to be a part of that event. Molly has a way of working her way into the scene and just slowly and methodically taking over.

I have removed all of the furniture from my bedroom with the exception of the TV and a chest of drawers and it just looks like there is a lot of room in there now. I have kind of turned it into a Media Center. I even vacuumed before my girlfriend got here. The dust bunnies had organized and were getting ready to stage a military coup.

We got on the bed and turned the movie on and it in just a matter of a couple of minutes, Molly had joined us on the bed and by the end of the movie, had claimed well over half of the bed. By the end of the night, Molly had forced my girlfriend to the couch and me to my six inch sliver of the bed. I have gotten to the point now that I could probably sleep on a cross beam if I had to. I got up early as usual, my girlfriend went back to the bed where her and Molly are currently sleeping it off. Molly knows how to steal the show,

Independence Day

This is Independence Day, the day the thirteen colonies declared their independence from the oppressive rule of King George III and Great Britain. Representatives of the thirteen colonies all signed a Declaration of Independence penned by Virginian Thomas Jefferson and this Declaration was signed July 4, 1776. The vote for the Declaration also had to be unanimous. All of the representatives had to be all in.

The reasons behind this declaration got lost a long time ago in what has become the American government. I am sure that Benjamin Franklin would be one of the first to say "What in the hell have you people done to the government we created?" Everything we do or own is taxed, the states lost their rights to govern themselves during the Civil War, our freedoms are falling like dominos, and the American people are being attacked at home and abroad. American citizens are rushing to joining terrorist organizations at an alarming rate.

Most people's idea of Independence Day is a day off from work, cookouts, and shooting off fireworks. If I was not out of work because of my shoulder surgery I would not even be getting that. It is supposed to be a celebration of what generations of Americans have fought for. It is to celebrate the freedom of self determination that we fought for 239 years ago. Now it is just another day off.

Therapy With Molly

My efforts to cheer Molly up are finally starting to show some dividends. A little bit of extra TLC and she is not acting so depressed any more. She still sleeps a lot but, at her age, that is a given. Last night before I went to bed I found her hiding in the closet again. I got her up and brought into the bedroom and helped her get on the bed. I gave her a good back and belly rub and talked to her for a while and she acted much more playful after that. She rolled around on her back indicating that she wanted more of the back and belly rubs and she fell asleep soon after that.

Molly woke me up this morning with one of her patented "hip checks" where she flops over on her side and throws her weight into me. That indicates she was needing out and that was good to see. She had a little bit more of a spring in her step this morning. Molly's health, both physical and mental, is very important to me.

Doggie Depression

I knew Molly was depressed but it may be a lot worse than I thought. Yesterday morning Molly turned up "missing" and I thought I may have left the front screen door unlatched and she snuck out. I quickly checked the screen door and it was latched. I did a quick search of the house and I still couldn't find her. I finally found Molly laying in the very back of my ex-roommate's closet and I had just missed her the first time. I had been moving quite a bit of my stuff into that closet and she was just laying there looking so sad. She did not even raise her head when I called out her name. She just looked up at me with those sad eyes.

I was so concerned by her behavior I even Googled "Why does my dog hide in the closet?" The first thing that popped up was an article by Cesar Milan, aka "The Dog Whisperer." The article mentioned two possibilities and the first on the list was depression. I had suspected depression a couple of weeks ago when my roommate first moved. She had spent 11 months with him, had babysat Molly when I was out occasionally out of town out, and in spite of my ex-roommates issues, had taken good care of her. This was the first time that she had displayed this particular type of behavior.

This second thing that was mentioned in the article was some sort of cognitive dysfunction but Molly has displayed no other symptoms associated with cognitive dysfunction. I have no earthly idea how to deal with doggie depression outside of showering her with attention and trying to let her know that I will always be here for her. She has always been there for me.

You Are Going To Have To Trust Me

I had a dream last night (not a Martin Luther King kind of dream) that I really don't remember the point to it or even what is really all about. It was a "man and his dog" adventure kind of dreams. All I remember is that Molly and I were trying to make it back home from wherever we had been and we were really having to hoof it cross country.

We were having to hop on trains and work our way across other obstacles and I really just remember this one scene very clearly. We had to cross this one platform that was way up high and the only way down was to either jump or climb down this rickety ladder. Molly is very afraid of heights and I knew jumping was not an option. I finally decide that the only chance we have is to climb down this ladder. I grabbed the top rung and I looked up at Molly and she was looking down at me with a very doubtful look on her face.

I knew I was going to have to talk her in to it so I braced myself against the ladder and I looked at her and told her "C'mon Molly. This is the only way down. You are going to have to trust me." I grabbed her by the leash and pulled her to me. She fought with me a little bit at first but I told her again "Molly, you are going to have to trust me. We can do this," and with that, I picked her up and held her tight with one arm and worked my way down the ladder with the other arm. As we got closer to the bottom, I felt her relax in my arms because she knew I would do nothing to put her in jeopardy or to hurt her.