I hope that the last three days of my postings have not come off as too sad and depressed sounding, because I am not at all. Truthfully, I have been feeling pretty fuckin good as of late.
The email transaction that was effectively the final nail in the coffin actually happened almost a week ago, and I have had quite a bit of time to process it. I really dont feel any sort of devastation from this.
I do feel bad for Morgan, he seems to be depressed lately and I feel a bit guilty sometimes because he just doesnt ever get to have any fun. I try to tell myself that dogs cant remember things farther than a couple of weeks ago, and that dogs cant miss people for more than a few days, but I think I am kidding myself.
A few weeks ago, I had taken him out for his regular walk, and we were just coming back to my alley when he suddenly perked up. His ears went straight up, he held his head up high, and he started to do this nose scan thing in the air. Its kinda like he sways his head back and forth from side to side as he noisily breaths in through his nose. He nailed the scent then, and he was onto something. He started to pull on the leash. His gait got quite prancy and it was like he could not wait for me to catch up. He pulled me all the way down the alley in a rush to the building, and tugged me through the parkade to the back door of the building. Once we got inside, he kept sniffing, but he had slowed down a bit like he had lost the scent. We got to the top of the stairs to my floor and I let go of his leash. He bolted down the hallway to my apartment door ahead of me, and waited there glancing back at me, shuffling his feet and huffing and snuffing at the door.
He only ever did this for one reason: Robyn got home from work before I got back with the dog.
That dogs nose is amazing, he could pick up her scent from two blocks away if she had walked the same path we were on. If she had stopped at Supervalu that night to get groceries on the way home from work, and I was out with Morgan, I would always know way ahead of time that she was home strictly due to the way Morgan would react when we hit the back alley. After she moved into her own apartment, if she was going to come over to my place for the weekend I would again know if she had showed up while I was out with Morgan because of the way he would race down the hallway to my apartment door. He was always so excited to see her.
That was really strange three weeks ago. I can seriously only deduce that for some reason she had very recently walked down my back alley. Perhaps she was visiting friends that live in the building next door, dunno. Definitely her though, and that definitely made me re-think a dogs ability to remember and miss.
I unlocked the door to this apartment, and he pushed quickly though and past me, rushing into the bedroom, then out and into the living room, quick sniff of the couch, making a lap around the kitchen, into the bathroom, turning a tight circle back out and towards the bedroom again. And I watched him walk back to the bedroom door and slow to a stop. His ears dropped, and he just stood there, like he was realizing that she wasnt here after all.
I can try to calm that thought by reminding myself that olfactory memory is the longest lasting memory. Perhaps it was strictly pavlovian, his brain just reacting with excitement in response to a familiar scent that used to mean the pleasure of pettings and lovin. He doesnt actually create a picture in his hounds minds eye of a tall slender black haired girl.
Well, he hammed it up some more, and with his head hanging low, he slowly walked back into the living room beside me here, he sat beside me, then eventually layed down at my feet here, and let out this huge deep breath. I got up and gave him a cookie, and he just spat it down beside himself and sniffed it a couple times before laying his head down again.
Thespian.
Or maybe Im just projecting what I would assume he should feel onto him, thats totally possible too.
Anyways, alls I know is that he smelled her out back just before Christmas, and he seemed to remember.
Tonight, Im moseyin on out. The BettiLu Bombshells are in town tonight down at the brickyard! YAY!
Caught their show at the Railway a few months ago, and Im lookin forward to seein them again.
Should be quite a western Canada SG contingency down there tonight, so that is going to be quituplably cool.
The email transaction that was effectively the final nail in the coffin actually happened almost a week ago, and I have had quite a bit of time to process it. I really dont feel any sort of devastation from this.
I do feel bad for Morgan, he seems to be depressed lately and I feel a bit guilty sometimes because he just doesnt ever get to have any fun. I try to tell myself that dogs cant remember things farther than a couple of weeks ago, and that dogs cant miss people for more than a few days, but I think I am kidding myself.
A few weeks ago, I had taken him out for his regular walk, and we were just coming back to my alley when he suddenly perked up. His ears went straight up, he held his head up high, and he started to do this nose scan thing in the air. Its kinda like he sways his head back and forth from side to side as he noisily breaths in through his nose. He nailed the scent then, and he was onto something. He started to pull on the leash. His gait got quite prancy and it was like he could not wait for me to catch up. He pulled me all the way down the alley in a rush to the building, and tugged me through the parkade to the back door of the building. Once we got inside, he kept sniffing, but he had slowed down a bit like he had lost the scent. We got to the top of the stairs to my floor and I let go of his leash. He bolted down the hallway to my apartment door ahead of me, and waited there glancing back at me, shuffling his feet and huffing and snuffing at the door.
He only ever did this for one reason: Robyn got home from work before I got back with the dog.
That dogs nose is amazing, he could pick up her scent from two blocks away if she had walked the same path we were on. If she had stopped at Supervalu that night to get groceries on the way home from work, and I was out with Morgan, I would always know way ahead of time that she was home strictly due to the way Morgan would react when we hit the back alley. After she moved into her own apartment, if she was going to come over to my place for the weekend I would again know if she had showed up while I was out with Morgan because of the way he would race down the hallway to my apartment door. He was always so excited to see her.
That was really strange three weeks ago. I can seriously only deduce that for some reason she had very recently walked down my back alley. Perhaps she was visiting friends that live in the building next door, dunno. Definitely her though, and that definitely made me re-think a dogs ability to remember and miss.
I unlocked the door to this apartment, and he pushed quickly though and past me, rushing into the bedroom, then out and into the living room, quick sniff of the couch, making a lap around the kitchen, into the bathroom, turning a tight circle back out and towards the bedroom again. And I watched him walk back to the bedroom door and slow to a stop. His ears dropped, and he just stood there, like he was realizing that she wasnt here after all.
I can try to calm that thought by reminding myself that olfactory memory is the longest lasting memory. Perhaps it was strictly pavlovian, his brain just reacting with excitement in response to a familiar scent that used to mean the pleasure of pettings and lovin. He doesnt actually create a picture in his hounds minds eye of a tall slender black haired girl.
Well, he hammed it up some more, and with his head hanging low, he slowly walked back into the living room beside me here, he sat beside me, then eventually layed down at my feet here, and let out this huge deep breath. I got up and gave him a cookie, and he just spat it down beside himself and sniffed it a couple times before laying his head down again.
Thespian.
Or maybe Im just projecting what I would assume he should feel onto him, thats totally possible too.
Anyways, alls I know is that he smelled her out back just before Christmas, and he seemed to remember.
Tonight, Im moseyin on out. The BettiLu Bombshells are in town tonight down at the brickyard! YAY!
Caught their show at the Railway a few months ago, and Im lookin forward to seein them again.
Should be quite a western Canada SG contingency down there tonight, so that is going to be quituplably cool.
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
Now I must rest on the couch.
Anyhow, I can't imagine how this must feel for you - dealing with your own shit, then having to watch this adored beast's disappointment and melancholy. Lots of love, some time and biscuits. Same works for humans!