As I sat here this morning trying to think of something specific to write about, my thoughts turned to Sheeba. She was acting strange yesterday afternoon. Of course I got the blame ... but I don't think it is what I did.
First of all, Sheeba eats bugs. We take her outside in front and she will look all over the place trying to find a bug. To eat. We take her out back to do her business and what does she do? She has her nose in the ground looking for a bug to eat. You'd think we didn't feed this 100+ pound dog!
Yesterday I had a craving for salt... and got out the last of the Limon potato chips. Sheeba was immediately begging, and I probably shouldn't have, but I gave her over the next few minutes, probably about six pieces of chips. Not even the whole chip, mind you, just a piece of it. By late afternoon hubby was blaming me for not just one, but Sheeba having TWO bouts of diarrhea. Luckily he had her outside both times. He said she kept coming to him and wimpering and then running to the back door - he finally took her out. He annoys me most times... he makes her wait until HE wants to take her out, rather than when she acts like she needs to go. I ask him frequently.... if you need to go out, do you get forced to wait? Or do you get told to go.... when you don't have to? Thank goodness she did it outside. And he still complained because it has to be cleaned up. And he doesn't do that very well.
Anyway.... it's my fault, he says, for giving her those few chips. And it could be I guess, but I figure if she eats anything else she finds, what difference would a few chips make.
We went out to dinner with some friends and as usual, when we let Sheeba out of the crate, she is sniffing all over me as if I have 'done her wrong'. I forgot that my friend has two or three dogs...and perhaps a cat..... and it may have been on her jacket. Anyway, we had hugged so some of that smell may have transferred for Sheeba was all over me sniffing my jacket. Shortly after I got her down off me, she went back into her open crate and just laid there. Which isn't that odd as she does it frequently. It's her "man cave". She feels safe there. In the evenings most times she will lay down near us and sleep.
When it came time for us to go to bed and I went to over to her and she just laid there. Usually she will jump up and try to get on me, but last night she barely moved. (She refuses to move most nights when Tom goes over to remove her training collar at night and he gets so mad at her!) I sat on the floor and she raised up a little and scooted over to me, letting me remove the collar. But she wasn't her usual peppy self. Very quiet, very subdued. Obviously didn't seem to feel well.
I've always said a dog knows what to do when they don't feel good - unlike us humans who (ok, most of us) suck it up and just keep going. After all, we have things to do and people to see. So the saying goes. But a dog, when she doesn't feel well, doesn't eat. (Sheeba did not eat her dinner last night). She had diarrhea earlier in the day, so I wasn't surprised she didn't eat. But what did surprise me some is that she kept smacking her lips while laying there (before we went to bed) and I suggested to Tom to get her to go get a drink. So what does he do instead of getting her to move around and go to her water dish, he brings her water dish to her. She wanted no part of it.
I'm going to assume on that is that the water dish was not in its proper place and she wouldn't partake of it. Some dogs are like that and she seems to be one. Yes, she will take a snack if I give it, but because as a rule we only give her snacks in her crate or in her food dish, that is where she gets them. Her water dish has never moved from its location. I don't know.... just thinking it out.
I petted and talked with her a bit before heading to bed last night. She will stay in her crate until about 6:15-6:30AM when I come out of my room and let her out. If I don't come out that early (like on weekends when I may sleep until 5 or 5:30AM and I stay in my room longer....) hubby will take her out about 7AM. She doesn't make a noise; just waits for us. But once she gets out and does her business, whichever one of us takes her out -she goes on a hunting spree - fast pace - through the house to find the other one!
I laugh at her sometimes cause I may be at my computer and hubby has taken her out. I hear her coming in at a dead run - and she runs first to my bathroom, and not finding me, will come over to this room to see if I'm here. Finding me in the chair, she will do a flying leap to tell me good morning. Or she will do the same thing for hubby - usually running to the kitchen to find him. Hopefully her body is better this morning and she will be back to normal.
She is a pain sometimes.... as any animal can be. She is so big, and wants to climb up in my lap. I just shook my head the other day.... hubby mentioned that (I think it was for the first time) while I was shut up in my room working one day she jumped up in his lap (upper half of body, not all of her anymore!) like she does me. Surprisingly he didn't yell at her and push her off. When I sit down on the couch she will come jump on me and snuggle her nose down my left side for just a few seconds before raising her head up and looking at me. She is trying hard to get her entire body on the sofa, but we have never let her on the furniture. She sheds so bad (even now in the wintertime!) that I always have hair all over me just by her rubbing up against me. Sometimes I get the thought of putting a sheet over the couch and just letting her on it, but maintain my sanity. She doesn't try to get on it unless I'm sitting on it. When we finally feel we can trust her to stay out of things and leave her crate open at night, I'm sure she will eventually find her way there... her shed hair will give her away.
Marley, our black lab, had always laid at our feet. When we finally left her crate open at night and allowed her to be loose, there were a couple times we would find her on the couch... or had been on the couch -cause by the time we got to the room, she would be standing up in the middle of it - looking guilty. But she didn't shed like Sheeba does!
It's about time for me to head out of here and go check on her. I have a 4 hour meeting this morning I have to take minutes at so will be "quarantined" in my room. She won't be able to come in and jump in my lap for a snuggle. I know I'll hear her sigh and plop down by the closed door.
Enough rambling for today. Praying for Sheeba not only to 'behave' but to feel better. Yes, God hears prayers for our pets too. For humans it sometimes takes longer..... but our pets, yeah, they get it right away. Unconditional love. Just like what God has for us. Do we receive it?
Blessings!
No comments:
Post a Comment