Returning the Favor…by Lisa Harmon May 11, 2008

 Kenai getting into his down/stay, 18 wks old

A glimpse of life in the toffee tush today! Kenai had a short run this morning, with the temp 30 degrees cooler and the wind 30 mps faster…oh it was brutal at 7 am. With the storms last night, neither of us slept well.

So after breakfast Kenai and I crawled upstairs for a long nap. I had managed to stay up 3 hours to have breakfast with Mom, Mike, and my neice, but I didn’t hear Em’s Mom and brothers come to pick her up. The boys have ADHD–they even came upstairs to see Kenai, and I didn’t even know it.

I’m beginning to think the Lyrica I take to control my fibromyalgia is making my fatigue worse. The drastic muscle weakness, edema, confusion, and anxiety has increased with the dose of Lyrica. I may have to cut back, and just endure more pain. Can’t keep crashing.

But the lack of outdoor exercise seemed to give Kenai a boost of energy. He was much more responsive to indoor play and a tiny bit of obedience practice. I’ve not done much practice, because each good sit and such had lots of rewards. Every chance I get to smooch the pooch makes him feel better. Why take a chance on him making a mistake, the way he feels?

In fact, I tightly controled what we did today, to avoid having to scold him at all–I’m avoiding what I know he doesn’t handle well. Maybe going so heavy on the positive experience end will keep him from returning to this:

I had just started getting the dirty clothes together when he got up on the couch and collapsed on my sweater with a sigh. He’s been so pitiful, I just gave him a hug and rubbed his ears. Snapped his pic while he was napping, too.

It’s hard to gather up and sort the dirty laundry when a lumpy bag of bones is laying on it! I had to lure him off the couch after his nap with a super great stinky liver treat. It was definitely a bribe, but it worked.

He is such a good boy, my lug. He doesn’t run like a banshee in the house, he’s gentle with people, he doesn’t get into stuff or rip things to shreds…he’s just a good, easy little boy really. The easiest pup I’ve ever had, as far as behavior. His runs outside keep him calm and relaxed inside. The only trouble he gives me is wanting to play rough with his now missing brother.

I hate the thoughts of how hurt he’s going to be tomorrow, coming home for the 3rd time without BB. We have to take food up to the vet hospital for little bro. Another blow for my big little love. I won’t take him inside to see BB, since it really upsets him, but he knows the place. He’ll know where we are.

Kenai’s obedience class is Wednesday, and he had a sizable homework assignment: commands with only hand signals. He just wasn’t up to the practice this week, and taking him in pack with another service dog to the park might be way more than we should ask of him. He likes to show off, but his lack of practice will certainly show. He needs some slack right now, my sweet love.

With all the slack he cuts me when I’m too exhausted to give him a second or third playtime outside, I do believe I’ll cut him all the slack he needs. It’s just returning the favor. That’s how it is with a relationship: needing slack, giving slack.

He and I are getting to know each other’s moods and limits, spending nearly all our time together. Still, reaching the point where I can see a muscle tense, or a subtle shift in an ear, and know exactly what he’s planning is a ways off.

He’s better at observation than I am–he can tell when my arm is sore, or my leg is weak. He has long ago started smelling me: my arms, my feet, my breath. He knows. I wish I could read his puppy mind as well as he reads my body. Someday.