Travel Tuesday. December 2nd.
6:20 pm
Bubba has seemed totally fine since getting home. I’m relieved because I was a bit concerned that the fear had something to do with me. But at home, he’s showing zero signs of any sort of distress. Buddy has helped me get back into shape, playing lots of tug-of-war, although we’ve shifted to playing with a soggy raccoon over the reindeer.
1:45 pm
We went on our second walk. Bubba had more issues.
He felt down two steps coming out of the condo, the last two steps before the first landing. He was side by side with Buddy, but I didn’t see what caused the fall, if anything. He just seemed to shrug it off and keep going. He looked startled but only right as it happened. He glanced back at me, then continued on.
He started showing signs of being afraid as soon as we got to the sidewalk in the parking lot, just beyond the condo stairs. He continued forward, but crouched, ears semi-flattened, tail semi-tucked. When passing a suppot pole for the parking shelters, he would dash by, as if he was worried about something jumping out at him if he walked by casually. We walked past the mailboxes, and he was timid going down the steps. He didn’t want to walk on the sidewak, but wanted to stay on the dirt or grass along the edge of the sidewak. He wanted to around the outside of the handrail on the steps. On Selva, we turned north, and then came back in the drive entrance.
We went across the drive and went through the paths. Bubba stayed on the sidewalks, but maintained he scared posture. Once we got over by the clubhouse, he relaxed, and sniffed his way around things. He seemed mostly-okay the walk back, carrying his head up and trotting along, until we got close to home again. At the condo, he took a big arcing path to get to the stairs, as if the near-side handrail was somehow problematic for him.
10 am
Buddy was still not ready to get up, but Bubba was. We went out to walk. We went up the path to PCH. Both guys pooped. Mostly an uneventful walk. Out on PCH, on our way to the gate, we came across the owner of the big German Shepherd that lives across the path from Hillery. The owner pulled his dog into the planter area, well-off the sidewalk to let us pass, and the dog still went nutzo barking at the guys. Buddy was happy to pick up the pace, and Bubba away luckily unaware. That dog is disturbing, and I’m glad the owner is strong enough to hold him back.
Walked 40 minutes. Both guys pooped.
8 am
I was too early. 9 am is too late. I’m dog sitting for a pair of Goldlilock types.
Buddy was asleep on the back of the couch. Bubba was asleep in the piano bed. I couldn’t see him at first, but he sneezed and gave his position away. Both water dishes needed a top-up, and there were no accidents.
Bubba was feeling just fine, last night. Between 9:30 and 10, I sat down at the piano to make a mockery of Mozart’s work. Buddy joined me in the piano bed immediately after Bubba had come to lay down for less than a minute before moving on.
Bubba got restless. I was not going to play with him, so his little body could rest. He wanted me to chase him, but I wouldn’t get up. He would taunt me (I think?) with his feint move, and kept creeping closer when I wouldn’t come after him. He got all the way up to where I was sitting, and when it still didn’t work, he went and played by himself. He ran back and forth from the living room to the bedroom, sprinting and leaping into the beds. Buddy just relaxed and listened (I think?) to the piano.
Then Bubba got feisty and tried to kick Buddy out of the bed. I normally just let the pack rules apply, but I intervened to let Buddy keep the bed. I blocked Bubba’s path – and his eye contact with Buddy – by pulling my hand between him and Buddy. Then when his posture would be less “dominant” I would just rest a finger on the top of his head. That seemed to disrupt his ability to enforce Pack Rules as Alpha. He would just stand there at the edge of the bed, not moving for a long moment, and then would look up at me, and his eyes seemed to be telling me to stop interfering, while at the same time questioning. It took a while, but this simple gesture seemed to have defeated him.
Then Bubba slowly moved around to the other side of the bed, like he thought I wouldn’t notice and think he was gone. I was laughing hysterically at The Alpha thinking that a slow stroll to the other side of the bed, pretending innocence, was enough to fool me. I got a little tiny growl of disapproval when the finger came back to rest on top of his head after he reached his new attack position. This was fun, and not physically taxing for Bubba, plus I wanted Buddy to be able to enjoy the bed. Buddy eventually gave in, and moved over to the recliner, close enough to listen, but too far to have me reach over to pet him. But more importantly, it was a resting place that was securely out of the influence of The Alpha.