July 8th. Wednesday.
11:20 pm
Home.
The guys got second winds at 11, just as I was about to leave. They slept all day, and decided it was time to get energetic while I was wrapping up the wind-down.
Despite the long layoff from work, the clean up was still running smoothly on autopilot. Food dishes dumped and cleaned. Pee pads changed. Fans adjusted or off. Lights dimmed. Water dishes cycled.
They were both sleeping on the back of the couch when I started cleaning up. They were both following me around the house by the time I was done. It only took them 10 or 15 minutes to decide they were tired again. Bubba first, who crawled into the fireplace bed. Then Buddy who curled up in the bed by the front door.
Today was pretty easy. The guys slept almost the whole day. Tomorrow should be an early-start day.
9 pm
It has been surprisingly quiet. I expected a lot more pandemonium from two over-rested dudes.
Bubba spent a few hours in the bedroom, then came out and whimpered at me to help him up on the couch. Instead of jumping up onto the perch, he sat next to me and wanted attention. That’s unusual for Bubba. He was enjoying being scratched for so long, I thought I could do a better job with the brush. He was really loving the brush! He would lift his face towards the ceiling and make a throaty sound, that with his neck extended sounded like purring. We brushed for quite a while, and took a lot of loose fur out, while getting in a nice body scratching, and declumping the fur, all at the same time.
Buddy was disinterested. There’s often a jealousy issue when attention is given, even more when there’s a brush involved. But he kept himself busy with a bunny and food.
4:50 pm
After the walk, Buddy went back to flopping on the couch and didn’t move. He lifted his head to watch me when I started putting together their dinner, but still lounged. Bubba got up and paced back and forth from the living room to the bedroom, passing by the kitchen repeatedly with the ocassional pause to stare me down.
Bubba started on dinner right away, while Buddy stayed on his perch and walked. Bubba only nibbled a bit, mainly to take ownership of all of the cheese. Then Buddy hopped down and took a few bites.
That was all the fuel they needed. I knew they were going to explode with energy at some point, with all of the sleeping today. That time was now. Bubba turned into a puppy, and started dancing and nipping at Buddy who happily played back. It was time to get them out for some exercise to burn off that energy.
We went across the street, both guys moving along at a good pace. But that only lasted until we got past the memorial, and Bubba pooped. Then the pace slowed way down. We ran into Dan walking Hobie. Buddy tried playing with Hobie but he got the cold shoulder from the Beagle. When we hit the first set of stairs, Bubba turned us that direction. He didn’t want to go straight home, cutting across the parking lot. Instead we stopped on the island to explore a while, and find some patches of interesting smells for Bubba to rub his face in. We went all the way across the island, then cut back before heading into the memorial and headed home.
Whatever energy the guys were storing up all day was already gone. Buddy flopped on the floor, and Bubba went into the bedroom to crawl into a dog bed.
2:30 pm
Bubba got up, when a coughing fit started and forced him out of bed. The fit went on for 5 or 10 minutes, in it’s usual form. The tail wagged after each portion of the fit, and after he wanted to go for a walk. Even after getting Bubba’s harness, then leash, and getting to the front door, Buddy didn’t budge from his spot on the couch. It wasn’t until I started to open the door that he jumped down to join us. I expected he wasn’t going to be cooperative after that.
It was a short walk. We went over to the mailboxes. Buddy pooped. Then out to Selva, and south to the walkway back home. Bubba wanted to continue. Buddy wanted to go home. I broke the impasse by deciding to drop Buddy off at home and let Bubba have his own walk. But once we were back home, Bubba didn’t want to go back out.
12:30 pm
Still no walk. Buddy was snoring on the back of the couch. Bubba has stayed in the fireplace bed. Both pee pads got changed. That’s the most work I’ve really done today.
10:45 am
The guys are making my day super easy – which terrifies me…calm before the storm sort of concern.. Both are staying in bed, but not sleeping much. Buddy has gotten up to nibble the day food a couple of times. Bubba has gone to pee twice. But there’s no activity, and they don’t want to walk. It’s a very overcast, but not rainy-feeling, day.
8:45 am
I was late, but still too early for the guys. Buddy greeted me at the door, alert and ready for the day. Bubba was under a pile of blankets in the fireplace bed. There were pieces of paper scattered around in the hall outside the studio bathroom. I wondered what these dudes had gotten into, now. But it was probably just the wind, and the guys were innocent. It also probably while Bubba was sleeping, because these papers were definitely not where they belonged, and the Alpha had not marked them as his property.
Buddy picked up a bunny, then quickly shifted into “let’s walk” mode, and started nudging Bubba. Bubba didn’t wake up, and Buddy gave up quickly, then sat by front door. I grabbed his harness, and he high-tailed it for the throne by the piano.
There were no accidents, apart from the mail that the wind had scattered. I put it up on the dining room table under the keys basket.