Thursday. Groomer Day.
6:10 pm
Buddy obviously wanted to go out. Bubba was still passed out. Buddy didn’t run away when I put the leash on, but he didn’t move to the door, either. I could tell he needed out, so I did some coaxing to get him out the door. I don’t like doing that, but I have before, and it typically works like starting a lawn mower motor – gotta keep pulling the cord, but eventually it fires up and runs.
Buddy froze up at the edge of the landing. He wasn’t going anywhere. So we went back in. Bubba slept through all of it.
5:17 pm
That is the exact time that the medicating was finished. Both guys were easy. They had their meds hand-fed to them in a mixture of Shwack burger and Filet Mignon flavored wet food (how do they really know what it tastes like?) that was too good to resist, even for the Alpha.
The leftovers were mixed together and topped with cheese, so they have Filet Mignon Cheeseburgers for dinner.
When the dinner was put out, the hierarchy was on full display. Bubba had complete command over both bowls, while Buddy sat under the piano waiting for the Alpha to take his leave and let the rest of the pack eat. This wasn’t a thing a year ago. Where did Bubba get all of this new energy? I hope that me referring to him as “Alpha” didn’t go to his head, or get into Buddy’s I told Buddy, “he’s a geriatric Chihuahua with no teeth. You can eat!” Buddy ignored me, and waited.
Bubba passed out after eating. He was wandering around the house while I worked on schooling. I noticed that the pacing had stopped and it was quiet. I thought he stopped near Buddy, so I craned my neck around the table to see, but Buddy was alone. My scanned the beds, and saw no Bubba. I sat up taller to see over the table to the food dishes, but he wasn’t there. Either. So I peeked under the left side of the table – maybe he was lying on the floor. As soon as I leaned over, there was Bubba – standing – staring me right in the face. I didn’t notice that he was waiting for me to hoist him up onto the couch. I don’t know how long he was standing there. He used to bump my leg with his nose when he wanted my attention for a lift. I put my hand down as a question, “you wanna be picked up?” With zero hesitation, he moved over to position himself to be brought up to his spot. He climbed up onto the perch and went straight to sleep. What a life.
1:20 pm
We are back, and settled.
The owner (I think) of DawgyStyle chatted about the guys. She says Bubba never settles down. He’s always moving around, tail wagging, interacting. She said Buddy hides in “the corner”. It’s definitely a thing. I have no clue why Buddy turned – he used to get super excited to play with friends. Bubba didn’t change inside, but he has become timid outside. And now, they do a Freaky Friday from one side of the store entrance to the other. Bubba is still afraid of the area from the stairs (back of the shopping center) until we’re inside the shop, and Buddy just plods ahead, eager to explore. But they become completely the oppsite once they cross the doorway – and then back when we leave.
It was slightly overcast and very comfortable out when we left. It was hot when I picked up the guys, and the humidity has gotten ridiculous. It feels like the midwest.
There were tongues practically dragging on the floor once home. The guys both ran home, especially in the parking lot, but not direct like they were desperate to get out of the sun. They were just running in random directions, and needing to be reigned in at times. I dragged my mother with me – so she’d get some exercise – for the pick up. They seemed excited that she was walking with us, and that got them revved up.
Once we were inside, they wouldn’t slow down. I filled the water dishes with fresh cold water. I turned on the fans that the cleaning crew had turned off, and I turned on the AC – the cleaning crew didn’t touch it, it just wasn’t on. Then I went to replace the pee pads that got forgotten in the rush out in the morning. Bubba kept following me everywhere. He looked like he needed to lie down and get his system to slow down, but he wanted to visit. Buddy would lie down in the living room, but when Bubba and I vanished into the bathroom, or when I went to fill the bedroom water dish, he would jump up and run in, not wanting to be left out.
I decided to come home for an hour to work on school stuff, before I take everything back next door (I remove all my things the night before cleaning day). That way they’ll lie down and relax, and let their little bodies cool off. I’ll head over after I finish this next bit of work.
9:50 am
Bobbie was early. She was parked when I was running next door to do last-minute clean up – change pee pads, clean up any accidents the guys may have had. She was already here, so it made me have to rush and to get the guys out – which was going to be a pain. Bobbie called to me and wanted to chat a moment. Then I ran up to get the guys, completely forgetting to remove the pee pad. Bobbie and her helpers had begun bringing up their gear, leaving it on the first landing, and the guys were going nuts, pressing me on rushing to get out.
Bobbie has one woman that’s always with her, then a variety of different faces that round out the team. Today there was a face I didn’t recognize, so I checked to make sure the studio was locked. It wasn’t, so I locked it. I’m not concerned about the honesty of Bobbie’s people – I think they’re mainly family – but concerned that they might go into the studio not knowing it’s not to be cleaned. But, as I type this, I’m not sure that it’s not – so I hope I did the right thing.
The guys gave me no trouble in getting them dressed and leashed and we were out the door. They ran right past Bobbie’s cleaning supplies, and then right past Bobbie and her team. They seemed to totally forget why they were amped up, but it was walk time! The walk up the path was achingly slow. It started as “we have half an hour to kill” to “Sorry Bubba, but we’re late so you’re getting carried.” The “late” part was only half the story. He was showing that he was getting tired as we got to the top of the path – it’s quite warm and he’s an old guy (like me). He also was still skittish about that crossing where he tried to dart into PCH traffic the other day. He started moving towards heading up PCH to the gate to go home. If it was just that, I would think he was just done walking – but the tail was tucked. He was afraid.
So I scooped him up, and let him enjoy being the 6-foot Chihuahua and enjoy the different view. We walked all the way to the point that way. Buddy got to let his legs fly, and run a bit, which he does need and we do not do enough.
The groomer was packed. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many dogs there at once. I asked the girl to take special care of Bubba’s nails, and we chatted about that a bit. She talked about how often she does her own dog’s nails. I explained how he starts to slip and becomes afraid of stairs because he can’t get a secure footing.
From there, back home to get back to my mad scramble to get my school work finished.
8:07 am
I forgot to start the breakfast soaking, so I went back over. I wanted them to be able to eat a little before we left. This time, they fooled me. I expected them both to still be sleeping, and they were up. Bubba was now in the bed by the front door, lying down but head up, wide awake. Buddy was at the door when I opened it. I put out the food then checked for accidents again. I expected some sort of revenge move, but it was still all-clear.
This is a tough schedule. 10am is too late to “ask” them to wait for a first walk, and too early to expect to get them out for a second walk.
8 am
Fooled ’em again. They were passed out hard when I showed up. Buddy was sleeping on the back of the couch, facing the deck. He looked over his shoulder at me, still 85% asleep, and his eyes said, “no, go away.” Bubba was in the fireplace bed and didn’t wake up when I came in. That was perfect. I wanted them to sleep late. I did a quick-n-quiet check for accidents (have to clean up before Bobbie arrives if there are). There were none.