Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Damn Right I Love My Dog

Here he is, bemusedly enjoying my new carpet in the studio. Howie, my good little dog.

Yesterday morning I was hosing down the front of the house, and the porch, walk, and driveway, getting the accumulated dust washed away. The dust is from the almond harvest, which begins in August and runs through October. The air is heavy with dust; hanging about fifty feet above the ground is a yellowish curtain that looks like smog, and coats your skin, throat, nose, screens, and everything else around.

Howie helped me with the hose. He bit the jet of water, leaped through it, barked loudly if the water wasn't spraying him. He dove for the jet, roaring a growl, danced when I made the water nip his toes.

I let him play until he started falling down; his hindquarters get tired long before his sense of fun does. After I dried him off (mostly), he plowed onto my new carpet and had a luxurious rub. The amount of exercise he got was sufficient to make him sleepy for the rest of the day.

In the evening, I rubbed along the sides of his spine with a massaging motion. He seemed surprised, and when I stopped, he backed up against my legs for more. How I wish I had thought of doing that before! I'll be glad to massage him again tonight -- anything I can do to alleviate his stiffness is wonderful.

He turned eleven last March. This poem is for him.



This Dog Follows Me

This dog follows me
perfectly at heel
through the whole house
kitchen to bedroom
from breakfast to bedtime

This dog follows me
ears interested
in what I do
front yard to back yard
gardening to sweeping

This dog follows me
with his sharp focus
with friendly smile
eager for kisses
with wide wags of his tail

Will my dog follow
when I leave this earth
will my spirit
find his doggy soul
on life's new next address

This dog follows me
as I carry him
to the next life
this dog is my friend
pressed against me in trust

This dog follows me
his mortal essence
recreated
if I can only
believe God loves me so

Even so much as I love this dog

1 comment:

Cheryl said...

Aww! Sweet.

I like this picture. It made me want to dig my fingers into his thick fur and give him a good rub. So glad that you handled that for me.