Sometimes I keep my children’s dogs
I have a lot children. They have all grown up and most have married. The one son who is not married has two yellow labs named Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Are some of you old enough to remember the movie with Paul Newman and Robert Redford? I am pretty sure those two Labradors have watched it. I always tell people “Never name your dogs after outlaws!”
All of my children have dogs. And it seems to fall to me to keep them when the children are off on their travels. Some would say that that is easier than keeping the grandchildren, but I am not certain of that. At the moment I have 7 dogs staying with me. Now, two of them are mine, so they really don’t count. However when it comes to feeding them all, they certainly do count. We have worked out a system though and everyone seems to know their places for being fed. So far it has not been the chaos you might imagine.
It is just lucky for my family that i am willing to do this dog-sitting job and that I have a place with enough space for them inside the house and outdoors. I live in the country so there are some challenges such as skunks. Then there is the urge to chase a deer because what dog can resist such a delightful scent. And deer seem to live in our driveway at times. Then there are the rabbits. I believe I must have more rabbits living next to me than most people. There seems to be an unending supply even when tragedy strikes, as it did last spring when some of the dogs discovered some very young baby rabbits and, shall we say, “dispatched them”. This would not have been so bad if some of my grandchildren had not been right there to witness the event. Nature can be pretty unforgiving, and not every baby animal makes it to adulthood. This is a lesson we 21st century people sometimes forget.
Blacksnakes also live here, though I rarely see one. My dogs let me know when there is one nearby. Today a pair of geese flew overhead, but so close to the ground I thought they might be about to land in my pool where I was swimming at the time. I am lucky enough to have a swimming pool. (some people think that is such a nuisance that they have buried theirs.) Every morning when I swim my laps I spend the time being grateful I am grateful for the privacy that allows me to swim without bothering to wear a suit. I am grateful for my geraniums some of which I have had indoors and out for several years. I am grateful for the blue of the sky and fantastic cloud formations. Sometimes I try to read a story or some meaning into the shape of the clouds. Always I thank my Higher Power, God or Goddess, my spirit guides and my ancestors for allowing me this wonderful time in my life.
A few minutes ago I heard a strange clucking sound some distance from my house. The dogs perked up and all rushed outside. I was on the phone so I was not paying much attention to what went on. A little while later, my own sweet loving little Jack Russell, Lord Byron, scurried into my kitchen and went to lie down in a basket near the air conditioning vent. This was not unusual so I did not go over to look at him. But there was just a feeling of “silence” surrounding him and I decided to take a look. There he was with a baby goose in his mouth. He looked up at me as if to say, “This is mine. I caught it and I am going to take my own sweet time in eating this dead thing.” I sighed. I told you nature is brutal. What am I supposed to do about this? He is a dog. He does not understand our human horror of killing things, especially baby animals or birds.
So I did not take the little body away from him but let him keep it. And I went back to typing about my life as a dog keeper. There is nothing I can do to undue what has been done. In the great scheme of things, I suppose it could have been worse. As I write peace reins and everyone of the 7 dogs is sleeping. They must be dreaming of more days in the sun, more meals of dogfood and the occasional wild kill. They are my friends, sometimes my protectors and my constant companions, at least till their respective owners come home.
Do you have a pet? Do you think I was wrong to let my dog have his kill? Do you think I am crazy to keep so many dogs for my adult children? Let me know your thoughts.
