January 28, 2025

Waldo loves balls.

 

All his life he tried to be a good person.  Many times, however, he failed.  For after all, he was only human.  He wasn’t a dog.

-Charles M. Shulz

 

Waldo doesn’t seem bothered at all with the cold.  In fact, he seems energized by it.  He’s out-front, pulling at the leash, darting back and forth onto both sides of the trail, sniffing, herding sticks, greeting passersby and, well, just being Waldo.  Maybe it’s because there aren’t as many bikes out here.  Although, surprisingly, there are a few intrepid wheeled souls – even in the snow.  Waldo seems reassured and doesn’t spend nearly so much time stopping and anxiously looking back to where we’ve been.  I’m out here, enjoying nature and the great outdoors, plodding along taking in all that the winter-scape offers and he’s…  Well, he’s being really happy.

There were some subtle changes that happened when I came back from Switzerland.  I was gone for two weeks and, due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to leave him in a kennel.  It was a nice place, as far as kennels go, and they assured me he would have at least three hours a day of exercise.  When I picked him up, he was healthy, happy and didn’t seem at all any the worse for the experience.  I’m sure he wasn’t abused in any way, but, still, it wasn’t home.  Over the ensuing few weeks, I noticed that his attitude changed.

Of course, he was happy to be home and back in his usual routine (even if it initially was limited due to the fact I was struggling with back pain and our rail trail ventures were curtailed).  He became more willing to follow my directions (he still pauses to consider whether he should, but then complies — usually).  He even seeks out my attention more.

He has always done that when he needs something.  Some dogs whine, scratch at the door, or in other ways signal what they need.  Waldo, he seeks my attention, coming over to my chair for pets and pats, then leaves me to figure out what he needs.  Apparently, I’m pretty good at it because he’s not found any reason to change.  Now, he’ll also seek out interaction with me just for the fun of it.  He’ll start playing with my feet while I’m sitting in my easy-chair, paw at my legs, come inside from his dogdom throne on the balcony and just stare at me as if trying to figure out a way to engage in some kind of play.  I’m probably projecting a little anthropomorphization here, but it’s like he had a don’t-know-what-you’ve-got-‘til-you-miss-it moment while he was in the kennel.

Today, while I’m walking along in my own little world, Waldo comes up to my side with a stick in his mouth and nudges my hand with his nose.  I recognize that he wants to play and I try to grab at the stick.  He deftly pulls away at the last moment, foiling my efforts.  He then comes close, the stick well within reach, to tempt me to try again.  I ignore him and he paws at my feet and legs.  I tire of the game of keep-away and I ignore him further.  He grabs the leash with his mouth and starts tugging and stomping at it, trying to get me to play with that somehow or other.  The self-amusement that has sustained him for most of this life is just not enough anymore.  There are times when he really wants to interact with me.

I have a housekeeper that comes over once a month to help me keep the apartment in a livable state.  Waldo really likes her.  Usually, he’s out on his balcony throne when she comes to the building.  He sees her and comes in, frantically whining and staring at the apartment door.  When she gets to the door and I open it, Waldo whines imploringly while wagging his whole behind and approaches her with licks and rubs.  After a while, I feel the need to separate them so she can get her work done.  I tell him to go out onto the balcony and he interrupts his salutations and heads that way.  After a few steps, he pauses and looks back at the housekeeper as if reconsidering.  I tell him again to go to his throne and he goes through the dog-door.  He then turns around and I see a puppy nose sticking through the flap and I melt.  I tell him okay, and he comes back in to finish his greetings.  Damn!  He really listens to me now! It’s as if his experience of my leaving him for two weeks has made him decide that I really am alpha to him!

Except when it come down to who is permitted on his balcony.  That is something we’re still “negotiating” (I get the feeling that’s not the word he would use).  He does not want me out there, growls at me and lets me know in no uncertain terms that it is his place, not mine.  I would let it slide, but there are times when I want and even need to go out there.  There’s no biting, just posturing, and he gets really upset when I persist.  It’s a work in progress.

Waldo’s also getting older and I’m sure that plays a role in his change of behavior toward me.  Whatever the full reasons for it all, I feel that day by day, we are getting happier and closer.

And that’s just, well, special.

 

And long walks in the snow.

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