Don't Just Bark About It...

...DO SOMETHING!  That's what Sam has started to remember to do.  Tough love is having me listen to Sam bark right now because he wants me to help him get up and move onto his bed for the night.  Last night the same thing happened and after about 1 minute of barking (Sam is getting up right now as I'm typing) he got up and walked to his bed and laid back down.  So I'm discovering that tough love results in a warped perception of time.  I estimated a moment ago that Sam had barked for about a minute - it was probably really about 10-20 seconds.  Probably less than 10 barks total.  I wonder why it seems like so much longer than it really is?

By the way, right now he is on his bed lying in his preferred orientation.  He is panting since it's quite warm in the room and he has been exerting himself more this evening, though he's not unduly stressed from his journey.  Which was about 8 feet from door to bed.

So, my lesson seems to be, what do I need to DO something about instead of just barking about it?  Hmmm...  I'll let you know what I come up with...  What have you been "barking" about lately?

A Gift from Sam

No, it wasn't a bouquet of dandelions or a crayon drawing or a beautiful necklace - it was far, far more lovely.  An uninterrupted night of sleep.  Last night, Sam didn't wake me up at all.  I had stayed up pretty late reading, and fully expected at least one or two mid-night "requests".  So when I woke up around 7am or so, I was surprised, happy, and well rested. 

And then I thought, "Is he still breathing?"  So I listened for a few seconds and, sure enough, he was still breathing...  Often Sam will ask for help moving around or a drink of water a few times overnight - the previous two nights, though, he had four "requests" each night.  Not the most restful nights either of us has ever had, to say the least...  Which makes last night's peace all the more special and appreciated.

Thanks, Sam.  Thanks for the beautiful, wonderful gift.  It was exactly what I wanted - how did you know?

Well, It's Mid-June...

...and Sam's still here.  He hasn't been walking as easily or as much, though he just had chiropractic adjustments two weeks in a row, so we'll see if that helps.  He is still sassy, still totally with it mentally, and still loving his meals and, especially, his pizza bones.
He has had more baths in the last three months than in the first 16 years of his life - BY FAR.  Sam hates baths.  Two days ago, we needed to give him a little bath and since it was warm, we were unrolling the hose.  All of a sudden I turned around and Sam was up and "running" - he was headed for the driveway at warp, 16 1/2 year old dog speed (read: a slow, ungainly, uneven, gimpy walk).  Sam hates the hose even more than he hates baths.  He looked over his shoulder as if to see if we were gaining on him.  I have a feeling that in his mind, he really was running.  Unfortunately for Sam, we caught him - when he laid down near the driveway - and he still had to have his bath.

The reasons for Sam's increasing number of baths will be intentionally omitted due to the fact that Sam has expressly forbidden me to discuss private details of his condition.  He has always been very proper and private and somewhat reserved, so I will honor his wishes and simply say that Sam is enjoying being neat and clean, though he doesn't enjoy the process.

Sam is officially 16 and a 1/2 years old this month.  I honestly didn't expect him to see Valentine's Day considering his condition over Christmas.  I'm practicing giving up wondering how long he'll stay with us.  It appears to be a futile exercise to suppose and guess.  Who knows if he has another comeback in him?  Maybe Sam knows - but he's not saying right now.

One day at a time, one bath at a time, one bark at a time, one pizza bone at a time, one heartbeat at a time...

I love that old dog.