Thursday, December 6, 2012

LettieLettieLETTIE LEAP!

My old girl turned 12.  She's definitely showing it, but Lettie is a textbook description of the breed.  She's a McNab Dog, and it's a breed that has all the intelligence of a Border Collie, and maybe more, plus she's much more focused.

My Lettie expects everything to be Just So.  To the point that if I'm overexcited she'll cling to me and try to "help".  That usually just gets me more "overexcited" because now I have 47 pounds of mostly black dog getting in the way.

But that Just So Thing is important.

Everything really has a pattern.  In my life I try to at least keep things under control and she fits in perfectly.   Settling down to write this, I moved from my desk chair to the futon next to the window in the Florida Room and propped my feet up on an old Mac.   This is just not to be so she got up and began to walk away after giving me the look as if to say I have just lost my mind.

I may have.

When things are not "Just So" and she can't control them, that's when life gets comical.

Back in March she got sick and we were trying to figure out how to balance her thyroid medications along with her fading kidneys.   We spent way too much time at the Vet's office.   Mind you, I really like our Vet at Family Pet Medical Center.  They saved her twice when she had her seizures, and brought her back after this latest episode.   I now have a dog who is on a very strict regimen of low protein foods and any time she asks for food she gets it.  It's like watching someone go through cravings, they'll eat what they want until they get what they need.

As much as I like the Vet, she doesn't.

She wants in and out and home as fast as possible.  That's a shame because she is really well liked by all there, and in about a month is going in for her check up.

Get ready Lettie, things will get Weird.

Last time there we sat in the waiting room long enough for all three of us to get fidgety.  She wanted out.  She was dragging me on the purple leash to the door as I repeatedly pulled her back to the seats.  We tried moving around the office and each time it was back to the door.  We tried showing her the TV but she wanted none of that.   She didn't want the kittens either but I don't blame her.

Then out of nowhere it happened.

A High Pitched Sound was on the air as the one Vet Tech came bounding out the door to get my Senior Dog.

"Lettie?  Lettie!  LETTIELETTIELETTIELETTIE!"

It was a siren of energy to a dog who is not exactly a fan of that.

Who knew a 12 year old dog with a bad pair of kidneys, thyroid problems, and most likely a fair amount of arthritis had it in her.

I was sitting on the bench next to Kevin when all the sudden there was 47 pounds of fearful dog leaping through the air.  She deftly thread herself between the two of us while in the air.

This dog must have invisible wings because I swear she changed her angle while she flew at the bench.

Tail got planted firmly between legs, jaw gaped open, and she started to shiver as she hid behind Kevin's back on the bench.

We didn't even know she that could hear at that point, even though now it was clear that on that day she could!

The reaction was so strong and so out of character that even the TV went silent for that moment before the room broke out laughing.

Calming the old girl down, we told her that it was her turn and she got the expert care from Family Pet Center that we expected.

She's still out on that mat.  I'm still on the futon that functions as a couch.  I guess I'm being Weird.  She doesn't do Weird.

1 comment:

  1. :o) When I take Buddy, now 15, to the vet, all he does is tremble and try to leave. He won't get out of the car, making me chase him all over! He weighs all of 16 pounds and he drags me to the door repeatly as if to say, "Can we leave now?" Poor guy. And, poor Lettie. It's a shame the vets don't make house calls ...

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