About a Dog: Part Four

August 28, 2015

It was a long, cold winter, that first winter with Mozzy. I don’t know if it truly was snowier or colder than most Colorado winters or whether it just seemed like it, because wee little puppies have wee little bladders, so I was forced to brave the elements every few hours, day and night. The worst were the early morning calls to order, when I’d be roused from a deep unconsciousness by a small, distressed whimper coming from the crate next to the bed.

I’d roll over drunkenly, look at the clock and feel a wave of annoyance and dismay roar through my head.

2:44. Or 3:30. Or 4:18.

Those mornings.

“Jesus fuck,” I’d mutter under my breath, and close my eyes for one more blessed moment before swinging heavy legs over the side of the bed.

Whimper.

“I know, buddy. I know.” I’d crouch down in front of the crate, look at Mozzy’s wet black eyes and quivering nose and impossibly fluffy little ears and soften a little. “S’ok, little man. I know. Let’s go.”

I’d unlatch the crate and he’d bound down the stairs, tiny tail wagging so hard that his whole bottom shook with the joy of it. I was a lot slower getting down those stairs. I flicked on the coffee maker, donned heavy socks and the nearest boots I could find, which were often Miss D.’s and far too big for me. I’d clunk around like Bigfoot, zip a heavy coat, wind a scratchy scarf, fumble for mis-matched mittens.

Some mornings the fog was so dense and thick that Mozzy disappeared in front of me and I’d panic for a minute until I remembered that he was on a leash. Sometimes the snow was so deep that he’d plow through it like a miniature snowblower, leaving a slender track behind him. On particularly frigid mornings, he’d scamper outside and then go still, nose twitching, testing. He’d wait a minute and then shake his whole body a few times. He’d lift a wee leg and send a stream of yellow liquid onto a pile of snow, hissing and steaming. Mornings like that, he made quick work of things, but most days, he wanted to bound in and out of snowbanks, sniff every tree.

“How does he not freeze his little pee-pee off?” I’d grumble to my husband. “The snow is taller than he is–his junk is dragging in it as he tumbles through and you think he’d hate that, but he’s like, ‘Woo-hoo! It snowed last night! Penis popsicles are awesome!'”

My husband would laugh. “Ah. To be a puppy.”

I’d take a long draw out of my coffee mug. “Ah, to be me. Tomorrow is your turn.”

***

True to the breeder’s word, Mozzy was pretty good about potty training. We put indoor potty training pads all over the house, just in case there was an emergency. He almost exclusively peed on those when he needed to, but he was a stealth pooper. The first couple of months, you’d turn your back and Wham! Insta turdlet. His favorite venue for Les Gifting of Le Poo-Poo was the laundry room, a development I wasn’t thrilled with because I am the only person in the family who ever goes in there, so guess who picked up most of Le Gifts?

Even less thrilling that Le Gifts was Da Humpty Dance. Suddenly, within a month’s time, all Mozz-man was interested in was Da Humpty. My left leg suffered incredible and frequent indignities and it became quickly apparent that action was required.

cone

“Aiya-no!” our neighbor said when she saw Mozzy in the cone of shame. “You have a-ruined him!” Perhaps in the Dominican Republic it is in poor form to neuter a dog that you could make a shitload of money on in stud fees, but my left leg just couldn’t take any more loving, people.

forgiven

Luckily, he forgave us.

That January and February, I still was deep in the BadLands. Some days, I didn’t know what else to do so I just plopped onto the floor and surrendered for a while, seeking guidance or motivation or a message from the universe. What I got was 3 pounds of white fur and pink tongue and wiggly body, cuddled next to mine, for as long as I intended to stay there. Some days, we logged a lot of floor time. Sometimes I’d talk but mostly we’d just sigh a lot and wonder if we needed a snack.

We walked for a long time in the afternoons, that winter, unless the ground was blanketed in ice, treacherous. Our breath came out in ghostly bursts and our noses dripped and I abandoned my earmuffs for ridiculous, puffy headphones, where I blasted Jets to Brazil on constant repeat.

In March, I got the flu, fainted in the kitchen, fell backward onto the hardwood floor, cracked a hole in the drywall and suffered a concussion (my third). I couldn’t drive and felt like I had oatmeal in my brain, so floor time was big. Against better judgment, my husband and I still took the girls to California for spring break and I spent a good deal of time hurling into airsick bags on planes. I sat on benches at the amusement park, relishing the sunshine and waving at my husband and the girls as they boarded rides that spin and dip and twist and even upside-down.

I sat on benches, feeling like a party-pooper and a crank.

“Mommy, look!” Miss M. waved as she was about to board yet another ride I couldn’t go on. I waved feebly and fought a wave of nausea as someone walked past me with an enormous, greasy funnel cake.

Suddenly, I really, really wanted to be at home, on the floor, with my dog.

I missed him. Wrenchingly so.

“Jesus, I’ve become one of those people,” I thought. “Those crazy, weirdo people who do dipshit things like make homemade dog treats or dress their mutts up for holidays or take them to see freaking Santa for chrissakes. You know, the kind of people you’ve always made fun of? Guess what? Who’s laughing now?”

I have yet to haul the Mozz-man to the Megamall to see Santa, but if I get any goofier about that little guy, all bets may be off. On his first birthday, I made him the dang homemade dog treats, for Heaven’s sake! I also went out, purchased and cooked him a lovely piece of wild salmon from the gourmet fish market.

I’m nuts.

I’ve always been nuts, but now I’m that much nuttier.

Wild Uncle Johnny, I apologize now. I get it, and you’re right. Dogs love better than anybody.

Sure, nothing was easy about Mozzy at first, and it wasn’t just the timing of his arrival or the fact that I was under water. There was the ear fungus, the destroyed sofa, the bout of Giardia when he got into a dead bird. There was the time he brought in a stick from the yard that turned out to be the thigh bone of a freshly killed rabbit. There was the expensive electric fence (which ultimately failed). There was stealth poop and freezing walks and lots of lost sleep.

There were many battles with the cat for household domination.

interloper                                                                                                                                           ^cat’s still mad

 

There were times when we were kind of annoyed by being slave to a needy little dog who doesn’t respect personal space.

baby face

There has been sacrifice involved. A lot of it.

But when I see that little face in the morning, and it’s the first thing I see, because that little bugger has weaseled his way into sleeping in the bed, I’m very glad. That face, and puppy kisses, and a wagging tail take the sting out of getting out of bed. It’s been a big reason why I can get out of bed. That right there is no small thing.

When my husband is at work and the girls are at school and the cat is taking yet another epic snooze, the house is quiet but I’m not lonely. As I wrestle with words and tap keys, I have a little white companion at my feet, waiting patiently for me to finish. If I get up for a drink of water or a pee break or a snack, I can hear the clack of his paws on the hardwood as he follows, my faithful shadow. He thinks I’m fascinating.

wagging

Maybe he’s right.

 

 

So which one is it?

Am I sweetness? Am I sickness?

If I choose both,

You would say I lack commitment.

Of course you’re right.

Of course I’m right.

-Jets to Brazil

 

 

 

 

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

Jennifer August 28, 2015 at 7:55 am

I love this. He’s helping you knit yourself back together.

Reply

Annie August 28, 2015 at 2:47 pm

I don’t think anything in the universe projects unconditional love quite like a good dog. They give you so much more than they require…

Reply

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