Zoey lets me know when I’m too slow dishing out the food.
It happens every time we feed the dogs: they park themselves just beyond the border of the kitchen tiles, waiting impatiently for me to serve breakfast.
First, they shift their weight from one haunch to the other as I dole out the kibble and homemade “mush” (ground up sweet potato, apple and occasional cauliflower). Next, Zoey stands as I drizzle the mixture with canine-specific Omega 3s. If she’s really hungry, she’ll emit a few choice howls and yips.
By the time I sprinkle the food with what I call “liver crumbs,” or the leftover bits at the bottom of the liver-treat bag, they’re both on their feet, ready to spring into action as soon as the bowls hit the floor.
I needn’t bother with all of the extra accoutrements; invariably, they guzzle the food in record time, the occasional slurp or snort punctuating the feeding frenzy.
And then, before I can say “Out of the Kitchen,” it’s over.
They lift their heads from their respective bowls, eyes glazed as if they’re caught in the middle of a busy intersection in LA. They glance furtively from the bowls to the kitchen countertop where I’m wiping away the last vestiges of mush.
As a last resort, they return to their now-empty bowls and lick them one last time in the hopes they may have missed a few stray molecules.
They train their eyes on me as they sidle up and begin to nuzzle my thigh. Zoey stares intently while Jasper might whimper, just a little.
I assure them that breakfast is over. I pat their heads. But they don’t move. They’re unconvinced, despite my assurance.
I can almost hear them grumbling, “What? You mean THAT’S IT? That’s all there is? How could it have come to an end so quickly–?”
And that, dear reader, is exactly how I feel as we reach this juncture of Be the Dog.
Today marks the penultimate installment of our canine friends and the lessons they’ve taught us, each and every week for almost a year. In fact, next up is Week 51.
How could it have come to this point so quickly–?!
I don’t know about you, but I was a little shocked when I realized I’ve been writing this column for over a year now (if we count the three “intro” posts, the memorial to Chaser and the mid-way reflection post, the current tally is 55 weeks).
No, the shock isn’t because I wondered whether I’d make it to this point. I work a few weeks ahead, after all, and ensured I’d be able to cover at least 52 ways that dogs can teach us to be better humans (as it turns out, there are actually a few extra drafts of even MORE traits that I could, conceivably, write about, if requested).
The shock is actually because of how quickly the time seems to have elapsed.
It may be a cliche, but only because it’s true: time flies. And, as my dad used to remark, it flies even faster the older you get. (Which makes sense, right? Because when you’re ten, a summer is only 1/10 of your life.
But at my age, it’s, like, one minute out of an hour. That’s fast).
Who knew when I started this site in September, 2022, that we’d lose Chaser not long into the experiment? And, even less likely, that we’d become proud dog-parents of a goofy 95-pound male German Shepherd only four months after that?
And yet, here we are, with just two installments left before the originally-planned year is up. And that leaves me with the question: what next?
That’s where YOU, dear reader, come into the story.
I’d like to ask what YOU would enjoy reading in this space moving forward.
More dog stories? (I’m pretty much a “crazy dog lady,” so, quite honestly, I could keep writing about our canine brood for, well, a very long time. But is that what you’d like to read?)
Food-related stories, as I used to post on my food blog? (Recipes included).
Maybe you’d prefer random ramblings about life, the state of the world, the unexpected behaviors of humans everywhere?
Or perhaps I should choose a new theme, and riff on that for the next 52 weeks?
Really, anything goes. I’m open. And I’d love to hear what you think.
Please leave a comment (even if haven’t before now!), and let me know.
What would you like to read in this space coming up? Because in the end, I really am writing these stories for you.
And before we head into the final stretch over the next two weeks. Let me say Thank You for sticking with Be the Dog this long.
Stay tuned for the almost-last column, in your inbox next week.
Until then, big hugs to you–
Ricki
PS . Don’t worry, I do have some ideas up my sleeve just in case. But I’d much rather hear from you first
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Follow up to last week’s challenge: express your emotions in a healthy way.
This past week, as it turned out, was a perfect opportunity to practice calm and healthy emotions. What better way than to have a major argument with your spouse?
I’m not even going to share what the fight was about, because telling you that we argued for almost 30 minutes about tamari almonds would just make me feel ridiculous. Oh, wait, I guess the cat’s out of the bag (actually, the almonds were).
In any case, I did manage to catch myself before there were almonds scattered over the floor (almost as dangerous as marbles). Deep breaths, remind myself that “you cannot change another person” (and also that “I love my husband”) before just letting it go.
Some more positive emotions emerged as well: last week, I attended the first of, we hope, many annual conferences put on by my business coach. I was one of ten guest speakers in addition to the headliners, who had the opportunity as a result of a contest my coach held for her students.
When I finally descended the stage after my speech, I was met with several attendees who delivered hugs and messages of appreciation. I can tell you, the tears did flow in that instance, too, but in the best way possible.
What does it say about me that I cry when I’m sad–and also when I’m frustrated, angry–and also, happy? I turned out more like my mother than I care to admit, that’s what it says. (It’s okay. I’m good with that).
Nevertheless, I’m sure my therapist would be proud. After all, everyone around knew exactly how I felt, and I wasn’t afraid to express it.
Next up: getting Mr. Spock hubby to express his emotions freely. Wish me luck.
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As always, thank you for reading. If you enjoy Be the Dog, please share it with someone else! Or support me and my writing by subscribing with a paid or free subscription. I’ll be eternally grateful either way.
Wow, ONE year already. You know that is 7 years of writing to a dog. To a Galapagos tortoise you are still just a 3rd grader.
Happy (early) birthday to the blog! It's been such a treat to read these installments week after week. I think a new theme would be fun. I will say that one of the things I've most enjoyed about your posts is the self-reflection/coach-y spin and I would like to keep seeing some of that sprinkled through. If you do dip your toes back into the food world, may I suggest a post dedicated to dog treats? It would be fun nod to the last year 😉 Chunky is a picky eater in the "cheese and meat only" kind of way, but I'm curious if there are other things he might like... Excited to see what you decide to do next -- and congratulations 🎊!!