The Dog Lady Blog

Animals in general.  Dogs in particular, and birds seem to dig me.  The Sacred Four I have right now were watching "The Lion in Winter" last night.  I got up to go tinkle and reaching down to gently stroke her, Desi lurched from her sleep and grabbed by right forearm, hurting me but not really me; Desi respects our home and tends to mind her manners most of the time.  Anyway, there was blood, shame and regret.  She skulked out onto the porch and when I approached her, she simultaneously cowered, extended her left paw to me and bared her teeth.  Noiselessly.  In other moments this canine cuspid exhibition might be construed as a "smile" and thereby rewarded for it by us, by our response: "oh, HOW cute!  She's SMILING!"

I crouched down and accepted Desi's proffered paw, and spoke in low, calm tones, "...just relax, Dezzzz."
She was drooling and I realized it was plain and simple anxiety.  Such an awful feeling, one I completely understand.  Where's the Trust?  Where's the Safety?  So we sat for a moment, in the dark on the porch, Desi and I, still and quiet. I slowly took my right palm and rubbed it against the side of her mouth, stretching back the corners of her mouth (simulating her Mother cleaning her face after their feeding.  It's a bonding exercise, one you can re-adapt in one way or another for any species but with anyone in the Canis family, trust me with the corner of the mouth tip...).  Within a few seconds, she relaxed, layed down beside me and we were all okay.

Time to sleep.