Remus and Me

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From time to time, it is my privilege to board my son’s family dog, Remus, aka “Remus the Depressed.” And so it was for the past two weeks. Remus arrived complete with her travel kennel and a few pounds of kibble. As soon as I erected the kennel, she crept inside and lay down with an audible sigh. My expectations for the coming two weeks were low.

Remus is a large dog. Her parents were Great Pyrenees and Border Collie. I am sure they were both from good families. Her disposition is even and she tolerates children very well. That is a good thing, too. The two boys in her household do not show her much respect. They are not mean or hurtful, but they are young boys, filled with curiosity.

They raise her jowls and observe her substantial tooth collection. They eat her food, just to see who is getting the better deal. Remus tolerates it without complaint.

I decided to do more to entertain my guest. Perhaps a more active “vacation” would appeal to her and lift her gloomy mood. So I did.

First, I let her out into the backyard to tend any necessary business she might have. Then, I let her remain outdoors for a while to enjoy the mild winter air. She took full advantage of the opportunity.

She even trotted next door to investigate the dog scent coming from my neighbor’s yard. In a few seconds, all Hell broke loose. I heard the Mastiff pup woofing up a storm followed by a light brown blur speeding to my backdoor.

Seems it will take a while for the two to become friends. Remus never went back for a second meeting, demonstrating good judgment and a will to live.

Next, my daughter dropped her two wild Indians at my place. They are sweet grandchildren, but they have different opinions of dogs. My granddaughter was convinced Remus was smooching her. My grandson saw the same lick as more of a tasting prior to devouring him. The entire affair left him a little nervous and cranky. Remus truly enjoyed their company and was all smiles the rest of the day.

I added a few minutes of combing to her evening routine. She is good for about ten minutes of having her under coat ripped out with a comb, and then the session is over.

She also enjoyed following me about on my daily rounds. She followed me to retrieve the mail. We collected the morning newspaper together. At odd moments, we headed off into the “back 40” for some wide area sniffing and exploring.

I rather enjoyed it, too.

The only dark moments came when I entered my office only to be greeted by large poops.  Older and wiser now, I shovelled the mess out the door and scrubbed the floor with bleach.  I was irritated, but I held no grudge.

Yesterday, my daughter-in-law, Tam, came to retrieve her pet. Remus was as excited to see her as she was when I handed her a giant ham bone earlier in the week. In ten minutes, they were gone.

Now, here I sit, with no one to play with. Rats.

Maybe I will buy another dog.

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