The Neighborhood Watch

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animal, animals, bridge, canine, Charles Dickens, coyote, coyotes, Dickens, dog, dog blog, Edgar, elizabeth gaskell, fiction, FinderDog, fire hydrant, friend, friends, Gaskell, German Shepherd, human, Humphrey, hydrant, man, Mary Barton, Master Humphrey's Clock, meet, mystery, narrative, Nature, neighborhood, park, pet, photo, photography, photos, plan, puppy, quest, quotes, sniff, visit, woman

Friendless I can never be, for all [dog]kind are my kindred, and I am on ill terms with no one member of my great family.

-Charles Dickens, Master Humphrey’s Clock, courtesy of litquotes.com

While I endeavor to develop a suitable plan or to hear from Edgar–or both, I have decided that it cannot be ill to befriend additional local canines.  To this end, I’ve convinced Man and Woman to take me further afield, to other neighborhood parks to meet other dogs.

I am a most congenial animal and get along with every dog I should happen to meet, so long as she or he is largely free of character defects, as I am.  I do like to play with all the toys at once, so of course, friends of mine must take this into consideration and accept their roles in Nature’s hierarchy.  I am as I was made.  I do love to have other dogs chase me, and occasionally I meet a worthy opponent who can beat me to a ball when it is thrown or who can manage to relieve me of the ball once it is in my jaws.  At other times, I love for my canine companions to chase me and to strive to take the ball, even if they strive in vain.

But I ramble…

I only met a few dogs this morning, and do not have photographs to share, but I will keep a careful record of those I meet here, to aid my recollections when I speak to Edgar.  It may be that we can share our mission with worthy dogs who can help us to overcome the coyotes.

In that spirit:

I met a young pup who looked to me to be a beagle.  He was very friendly, though a bit intimidated by my size and noble bearing.  We sniffed one another quite politely, but were not able to engage in a very meaningful conversation.

Other dogs I hallooed from afar, including a charming Airedale Terrier and another German Shepherd, like myself.

The park was quite lovely.  I found many new scents and paused a moment to view the hydrant in the midst of the trees and clover–an object dear to human and canine set strangely in nature’s glorious flora.

Near the end of my stroll with Woman and Man, we stood for a moment on a bridge.  I looked out between the railings and mused once more on the strange combination of human industry and bucolic landscape which I could see before me.  Just so are humans and dogs combined, are they not?  Mostly, they can coexist quite peacefully, yet there is an important balance which must be maintained.

There are some fields near Manchester, well known to the inhabitants as “Green Heys Fields,” through which runs a public footpath to a little village about two miles distant. In spite of these fields being flat, and low, nay, in spite of the want of wood (the great and usual recommendation of level tracts of land), there is a charm about them which strikes even the inhabitant of a mountainous district, who sees and feels the effect of contrast in these commonplace but thoroughly rural fields, with the busy, bustling manufacturing town he left but half-an-hour ago. Here and there an old black and white farmhouse, with its rambling outbuildings, speaks of other times and other occupations than those which now absorb the population of the neighbourhood.

-Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton

A Lot to Mull Over…

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woman, man, orange boy, mystery, dog, German Shepherd, Mr. Bailey, pet, danger, quotes, fiction, run, narrative, dog blog, photography, photos, family, sniff, animal, brother, Humphrey, Edgar, Charles Dickens, photo, hens, chickens, coyotes, FinderDog, conspiracy, flowers, plot, plan, flower, hydrangea, hydrangeas, save the world, pact

It is not easy to walk alone in the country without musing upon something.

-Charles Dickens, courtesy of litquotes.com

I ran and ran and ran.  I sniffed the flowers.  I sniffed Mr. Bailey’s property lines.  I ran.  I hurtled through the bushes, the trees, the undergrowth.  I ran.

No matter how much I ran, I could not push the thoughts out of my head.  Edgar had much to tell during his mother’s day weekend visit, and his words have been running through my head again and again since then, at a faster and more persistent pace, even, than I, in my Olympiad greatness, can achieve.

“The coyotes are getting ready to make their move,” Edgar told me.  ”They suspect that we are investigating their activities and they have changed their timeline.”

“But what are they planning to do?”

“I can’t be absolutely certain, but from what I’ve gathered, they want to live a lifestyle more like yours and Mr. Bailey’s and Maggie’s.  They want to be snuggled and teased and fed in a bowl.  They want vet visits where lights are shined in their ears and their ribs are felt by people with advanced degrees.  They want to be played with and disciplined and crate-trained.

“They want all this, but they also want their freedom.  They want the moonlight on their fur and they want to howl in the night in order to strike fear into all of civilization.

“To achieve this, they have made a pact with domesticated animals sympathetic to their cause.  In exchange for their cooperation, the coyotes will allow these domesticated pets to roam free in the forest and will let them take forays into the world of the wild.”

“But Edgar, that doesn’t sound so terrible.  Why shouldn’t they get a little affection?  Why shouldn’t pets like me run free in the wilderness?”

“Because, Edgar, they will not keep their part of the deal.  They will attack the animals they made the bargain with once they get what they want.  Further, they are not fully in control of their wild instincts.  They will tear homes apart: they will eat carpets and shred drapes; they will howl and wake all the babies; they will scratch the floors; they will bite the hands that feed them.”

Even as Edgar said it, I knew it was so.

“What will we do?” I asked him.  ”What is our course?”

“I wish I knew,” Edgar said.  ”I wish I knew.”

I realized then how much I had depended on Edgar, and how much faith I had put into believing that he would somehow make everything turn out all right.  I needed to help him, now, to formulate a plan.  I told him I would think on it, and he made plans to come to see me again as soon as he might, so that we could discuss our next move.

“Leave word with the chickens if you have news,” he said.  ”I’ll do the same.”

Since that night, I have woken, legs pumping in terror, many times.  The strain of this situation upon my nerves has been great.  This weekend, as I ran past the chickens’ enclosure, I listened for word, but there was none…and I had none to leave.

Mr. Bailey observed my frantic racing and bid me pause.  ”You will run yourself ragged, Humphrey,” he said.  ”This is not the way to solve a problem.  Rest, sniff about you, and the solution will come to you when you least expect it.”

Working hard to place my trust in Mr. Bailey’s oft-proved wisdom, I slowed my pace and smelled the hydrangeas and other lovely plants of the yard.

I have no plan yet, but I will make one.  Together, Edgar and I will save us all.

Mother’s Day and Our Troubled Puppyhood

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animal, bond, brother, dog, dog blog, Edgar, family, fiction, FinderDog, Freud, German Shepherd, home, humor, Humphrey, love, Maggie, man, mother, Mother's Day, Mr. Bailey, mystery, narrative, orange boy, pet, photo, photography, photos, puppy, quest, quote, quotes, Sigmund Freud, sleep, woman

We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love.

-Sigmund Freud, courtesy of litquotes.com

Edgar has arrived, dear reader.  He has come to spend Mother’s Day with me.  I was glad to have him, as Mother’s Day always makes me thoughtful.  For so long, I was convinced that our mother was guilty of Edgar’s death, back when I thought of him as Orange Boy.  (See “The Sun Sets on Orange Boy” and earlier posts)

My mother.  She was beautiful, wasn’t she?  She was powerful, fast, and agile.  She was fierce, but she was loving, too.  I remember her warmth and her rough affection.  She wanted us to be tough, too.  For a long time, I did not understand her.  For a short time, after Edgar disappeared but before I was adopted by Man and Woman, I was a little bit afraid of her, despite the love I had for her and my dependence upon her.

She did attack Edgar, and Edgar was small and fuzzy and defenseless, as I was.  I know now, and I try to understand–she was only doing what her instincts told her, which was that Edgar was the weakest–that he had been chosen, not by her, but by nature as one who would not survive.  Thus, she would have ended his suffering and would have carried out a sentence which was not her own, but which was imposed upon them both.

Edgar arrived at my home after Woman and Man had gone to bed, and the two of us lay down together in the living room, cuddling as we had when we were young.

“Do you hate her?” I asked Edgar.

“No.  For awhile I did.  I could not understand what she had done, and I was on my own, just past infancy and without many survival skills.  I believe, though, if she could see me now, she would think that I am much stronger than she thought I was then.”

“You’ve become stronger than any of us,” I said.  ”I don’t know where our brothers and sisters are, but I know that you are stronger than I am.  She did not know what she did.”

Edgar whined and snuggled closer.

“Edgar, where have you been?  I’ve been worried,” I told him.

“Let’s speak of it tomorrow, Humphrey.  Is that all right?”

In answer, I snuggled closer to my brother and we slept as we had long ago when we were much smaller and our voices were much squeakier and the world was tinier and seemed perfectly safe.

Though neither of us had seen our biological mother in years, I had found another mother in Woman, as I had found a father in Man, though the relationships now were a bit more complicated.  When I was young, they cared for me and taught me as parents should, but of course, now, I am their protector, and I know secrets that they do not dream of.

I thought of the special bond I shared with Man and Woman and how they even let me sleep with them on their bed sometimes.  It was at those times that I particularly felt that warm, den feeling that I’d felt as a tiny puppy, surrounded by siblings and watched over by our mother.  I felt sorry for Edgar, who had no permanent home and no Man or Woman, but could only visit those he loved, like me and perhaps Mr. Bailey and perhaps…Maggie.  I understood, I thought, why he wanted to sleep one night in our home, curled up in family warmth that was only a memory to him on the eve a day meant to honor the bond between mothers and their puppies.

Taking on New Challenges: The Science of Excellence

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accomplish, animal, brother, challenge, dog, dog blog, dream, Edgar, excellence, family, fiction, FinderDog, frisbee, German Shepherd, habit, Herman Melville, humor, Humphrey, jump rope, love, Maggie, man, Melville, Moby Dick, Mr. Bailey, mystery, narrative, pet, photo, photography, photos, quest, quote, quotes, science, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, sniff, The White Company, train, woman

Yet habit–strange thing! what cannot habit accomplish?

-Herman Melville, Moby Dick, courtesy of litquotes.com

I have been taking on new challenges lately, including learning to jump rope, which I understand is not only a young girl’s excellent and demanding sport, but also a favorite training tool in many intense and respected manly stories.  The universality of this challenging activity drew me to it, and Man and Woman are assisting me in my desire to learn.  This artful canine has already mastered the art; he is my role model in this endeavor–see this video clip: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/12/double-dutch-dog_n_1421952.html

I shall share pictures once I progress further.

Not to be a one-trick-doggy, I have also been working on my frisbee skills.  A human may not realize it, but frisbees present several unique difficulties to those of us without opposable thumbs.  One must get just the right angle in order to pick up  the frisbee with one’s teeth.

Additionally, the frisbee, when thrown, is often unpredictable.  Whereas one can predict, by means of studying its parabolic passage, the landing place of a ball or such like toy, and thus leap and catch it effortlessly in one’s fearsome jaws, the frisbee can take sudden turns when caught by the breeze, or when thrown at a slightly altered angle.  Even when one manages to leap forward in the right location to catch the frisbee, the flat shape of the object makes getting a good tooth-grip especially trying.

I will admit, reader, that at times, in both these ventures, I have been severely tempted to give up altogether, and to walk away.

However, when I feel this temptation, I remember my previous triumphs and remember, too, those who depend upon me.  Where would Woman and Man be without my prodigious strength, my incredible bravery and my impressive dexterity?    I shudder to imagine.  What would Edgar do without my help?  Or Mr. Bailey?  I am but a mere point in a complex world of interconnections, a part of a web in which many souls are a part.  I recognize my responsibility, and ultimately, I will always embrace it.

I shall continue to practice and I shall get to know the frisbee and the jump rope intimately as objects and as parts of our mobile world, bound as we all are by laws of physics and the other sciences.  I will learn their secrets and they shall become my tools.

I confess that I grow concerned after not hearing from Edgar in some time.  I hope that he shall soon make contact again and reassure me that he is well and re-enlist me in the fight for justice and to protect those we love.

I also miss Maggie…and in my heart, I wonder…does she miss me?

Then must you strive to be worthy of her love.  Be brave and pure, fearless to the strong and humble to the weak; and so, whether this love prosper or no, you will have fitted yourself to be honored by a maiden’s love, which is, in sooth, the highest guerdon which a true knight can hope for.

-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The White Company, courtesy of litquotes.com

Almost Wordless Wednesday: Recovery and Readiness

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allergies, allergy, allergy pills, animal, Dixie Chicks, dog, dog blog, dog toys, feeling better, fiction, FinderDog, German Shepherd, health, humor, Humphrey, infection, itchy, licking, medicine, mystery, narrative, paw, photo, photography, photos, pill, pills, play, quest, Ready to Run, recovery, toy, toys, vet, veterinary, Wordless Wednesday

I am feeling much better!  I consulted with my veterinary physician and have been diligently taking my allergy pills (wrapped in cheese).  I am celebrating feeling less itchy with my new toys.  As it turns out, in addition to my newly discovered sensitivity to the great outdoors, I did have a bit of an infection as a result of some excessive paw-licking I indulged in during my stay at the canine inn with my friends and afterward.  Still, I feel full of vigor once more, and as the Dixie Chicks would say, “ready to run.”

 

The Bitter Sting of the Truth

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allergies, allergy, animal, animals, cone, doctor, dog, dog blog, e-collar, elizabethan collar, fiction, FinderDog, German Shepherd, hay fever, health, humor, Humphrey, itchy, itchy paws, man, medication, medicine, mystery, narrative, Nature, nose, paws, photo, photography, photos, pollen, pollen allergies, quest, vet, veterinarian, woman

Dear Reader:

Disturbing news.  I have been to the vet’s office and have consulted her advice.  We are running a few tests, but it appears that I am allergic to the very wilderness I love so much.  I am at the prime age (don’t ask what it is) for developing allergies, it seems.  I had been rubbing my nose a lot and scratching, and licking my paws…a bit too much, really, to tell the truth.  It really is impossible not to do so when I’m this itchy.

I will not let my allergies lower my spirits, however!  Woman has pollen allergies herself, and assures me one can still lead a very exhilarating and full life.  I suppose.

I’m in the cone due to my own lack of will power, it seems.  I didn’t want to put it on, but Woman and Man had such cheerful voices and gave me cheese and other treats.  Then it seemed all right, though it really does restrict one’s movement.  I’m sure if they took it off, I wouldn’t lick my paws again…or maybe I would, I’m not certain.

Man and Woman had gotten concerned that I might have allergies and then their anxiety increased when I didn’t approach my meals with the same vigor.  I’m sure I shall soon feel myself again.  I may check in with my physician in a few days just to ascertain the results of the tests.

Until then, I convalesce.  I shall take this time to rest body and soul.

Eye of the Coyote

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A Tale of Two Cities, animal, Charles Dickens, coyote, coyotes, dog, dog blog, family, fiction, FinderDog, German Shepherd, humor, Humphrey, learn, literature, man, mystery, narrative, Nature, outdoors, pet, photo, photography, photos, pond, quest, quotes, stream, Thomas Hardy, Under the Greenwood Tree

To dwellers in a wood almost every species of tree has its voice as well as its feature. At the passing of the breeze the fir-trees sob and moan no less distinctly than they rock; the holly whistles as it battles with itself; the ash hisses amid its quiverings; the beech rustles while its flat boughs rise and fall.

-Thomas Hardy, Under the Greenwood Tree, courtesy of litquotes.com

I have been delving deep into Nature’s world, and I think that this will help me to get into the mind of the coyote.  I shall learn to see things from his point of view, to smell things as he smells them, and to feel things as he feels them.

I swam in the pond. (“No, Humphrey, no!  Now you need a bath!”)

I drank from the stream, and not the mannerly, dog-way, but coyote fashion, standing in the stream.   (“No, Humphrey!  Well, OK.  You needed a bath anyway.”)

I ran through the woods, feeling the breeze in my ears (so I flattened them against my head).  I careened madly through the trees, cornering smoothly and only occasionally tripping (on purpose, to keep Woman and Man on their toes).  I learned to smell scents on the move and to listen to the minutest sound on the breeze.  Perhaps I’ll be able to go undercover: be the coyote, be the coyote…

When I returned home, to the slightly more urban suburban area where I and my people reside, it at first seemed a bit harder to maintain that feeling of my inner coyote.  Nature is a little less prominent, a little less present, but I looked out over my neighborhood (where I reign supreme, but am a benign and beloved presence) and I closed my eyes and opened my ears, my nose and my heart, and felt Nature’s presence, even there.

He lowered the window, and looked out at the rising sun. There was a ridge of ploughed land, with a plough upon it where it had been left last night when the horses were unyoked; beyond, a quiet coppice-wood, in which many leaves of burning red and golden yellow still remained upon the trees. Though the earth was cold and wet, the sky was clear, and the sun rose bright, placid, and beautiful.

-Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, courtesy of litquotes.com

Spring Dreams

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animal, bath, Charles Dickens, coyote, Dickens, dog, dog blog, dream, Edgar, F. Scott Fitzgerald, fiction, FinderDog, football, fox, garden, German Shepherd, Great Expectations, humor, Humphrey, man, Mr. Bailey, mystery, narrative, Nature, outdoors, pet, photo, photography, photos, quest, quotes, sports, spring, The Great Gatsby, toy, visit, woman

He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.

-F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, courtesy of goodreads.com

I have recently returned from a sojourn at my favorite inn, romping with other visitors while Woman and Man were away.  I was pleasantly exhausted, and spent a quiet day with Woman following my trip.  I helped her try to rescue the pachysandra plants with water and Miracle Grow.  She was grateful for my support.  It’s been said that I have quite the green paw.  I’ve always felt a deep connection to the earth and growing things.  Even in my meditative exhausted state, I felt a thrill of energy in sympathy with the new life of Spring bursting forth from the tired ground.

Over the past few weeks, I have been enjoying all of the wonders that nature has to offer and have been partaking in several of my favorite sports as well.  I feel certain that I will be recruited in the fall.  Mr. Bailey helped me practice.  He might get picked in the second round.

I did find signs of the coyotes in the yard.  Mr. Bailey mentioned to me, becoming serious, that he’d smelled the signs of them as well.  Neither of us had seen Edgar in a few weeks.  Mr. Bailey let me know that he’d left word with the chickens that he’d be gone; he was investigating some rumors further inland.

Woman and Man told me how much they missed me while they were away.  They can be funny sometimes, but I am fond of them.

On one another of my many visits to Mr. Bailey’s property, Mr. Bailey stood in a patch of low-bush blueberries yet to bloom and got a faraway look in his eyes.

“You know, Humphrey,” he said.  ”I have a theory about the coyotes.  I haven’t told it to Edgar yet, but I’d like to tell you.  I think they’re trying to experience our lives. I think they know we’ve got it pretty good, here, and they want to do what we do.”

“And what is that?” I asked him, not understanding.

“They want to be pets,” he said.  ”They want to be cuddled and loved and fed from a bowl.  They want toys, blankets, and soft human voices.”

I considered Mr. Bailey’s words.  Was it possible?  Could that be what they wanted?  We knew that one coyote at least had played football.  We knew that this pack was concentrating its activities where the humans were.  No coyotes had ever sought something like this before, though.

“I don’t know,” I told Mr. Bailey.  ”We’ll keep searching for the truth.”

“Of course,” said Mr. Bailey.  ”It’s just a theory.”

“It’s more than I have.  It could be a piece of the puzzle.  What has led you to that conclusion?”

Mr. Bailey paused, pensive.  ”I have spent some time examining the photographs that have been captured by the motion-activated camera that Woman’s father set up.  The coyotes seem to trace our steps.  Right after you or I have gone somewhere, done something, it seems like the coyotes do it too.  They trace our steps as if they were following the steps in a dance.  They play our parts, they–”

Before we could continue our conversation, Man and Woman interrupted.  They took advantage of the warm weather (so they said) to give me an outdoor bath.

Later, back at home, I couldn’t get Mr. Bailey’s words out of my head.  I felt nervous and had no idea what to do with my excess energy.  I played with my fox toy…

Feeling more tranquil, I curled up to sleep.  All will reveal itself in time…  Hopefully, Man and Woman will buy me a new stuffed animal…

Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence.  There’s no better rule.

-Charles Dickens, Great Expectations, courtesy of goodreads.com

Spring Arrives

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animal, bloom, blooming, dog, dog blog, FinderDog, flowers, forsythia, German Shepherd, happy, humor, Humphrey, narrative, pet, photo, photography, photos, spring, springtime, visit

Beachcombing

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animal, beach, dog, dog blog, fiction, find, FinderDog, German Shepherd, humor, Humphrey, man, mystery, narrative, pet, photo, photography, photos, sniff, train, weather, woman

Dear Reader, I know that I have not been as diligent in my scribblings (or typing) of late.  There has been much to see and do, and our apartment has been busy with the comings and goings of Man and Woman.

Yesterday, Man and Woman took me to the beach.  We had not been there for some time, as the weather had been rainy and quite cold, but this weekend brought sun and milder temperatures, and we ventured forth.

Woman and Man helped in my training by hiding rocks and letting me sniff them out and find them.  I am certain that this skill will be vital in the times to come.  I hone it now so that I may be useful to Edgar and the cause.