Sandy 4.0 and I have failed at traditional fetch.
He loves his bone, but he won’t give it to me to throw.
With his boney-bone tight in his teeth, he does a whirling-dervish dance. Then he runs, slides across the kitchen floor, and comes back wagging his stump of a tail. That was fun!
Yes, if you like playing solitaire.
When it’s time for bed, boney-bone is clamped in his jaws. In a corner of the bed, he’s doing the whirling-dervish thing again. Then he gnaws on boney-bone for a while. I prop my head on the pillows and pull out a book to read.
Now it’s time for the gravity game. Sandy places boney-bone at the edge of the bed, balancing it ever so carefully. He eases out into a tummy sploot, legs stretched behind him. He gives boney-bone a nudge or two with his nose, then snivels and settles.
Finally, it’s lights out and I put my book on the nightstand.
There are three outcomes of Sandy’s game of gravity.
First, foot-of-the-bed gravity trap. Middle of night, I kick my sleeping legs under the bedspread and accidently hit boney-bone. It tumbles off the bed, ricochets on the floor with a clatter, and bangs into the metal baseboard heater, waking both of us. Sandy retrieves boney-bone and hops back on the bed. Boy, that was fun.
The second scenario is that boney-bone is placed on the side of my bed. He noses it closer and closer to the edge. Again, if I roll and kick, off it goes, onto the area rug. Kerplunk! I roll over and Sandy barely stirs.
The third possibility starts with boney-bone falling onto the rug with such force that it bounces off and skittles under the dresser with a clackety-clack.
Hmmm. This is not good. Sandy hops down, sticks his nose under the dresser and starts crying. I hear his nails scrape under the dresser but boney-bone is out of reach. The whining and whimpering don’t stop.
It’s time for Momma action. I slowly ease out of the bed and get on all fours. With my long right arm, I reach under, scattering dust bunnies, and grasp boney-bone. Success! At least Mom is learning how to play fetch.
Lest you think I might wake up grumpy, no worries. During the morning hours, I practice pet-centered meditation. Ommmm.
I received The Petitation Companion by Elizabeth Paige and Joanne Leslie for Christmas. After reading the book, I became a believer. And, with vocal instructions that I can play on my computer, Elizabeth takes me (with Sandy on my lap) through a number of meditation themes. I breathe deep, exhale, do a body scan, pet my buddy. The two of us chill … and all is well. Laurie Lynch
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