Of Dogs and Weaving

June 10, 2023

Of Dogs and Weaving

The Feisty pack has been stable for a while now.

Rita is closing in on twelve. CoalBear will be eight by the end of the summer, and Bane turned seven this past March.

As they are larger dogs, the life span for Rita and Bane, according to Google, is 10 to 12 years. For CoalBear, that period of time extends to between 12 and 16 years, but it is still far too short if you ask me.

Here is Rita when Bane was a puppy:

Rita has significant arthritis in her knees and back. One of her hind legs has been giving her trouble for years. Daily Cosequin supplements are instrumental in keeping her as active and pain-free, as possible. She is nearly blind, and her selective hearing is questionable, at best; however, she continues to eat happily, greets us with wags, and is her normal sweet self. What has become more concerning is her apparent dementia.

The evening routine remains the same.

Once they are fed between 5:00 and 6:00 pm, the big dogs come in and hang with us. Because he is special, CoalBear rarely leaves my side.

Bane is the keeper of time.

At 9:00 sharp, he gets up and stands in front of me. If I make no attempt to move, he steps closer and lays his head on my arm or leg, whichever is easier to reach. When I ask him what he wants, he silently moves to the back door. If I do not respond at all, he will sigh and go into the bedroom to lie on his mat next to my bed.

However, when I stand, they all rush to the door.

It’s the one time of day I accompany them outside.

CoalBear is quick to relieve himself and runs back to the door.

Bane does a perimeter check and takes care of business before hovering at my side.

Rita walks into the yard, stops, and looks around trying to figure out why she is there. It takes her forever to remember what to do, but she eventually does. Then I have to call and beg her to come back inside.

The other day, she was completely confused and freaked out a bit. She ended up walking to the back of the yard and crawling under the utility trailer. She was unresponsive when I walked out to get her. Frustrated, I came in and told Brad “his” dog refused to come in.

After I had retired for the evening, Brad went out and called her to him. She was still under the trailer and refused to budge. He had to walk all the way out there and encourage her to come to him, which she finally did, and he was able to put her to bed. He later told me he thought she had dementia and wasn’t sure if she would make it to the end of the summer.

This is actually really sad because despite her constant shedding, her flat tiring me and bumping into my legs as I try to walk around, and her sneezing on me, she has been a good dog. She has always been sweet, cheerful, and loving. Moreover, it has been Rita’s calm and laid-back nature, which has set the tone for our entire pack. Rita is the reason all the dogs are chill.

A good friend texted me a few weeks ago. She had lost her faithful wheaten terrier to age and infirmity after the first of the year. In her initial heartbreak, she stated at the time she was not going to get another dog, but fortunately with time came healing and perspective.

Her message read: “I have been thinking about CoalBear.”

CoalBear is a sweetie.

I responded: “I have been following a Texas breeder on Instagram because my next dog will be a Havanese. They have a litter right now.”

I sent her the information. She called immediately and was told the entire litter was female. She wanted a male. The breeder gave her the contact information for a friend in Marble Falls who had a litter with all males.

The following day, my friend and I drove to Blanco to meet the lady with her eight six-week-old male puppies.

She immediately found her love match, and I wanted to take two of them home with me.

However, three dogs is a lot, especially when either or both of the daughters travel, and we dog sit for them. It has not been uncommon for us to have our three and their two for a few weeks at a time. Then, when my mother visits, she brings her dog...

The mind says one thing, but the heart tells a different story.

A couple of weeks passed because the puppies were not quite ready to go home, and my friend was traveling.

The breeder Faye reached out to me on Facebook and sent me a friend request. I accepted.

Several minutes later, Faye sent me a message: “Hey. I saw your pics of towels you made in December. Did you weave them?”

I responded in the affirmative, and she immediately replied: “SERIOUSLY!! I picked up a tabletop weave (loom) at an estate sale and want to learn so badly. It’s been sitting for a year now.”

Of course, I invited her to come over and offered to teach her to weave.

She is scheduled to do that today.

This past Sunday, my friend picked up her beautiful puppy.

Monday, I noticed Faye had uploaded a video of the six puppies she has remaining. Not long after, Brad asked: “What do you want for your birthday?”

Well, you know what I said, right?

Meet Roscoe.