Dreaming Dog
Watching Tv, tonight. No sleep possible. Dakota, sleeping near me, on his bed. He kinda chortled, laughed or something, his paws and forelegs were flexing. Perhaps he is chasing a rabbit or maybe he is running away. It caused him to wake after couple minutes.
I may have noted it before but I picked up a .22 the other evening because the coyotes seemed closer. The sight of it made him tremble. I put it away quickly but he continued to shake. He laid down next to my wife's chair and refused to leave her side or mine the rest of the evening. Someone we knew shot him and a bulldog because they trespassed on his vacant field across, from us, several years ago with a.410. I think he still has a few pellets, in his left foreleg. he limps a bit sometimes. Saying all that to say animals,or at least dogs have memories.
The sight, of any gun makes him tremble. No amount of reassuring works to take away the fear. Doesn't matter if it is a pellet gun or whatever. We rubbed his ears and chin and petted him.
Finally late that evening he got up from beside our bed and went to sleep on his.
He knows what a gun is and can do. Not afraid. of us but guns. Makes me take pause about possibly shooting the coyotes. They have scared the deer and turkeys to other fields apparently.
Dakota has gone back to sleep.
Another thing I've learned is that he much prefers to be petted than to be praised. He loves us and will come by and lick us because he has no hands. I do wish he could learn to brush his teeth.
I may have noted it before but I picked up a .22 the other evening because the coyotes seemed closer. The sight of it made him tremble. I put it away quickly but he continued to shake. He laid down next to my wife's chair and refused to leave her side or mine the rest of the evening. Someone we knew shot him and a bulldog because they trespassed on his vacant field across, from us, several years ago with a.410. I think he still has a few pellets, in his left foreleg. he limps a bit sometimes. Saying all that to say animals,or at least dogs have memories.
The sight, of any gun makes him tremble. No amount of reassuring works to take away the fear. Doesn't matter if it is a pellet gun or whatever. We rubbed his ears and chin and petted him.
Finally late that evening he got up from beside our bed and went to sleep on his.
He knows what a gun is and can do. Not afraid. of us but guns. Makes me take pause about possibly shooting the coyotes. They have scared the deer and turkeys to other fields apparently.
Dakota has gone back to sleep.
Another thing I've learned is that he much prefers to be petted than to be praised. He loves us and will come by and lick us because he has no hands. I do wish he could learn to brush his teeth.
