How is it…

…that we have more room now – in actual floorspace, almost twice as much – and yet Little Bear is now contriving to be underfoot at all times?

As you can imagine, living in such a small cabin with such a large dog does not consist entirely of upsides. But when the Lair was a single room LB kept to his wall. Ever since I knocked a big hole in his wall – quite some time ago now – he doesn’t seem to know where he wants to lie except it should be directly in the path of wherever Daddy wants to go next.

I assume he uses his Dog Telepathy to determine where his next ambush should, er, lie.

Also, he has finally figured out that it is no longer necessary to wait for Daddy to actually get out of bed before demanding his morning tribute. At least he hasn’t tried climbing in with me. Yet.

Except he's black, so not the least bit racist.

Except he’s black, so not the least bit racist.

Also: I never know how Little Bear will behave around a stranger. If it’s a large man, probably he’ll react with fear and hostility. If it’s a woman, probably he’ll greet her with tentative acceptance. Prior to this weekend there has only been one person he instantly accepted with love and devotion, and that’s Landlady. Ever since puppyhood he has loved Auntie Lady. Can’t get enough of her.

She was the only one prior to this past weekend, that is. This weekend we added another person to the exclusive list. Landlady brought a guest to visit the Lair Saturday, someone LB could never have met, and he greeted her like a long-lost favorite sister. Wouldn’t leave her alone. Found every particle, every theoretical concept of her entirely delightful.

The guest was Landlady’s mother.

A pheromone thing, maybe? Something in the genes?

About Joel

You shouldn't ask these questions of a paranoid recluse, you know.
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7 Responses to How is it…

  1. Ben says:

    Actually Joel, you have less than perfect vision, are at least somewhat trip-prone, and are now in the second half of your lifespan. What that all leads to is trips that cause broken extremities and (worse) broken hips. You really don’t need an unpredictable trip-point in your path.

    I know of at least one man who never recovered after tripping over his dog.

    You and Bear need to figure this out.

    And good for Bear. He now has two Landladies to love!

  2. jabrwok says:

    Dogs are very scent-oriented creatures, so if you ever have any other new guests who you want LB to accept, just have Landlady spend some time with them first:-).

  3. MamaLiberty says:

    I do wish I could figure out why our dogs insist on being such a trip hazard. I tend to trip and fall easily anyway now, and I just have to keep my eyes open and slow down regardless. Long ago I had a 1/2 Rottweiler/ 1/2 black Labrador that weighed 140 pounds. He would lay down directly behind me at times, such as when I was washing dishes. I had to look behind me constantly to keep from falling over backwards when I went to move. And he was so big and solid that it didn’t bother him at all if I fell ON him. LOL He thought I was playing with him.

  4. Joel says:

    I’ve fallen over LB a couple of times over the years and he didn’t think it was a game. The best I can say about the incidents is “a dog can tell the difference between being tripped over and being kicked.” But he doesn’t seem to enjoy either.

  5. MamaLiberty says:

    I don’t think most dogs enjoy being tripped over, but the rottie was an exception. He weighed more than I did at the time, and he was built like a tank. 🙂 Thank goodness he was well trained.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Ben makes excellent although depressing points about fall proofing your home. Lb is staying especially close I think because of so much change. You’re as grumpy and predictable as ever and therefore, comforting. Nice to see life working better for you.

  7. Tennessee Budd says:

    My about-6-year-old tomcat is named “Speedbump”, for his uncanny ability to be lying in a constricted spot somewhere along the way to where I’m going. At times, he finds a place I haven’t even gone yet–if I come home intending to do a load of laundry, like as not he’ll park himself before the washer about 10 minutes before I head that way.

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