Dot`sThoughts

Sometimes it feels like I have someone else`s dog living at my house. All last winter Sassy refused to come in the house at night, even on the coldest nights. This year she stays in the house most of the time- day and night.
In her whole 10 1/2 years she never touched anything unless we handed it to her. I could leave meat on the counter or table without a worry that she would eat it. You could leave a sandwich or anything on the stand and know she might look over at it, but she would never touch it. That has changed. A couple weeks ago I came out from the other end of the house to find her having trouble trying to chew something because her mouth was way too full. I saw a paper plate sitting on the stand by my computer with one doughnut on the plate. I knew my Daughter who lives next door must have set it there. So, I knew sassy must have taken whatever else was on the plate. I phoned the Daughter and she said it was a pink frosted doughnut that was missing. Thankgoodness it wasn`t something that could harm her.

Then yesterday when I came home from therapy I found her chain tangled around a tiny tree stump out behind the shop. I had cut down the small tree because I got tired of going out to untangle her. Had one problem, only one arm to work the cutters with. I put one cutter handle on the ground and stepped one foot onto that handle. Then using my good left arm to shut the cutters ,I was able to cut down the tree. Only problem was I couldn`t cut it close enough to the ground that way and a short stem was left sticking up above the ground. I figured , since the tree trunk was only about an inch thick, it should bend easily when the chain wrapped around it. Was i ever wrong. So, I am still making trips out in back of the shop to get her loose from that tree stump. I intended on having one of the guys cut it lower when they all came on Christmas, but with so much going on, I forgot. Shouldn`t be too much longer before my shoulder is healed and I have strength back in my arm so I can finish cutting it next to the ground. Once I unhooked her she headed for the house and wanted in. After I let her in, she headed for the Laundry room where she prefers laying down. She has her own comfy bed in the other room, but prefers the Laundry room. It is cooler in there. After I got a bite to eat, I sat down at the computer to check out the e-mail. Suddenly I heard things falling. I headed for the laundry room to see what was falling, nothing there, not even sassy. Then I found her standing up in the bathtub. That realy shocked me as she hated having baths in all her 10 1/2 years. I fought to get her out of the tub and washed all her foot prints out of the tub and scoured it clean.
Then I came back to the computer. A few minutes later there was all that noise of things falling again. I knew it was the shampoo and other plastic bottle items being knocked over again. Sure enough , there she stood looking up at me from the tub again. When I started to pick her out of the tub, she balked and fought to stay in the tub. I finally gave up and decided to give her a bath. Was I ever surprised when she just stood still and let me give her a bath. This dog who hated baths was standing still letting me rub on shampoo and wash off the soapsuds. Who is this dog who looks exactly like my Border Collie Sassy??? I was feeling like I had someones elses dog-- not my Sassy who hated baths. I couldn`t do a very good washing job as my shoulder strarted giving me a hard time. But at least she got a halfway washing. Once I got her wiped off, she again tried to get back into the tub. Now I have to keep my bathroom door shut like you do when you have small kids in the house. Once I shut the bathroom door, she headed into my bedroom where she had never gone in all these years. So, another door to keep closed. I never let her in the bedroom because I found her hair started up my allergy and I have enough going with sleeping with the c-pap machine for sleep apnea. Not so bad in the rest of the house as it is in the closed up bedroom.
Later my daughter phoned me to tell me that Sassy had gotten tangled under the back porch while i was gone for therapy. She did that one day last week also. I found her chain wrapped around one of the porch support legs. So, I had my youngest son pile some cement blocks across the opening under the porch to block her out. Well, while I was at therapy she had knocked over the top cement blocks and gotten under the porch. MY Daughter told me she had an awful time getting her loose. That was before she headed out back to tangle her chain around the tree stump. She is suddenly acting like a mischieveous child going from one thing to the next. This morning, before leaving for therapy, I got some fencing from the garage and wrapped it around the open section under the back porch to keep her out from under that porch. Now, I am hoping she doesn`t find a way to get the fence down or climb under it.
Some days I worry that her eyesight might be getting bad. I have seen her drop a treat and have to smell around to find it. I have her regular yearly check-up scheduled for Jan. 4th, so will also have her eyes checked while I am there.
She has always been such a well behaved dog who obeys so well. I am puzzled as to why she is acting so different. Today she acts like she isn`t feeling so good. Her nose isn`t real warm, but it also isn`t as cold as it usually is. She didn`t even want to eat her food this morning. But, I did manage to get some milk down her. I wrapped a half of an aspirin in a piece of ham and she ate that and went to lay down. She even decided to stay in the house while i was off for therapy. Finally this afternoon she did eat her food, her tail started waving fast again and she acted a bit more lively. I will be watching her well the next few days to see if her nose gets warm or she acts dumpy again. Hoping she doesn`t get sick. She isn`t bending her head on a slant, or digging her ears, so don`t think it is an ear problem. Border Collies are known for ear infections. I even rubbed around her ears and it didn`t bother her. It was real cold out the other day, so she might have caught cold from being caught and not able to get into her hay lined doghouse. Maybe she will decide to stay inside again tomorrow while I am at therapy. Hope so, so she won`t get caught on the tree trunk and not reach her coop while I am gone.
She is my loyal protector that I depend on. I feel so safe knowing she is here with me. Don`t know how I would manage without her company. Border Collies are such smart dogs.

One time when Hubby and i took her to the vets, she suddenly started snarling at another dog that was in the waiting room. That was so unlike her. She was never one to fight with other dogs. We soon understood her warning to that other dog. When the vet came out for the other dog, that dog suddenly lunched at the vet and would have bitten him if the ownere hadn`t yanked the chain pulling that dog back. So, Sassy was right to threaten that dog to stay away from where we were sitting. Our loving protector.
Another time she didn`t recognize my son with his friends motorcycle jacket and helmet on, plus he was wearing sport shoes instead of his usual hard-toed shoes . When he started to walk into our home, Sassy refused to let him in. Once I had my son remove the helmet so she could see it was him, she started waving her tail and trying to get him to play with her and he was allowed in the house.
Well, she just sounded like she might up-chuck, so I just let her outside. Hope she isn`t getting sick. She should be back at the door soon wanting to come back in.
Guess I will sign this off so I can go check on her.
PS: She was ok and followed me back to the house, wanted in and is now laying on her bed chewing a piece of rawhide that she always enjoys. She seems to be feeling better right now, hope it lasts.