May 2009 Archives

My youngest child is my largest. Matt, 15, is 6-foot-3 with size-15 feet. Sweet kid, youngest of five, loves photography and dreams of being an ornithologist. But Juneau is terrified of him. As soon as she hears his size-15 Frankensteins clomping downstairs each morning, Juneau starts barking, growling and cowering.
Well, Matt stayed home sick from school yesterday. I shamelessly seized my son's illness as an opportunity to save a day's cost on doggie care.
First, I had to somehow get out of the house without Juneau. She quickly kept following me out the door, too scared stay home alone with Matt.
Finally, I made it.
Late morning, I telephoned Matt to ask how he felt and if he could take Juneau out to the yard to do her business. He told me he wasn't sure where Juneau was. She was hiding somewhere in the house.
He found her on the floor in my room. When he picked her up, she was so scared, she pooped a bit on his arm.
But, I saved $26 and Matt is all better and eager to get back to school.

I go to the basement to check my emails on the computer, you follow me. I hop into bed to read or sleep, you jump and put your front paws on the bed to see what I am doing. I go to put out the trash, you jump to look out the window to make sure I am not escaping.
But if I go to pat you, you put your tail between your legs and retreat into a quivering sit.
You're a strange one, Juneau.
You're 10 months old, and I am becoming resigned to the possibility you'll always be scared.
The rest of the family is starting to think we picked a clunker of a pet. My daughter Annie is using the fact you seem happy only around other dogs as an excuse to ask for another dog to keep you company. If I could afford double the doggie-day-care costs, I'd consider it.
Regardless, you're still cute.

The above photo shows an unsuspecting Juneau headed off to doggie day care this morning. "Daddy" Dave was off to work after three days off. Juneau thinks she is headed to the big field at Middlesex Fells to frolic with her friends and me. She likes doggie day care, but I'm glad she likes me more. I was off during April school vacation and it seemed Juneau was no more than three feet from me the entire week.
The major issue right now with Juneau is her territorial attachment to me. She barks and growls -- yet still retreats -- whenever I am sitting with her and someone approaches. Like at my son's baseball games. The worst barking and growling is when my youngest son Matt approaches Juneau and me sitting in the same room.
If I am not home, no barks or growls at Matt. Juneau also does not bark or growl at other people who approach me with dogs.
She is not so threatening now, but still, this is a disturbing behavior that needs to be broken.
Meanwhile, while I was writing for the newspaper last week about swine flu, my real concern was kennel cough. A notice went home with Juneau last week that two dogs at her doggie day care facility came down with kennel cough.
But it has now been five days, and no coughs from Juneau. Just occasional barks and growls.