Old dog, new trick.

[ivymcallister]

My morning included a trip to the local municipal Hell building to get my dog license renewed. Of course I got sidetracked into petting and generally fussing over an obviously elderly hound dog that was sitting in a pickup truck in the parking lot. One of his owners was right there, waiting for her partner to renew their own dog license. As I made over the dog, she said that they'd put off renewal because the old guy had been so ill for a while that they were certain he wouldn't survive, but that he's really surprised everyone and they're hoping he's going to stay with them for a while longer.

He's definitely an old guy, but it looked like he still has a good year or more left in him. He was tail-wagging and cheery, and it was fairly obvious that he was thoroughly enjoying the quality scratching that long nails can provide. The owner jokingly told him to enjoy it while it lasted since she wasn't about to grow her nails just to give him better scratchies, and I suggested that a cheap, plastic-bristled hair brush is just as effective.

I made over him until the other woman came out with their license, at which point I said goodbye and headed to the grocery. When they drove off, it was (ostensibly) with the intention of stopping at the drugstore up the road to buy a brush with plastic bristles.

I love dogs. Love them. Don't always love people, but sometimes they surprise me. (And in all seriousness, I don't know where the animal rescue community would be without GLBT folks. It seems like easily half the people I know who are involved with fostering, sheltering, or rescue fall into one of those categories.)

Comments

[dpfesh.livejournal.com]

awws! I miss having a "doggie friend" of any sort. I love my kitties, don't get me wrong..but there's a certain "thing" with dogs that i miss too.

And i totally hope to foster some baby kittymonsters again sometime once i'm down to fewer perma cats.