I Wake With Dog

It's not quite five am and I'm really not ready to wake up, but Rocky's internal alarm clock is not synchronized with mine and I hear him start to moan his, "I have to go pee", moan.


"I'm coming already!" I tell him as I slowly unfold from my nice warm bed. The rain had already woke me once earlier this morning and I did not feel rested by any means.


He began to moan louder which made me consider the urgency of taking him out of his crate and out of the bedroom before he woke my still sleeping husband. The last thing a tired, grumpy wife needs this early in the morning, is a tired, grumpy hubby to deal with.


Slipping quickly into my comfy pink slippers, I reached over to the small dog crate beside my bed and unlatched the crate door. In the faint blue light of our new fangled, atomic alarm clock, I saw a small dog head appear and then as soon as enough of his torso was out, I lifted him up and carried him down the hall to the back door. The rain had lightened up but the wooden steps were still slick and wet. I hesitated for a minute and pondered the idea of carrying this decrepit, blind little soul out into the yard like I normally do to keep him from falling down the steps, but I'm wearing my nice soft Victoria Secret flannel PJ's and had just washed my comfy pink slippers so, "Dog," I said, "you're on your own!".


As I watched him hop down the first two steps, I thought, "Almost there, just two more to ..." but sure enough, with one more little hop he misses the third step and over the edge he goes.  Feeling incredibly guilty for my selfishness and the fact that my PJ's and slippers were bought at Goodwill anyway, I tell him I'm sorry and vow to build sides to the steps so it won't happen again. You didn't think I would actually take him out on a cold yucky wet day in my pajama's did you?


Rocky was OK and had up-righted himself immediately, prancing off to pee. Luckily, since he has done this a lot lately, it is a very short fall and there is grass on both sides of the steps. (Can't you tell that I still feel guilty?) Soon he's finished relieving himself and quick as a bunny has hopped back up the steps and into the door where I waited with a towel. Then paddy's dry, he pranced off to the Kitchen where he miss-judged a right turn and walked head first into the side of a cabinet again falling but quickly springing back up he carried on to his bowl in the corner as if nothing had happened.


I'm starting to think since he has become blind, he uses some type of radar to find his food bowl, favorite pillow and his way back to the steps. At least he seems to have no problem finding them even though he bumps into a lot of obstacles to get there. The occasional staring at walls kind of gets to me though. He does that a lot! He's not completely blind, I know this because he follows light and movement. He is, however, completely deaf and that's why I feel so ridicules yelling at him when he pees on the floor right in front of me and I only notice after I have stepped in it which is why I washed my slippers again yesterday.


So today since I can't sleep anymore anyway, I have decided to write Rocky's story; a heartwarming true tale of a very stubborn, six year old red-headed girl and how she came to hook up with a feisty little red haired chihuahua.  When I'm finished, I hope you will read it and enjoy!