Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Posted by Animals at 6:40 PM Thursday, December 17, 2009

Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Miles is Coming for the Holidays... And beyond!

Posted: 16 Dec 2009 01:58 PM PST

Miles-and-DrLarry-relax Back in February last year I had an idea this day might come. My daughter Claire had announced that she was getting a dog. A big dog. Since we had just recovered from taking care of her last dog and dealing with Darcie's long good bye, I had a sense of deja vu mixed with some trepidation.

Claire has moved into a better living situation for her last semester in law school. Unfortunately, the new place does not accept dogs so Miles will be moving in with us starting next week, until Claire graduates in May. 
 
My wife Chris is elated. Strangely, I'm less than elated and I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it's because I'm a man and, as such, less adaptable than my wife. I have visions of short white dog hairs on the furniture and coating our beautiful mesquite hard wood floors. I'll have some issues with asthma, too.
 
Chris, on the other hand, has visions of walks on Boston hill with her friend Cheryl and her dog Riley. She can't wait to go to the local dog park and watch Miles play with the other dogs. She likes interacting with the other dog owners, too. 
 
I'm wondering how we'll go camping over in Tucson this winter for our annual winter bike training camp. What will Miles do while we are out on a three hour ride? How will we cram him in the car with all our bike and camping gear? What about......., and on and on.Miles-the-dog
 
Why is this? I love dogs.
 
I discussed this with a couple of my close man friends and I was shocked to find out they understood completely. Many of you will know Phil, of Phil and Alice fame, and Steve, Tyrone's human. Strangely it turns out that they were not the driving forces behind the acquisition of their respective mutts. In both cases the wives first broached the subject of getting a dog and in both cases had to overcome the objections of their reticent hubbies. 
 
That seems really funny now as both Phil and Steve are joined at the hip with Alice and Tyrone. Alice is Phil's constant companion during his fire lookout duties every spring and summer. They routinely spend 10 days in isolation up on Hillsboro Peak and Phil often alludes to their long conversations.
 
I made a house call on Tyrone last Sunday. He had snagged a dew claw and had to have them surgically removed. Not a big deal but you'd think he'd had open heart surgery to listen to Steve. "Is the bandage too tight? Can we remove the elizabethan collar? Will he suffer psychological impairment from having to wear said collar?" How could these two ever have had reservations about dog ownership?
 
Maybe it's something about maleness and longing for predictability. In my case, I don't really like surprises that much. I like to know that tomorrow I'll ride my mountain bike for a couple of hours up on Boston Hill, go to the gym and write a new post for Scratchings and Sniffings. I'll have my favorite cereal, read my blogs, gnash my teeth over the latest outrageous behavior by Joe Lieberman, and get on with my day.
 
Writing this I now realize how boring and predictable my life is. I need a dose of spontaneity and a break from my self imposed life of routine. Hell, I'm semi-retired, financially secure and happier than I've ever been. And besides, even though I hate to admit it, the vast majority of my wife's new ideas turn out much better that I originally thought. 
 
It's time to have some fun.
 
It's time to have a dog again. Besides think about all the first hand subject matter Miles will provide for the blog. I'm starting to get used to the idea the more I think about. In fact, it may have been my idea all along. Let's see, I'll have to get a dog bed, some new food, a box of those extra large swiffer thingies and maybe some of those.............. 

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