And then there were four.
My sister came and picked up Ginger and took her to another foster home. Ginger had a few personality issues that we’ll leave undisclosed, but suffice it to say, I had spent the last month and a half trying to get rid of her and not to someone I liked or knew. We’ll just leave it at that.
So now we are down to a very manageable brood of Lily, Rosie, Steve, and Thurston. When you really think about it, that’s really only about 1 1/2 animals I really have to take care of, because Lily is just an angel and requires nothing but love, and Steve basically takes care of himself once you give him his morning and evening suppers. We have not changed his litter box in the basement in over a year (except to put fresh litter in because the other stuff was getting old) as he goes to the door looks at it and paws at it, you let him go out back, and he digs a cat hole in the pine needles, does his business, covers it up, and comes back in. Even in a foot of snow and in the rain. It’s really awesome, to be honest. All he really needs is some brushings, a lap, and some alone time in his tower away from Thurston, and he is rock solid.
So that leave the two who take up the most time and energy. Thurston, because he is a puppy and just requires a shitload of attention and corrective action and positive reinforcement, and Rosie, who just gets bitchy every now and then. It’s hard to even get mad at Rosie, too, because what she gets bitchy about is that her arthritis bothers her and so when she lies under the desk or at my feet, gets growly when I move my Fred Flinstone feet too fast and thinks she is going to be kicked. It’s annoying as hell because it always startles me, but how do you get mad at a dog whose only fault is wanting to be too close to you? Other than that, she grumps when she is staking out her position in the bed or if I accidentally kick her in my sleep, but again, who can fault her.
So now we are settling into the long term new normal, and Lily and Rosie are very happy that the red menace is gone. Thurston doesn’t notice she’s gone or seem to care and Steve is, well Steve. Nothing fazes the Steve.
As an aside, I read this and all I could think of was sweet, sweet Lily:
Those big brown eyes gaze at you, deeply. Your heart leaps. You caress, murmuring sweet nothings. And as those big browns remain fixed on you, the tail wags.
Devoted dog. Besotted owner. That continuous loop of loving reinforcement may begin with the dog’s gaze, according to a new report in Science.
Japanese researchers found that dogs who trained a long gaze on their owners had elevated levels of oxytocin, a hormone produced in the brain that is associated with nurturing and attachment, similar to the feel-good feedback that bolsters bonding between parent and child. After receiving those long gazes, the owners’ levels of oxytocin increased, too.
And when researchers gave dogs extra oxytocin through a nasal spray, the female dogs (though not the males) gazed at their owners even longer, which in turn boosted the owners’ oxytocin levels.
That is Lily in a nutshell. We’ve even sat around joking what was going on in every animal’s head, and when it comes to Lily, we’re pretty sure the only thing she is thinking is “love love love love love love love.” She’ll spend hours on your lap just looking you in the eye while you pet her. Such a good doggie. Thurston gives good eye, too, which is why he stuck around even though I planned on homing him like Lovey.
Speaking of, has GeG6 peeked in to update you all on her royal highness Lovey? I call or text every day to check in on her (and GeG), but I’ll let her fill you all in on the details.