Hard to believe Tootsie has been in my life for two months. Doesn’t seem that long. Time flies when you’re having fun.
And Tootsie is fun — more fun than any pet I’ve ever had. It’s her personality. She wants to play all the time, with or without me. Her solitary play often revolves around drawing me into her game. Resistance is futile. Sooner or later, she gets her way. Persistence is the key to her success. Doesn’t hurt she’s so damn cute.
She wants to be up in whatever I’m doing — unless I’m mowing or vacuuming. If I don’t play with her, she either sits on my feet and cries or runs tight circles around and between my legs. I haven’t stepped on her or tripped so far (knock on wood). She even follows me into the shower.
She mastered the doggie door early on and loves to play outside. Little escapes her attention. Pinecones, wood chips, sticks and other finds end up on the patio or on the rug just inside the door.
Garden chores are a challenge. Planting with her around is impossible. I have to lock her up or she rips everything out. Plants in the ground are generally safe, but potted plants are frequent targets. Being on my knees means playtime for her. Weeding is one of her favorite games. Although her assistance is rarely helpful, she’s all in. Spreading mulch is fun too.
Wet grass bothers her but doesn’t hold her back. She weaves her way through flower beds and bare spots along the fence to reach her personal sidewalk: the stones edging the drainage ditch.
Her 4-month checkup earlier this week went well. She weighs 6 1/2 pounds. Toodles was middle-aged before she hit six pounds, but her harness is still too big for Tootsie.
Leash-training is going much better since she discovered tasty dried earthworms. She gets excited about going, but getting started takes some doing. I carry her until the house is out of sight or she tries to run home. She runs more than she walks, especially when we’re close to home.
She’s good for me. All that walking and the need to socialize her has forced me to interact with my neighbors much more than before. Toodles was a one-man dog that hated kids and other dogs. Tootsie has met most of the dogs in the neighborhood and loves kids.
She sleeps a lot. Thank God. Awake, she demands my full attention. Don’t tell Tootsie, but that’s good for me too.
4 responses to “Two Months with Tootsie”
Sounds like a match!
Not what I wanted to much as what I needed!
Michael,
I am so happy that you have Tootsie in your life. Sometimes puppies make life worth living despite more of the stuff we might be going through at the time.
You tell the story with such elegant pro prose and build such wonderful images That I now know why are you are a successful writer of fiction. I can see Tootsie bounding across the garden looking for pinecones to bring them back as a gift to you.
Just got back from two weeks in Colorado, trying to adjust to being back in Ohio during the midges Fall season of hatching. Because they are in the billions this year they actually show up on radar out in the middle of the lake as they emerge from the water and had for sure to live their short and fertile life. Because we are a couple miles from Lake Erie, we only see a few images except at night when they swarm the night lights.
Take care of Michael, be safe and enjoy that puppy.
Good to hear from you and thanks! I enjoy writing but being an author is too much work. Had dinner with Burns and Coulson a few weeks ago. Hadn’t seen them for many moons–probablysince I last saw you. We should chat sometime!