Monday, November 14, 2016

THE GRUMPY OLD MAN TURNS ELEVEN

Today Blue turned ELEVEN!
I took this photo just before leaving the house this morning.
I used a couple of apps to make it more like a painting-

Yep, He's eleven and he is a grumpy old man.

The grumpiness has been building.
The occasional ROAR of irritation when someone is in his way
or laying his spot.

He's just low on patience.
He'll do that bark growl that sends the other dogs into a tizzy.
They jump up and bark at him
and he storms through the herd of them like an angry bull.

If anyone really gets in his face,
he'll grab ahold of them and slam them to the floor and hold them there
until they stop fighting and are totally submissive.

Years ago when Jimmy Chew was very young, he challenged Blue
and Blue body slammed him to the ground and held him by the throat.
Jimmy was so terrified that his anal glands expressed themselves.
Jimmy was fine, just wet with saliva but he never challenged him again.

Sometimes when Blue is really in a mood and is stomping around roaring
I can tell that Jimmy thinks he needs to protect me.
He doesn't, I'm the Alpha dog
but Jimmy will stand in front of me and face-off with Blue.
He will  bark with all his might as his whole body trembles in fear.
Yep, Jimmy can push my buttons and sometimes really frustrate the Hell out of me
but I know he's got my back.

Lately though, Blue's fuse has been super short.
The other day as the little ones ran through the kitchen for the laundry room to get their dinner,
Blue decided to walk out of the kitchen and into the living room.
I always feed Blue first, so it wasn't like he was hungry but
all the little dogs rushing past him, must have annoyed him
because I heard that ROAR
and then a horrible little scream.

It was my little Poppy.

She doesn't even weigh a full 5 pounds
and he had her down.
Now if it was one of the bigger dogs it would have just been a moment
of catch and release
but in this case, he caught her head and left a little small cut above her eye from his tooth.
I was there in a second
and of course I couldn't yell at him to STOP!
because he's deaf.
But I grabbed ahold of his head and neck and pulled him away
and he instantly ran and hid up the kitchen table.
He always hides there when he gets into trouble
because no one can see him there....

or so he thinks.

I realize that he's just being a cranky ass because if
he really meant business, she'd be dead.
But... it has me on hyper alert now.

I talked with Doc and because we just ran all sorts of blood-work tests
and did x-rays and everything on Blue when he was so ill,
we know there's nothing physically wrong with him except as Doc says -
He's a grumpy old man. That's what happens to us, we get grumpy."
I told him about Poppy and Doc said, "She's just a mouthful!"
and then he just shook his head and said "that's what can happen with a pack".

Without going into extreme detail about pack mentality,
I'll just say that I'm aware of that and that wasn't it.
It wasn't the group of them in some sort of frenzy
or them trying to weed out the weak
or one or more trying to take over the group.
They know I'm the leader.
There's no doubt of that.
Even Blue knows, that's why he hightails it to under the kitchen table.

Nope, it's just Blue doesn't really care about the other dogs.
They just mostly annoy him.
He's a people dog.
And if he sees Lily or my sister he jumps up and down in excitement.

Yep, I think I'm living with a "Lion" (who I love with all my heart)
and a houseful of "Lemurs" who like to run around and play
and get in the way of the Lion who just wants to sleep.

So I'm making sure to keep the lines of visual communication open with Blue and me.
That's always worked before.
He has always watched me to see what to do and not to do.
I just have to stay very attentive to him when he gets up and moves about.

As I type out this post, he's at my feet.
Not on the dog bed
or my BIG chair that he loves but on the wood floor.
I do adore this grumpy dog.
I brought birthday cupcakes in his honor to work

and wrote on the medical board for all to see that today was his Eleventh birthday
and I thanked everyone who made that possible!

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRUMPY OLD MAN!
I love you with all my heart
and I hope all the little ones just stay out of your way.



10 comments:

At Rivercrest Cottage said...

Poor Poppy. Hopefully things will settle down now that the tif has settled down.

Cindi Myers said...

Sharon,
I'm not sure what tif means
but to be honest, I was very upset
and crying when it happened.
(I guess I did leave that part out.)
and that I called Lily and emailed a close friend
and I was beside myself.
it's taken me several days to calm down and think through the why.
Yes, poor Poppy and if he had done worse, I'm not sure what I would do.
I know that he doesn't mean to try to really hurt or possibly kill anyone but I know he could have.
I do know though, that he's my last BIG dog.
I will never take in or rescue someone stronger and bigger than my little ones.
:(

CheerfulMonk said...

Poor Poppy and poor Blue! And poor you. It's one more thing to be concerned about. I know how much you love them all.

Anonymous said...

brave little jimmy chew!
can you imagine the courage in that tiny body?
the sheer courage it takes to stand there facing down goliath!
and poor sweet little poppy.

and yet... my heart goes out to beloved blue too.
it's not fun getting old. you feel it in every bone and fiber of your being. the tests may come out okay. but YOU know you hurt in ways that might not ever show. your patience with life itself can wear thin.
and if you're stone deaf... a lot of sudden frantic activity might just set you off.

dearest girl. you don't need this extra stress in your life. and it's a stress on so many different levels. and one that's not going to go away. and you know that. and that makes it extra hard.

it's deep love and frustration combined.

bless you dearest bean.
bless ALL of you! XOXOXOXO♥

Janneke said...

Congratulations with the 11th birthday of this grumpy old man, the blue cupcakes are so appropriate. Glad Poppy survived Blue´s attack, but in a way I understand Blue. The little ones are such a busybodies and noisy. Border collies have often the same kind of habit, snarling to other dogs, standoffish to other people but adoring their owner and best friends.

Doreen@foxdenrd said...

Tif is like a little altercation Cindi.

Anywho...I can imagine how upsetting that must have been. Poor Poppy :(. I have a feeling Blue won't do that anymore, but still...

xxx

Cindi Myers said...

Jean,
I'm trying not to dwell on it.
Just to be very aware.
and you are right, I love them all dearly.
XOXOXOXO

Cindi Myers said...

Tammy,
Yes Jimmy Chew is a brave little soul.
Usually after it all settles down, I try to scoop him up and love on him a little bit.
Sometimes Nora will get in her herding mode and start trying to corral the little ones and she's not always the most gently about it.
If she gets too hardcore, Jimmy will run up to her and bark and jump on her to STOP!
Yep, Jimmy tries to protect the little ones too.

I agree about Blue.
I feel like him a lot of the time myself!
which means just very tired and easily annoyed and I just want to sleep.
I know Blue doesn't mean to really hurt them, it's just he doesn't know his strength and power.
It's frustrating and worrisome but there's nothing to be done about it but just to be very aware and on top of it.

Thank you for your kind words!
XOXOXOXOXOXO

Cindi Myers said...

Thank you Janneke.
Yes, Nora my Border Collie is forever herding the little ones.
Mainly Mimsy because she scurries from side to side.
My poodles are too smart for that and when I call them to dinner they immediately come in a quick straight line and they make sure to never stop and to never ever look Nora in the eye.
They know if they do, she'd run up and nip them into place.
Funny thing about Nora, she loves people when I introduce her to them but we can turn and get in the car and she's ready to take them down if they approach the vehicle.
She's a big protector too!
She's fine with Jimmy but watches the rest of the dogs like a hawk.
Of course she avoids Blue.
But "stranger" dogs, she barks her head off at!

Thank you for understanding about Blue.
I know he's grumpy but he's not mean.
XOXOXOXOXOXO

Cindi Myers said...

Thank you Doreen!
Now that you told me, I guess I have heard that phrase.
LOL! I won't tell you what I found when I Googled it as a slang term!
LOLOL! I KNEW that Sharon did NOT mean that definition!
:D :D :D

I'm so so glad that Poppy is fine.
She acts like it never happened!
This morning she walked close to him and I ran over and scooped her up.
They both looked at me with startled eyes!
I can tell they wondered what I was doing.
Still, I will always worry and be watchful.
Thank you again!
XOXOXOXOXO