Zen of Dog
Posted on July 13, 2008 - Filed Under self reflect
By the way, I am working on getting to my 100th Post – so be aware that this is post 97. Something amazing is going to happen on post 100 – stay tuned!
I HAVE to post a video of Gizmo and the laser pen. This dog is addicted – and I mean a full blown addict of chasing red laser lights. Once you start he does not let you alone until he has dropped over from an overdose of chasing excitement. Last night, after almost an hour of lasering – resulting in me being bored into a coma, I put down the laser and sat to write. There is a second video on my youtube page – but this will suffice.
One of the joys of having a pet is that you start to see the world differently. Gizmo KNOWS how to stop and smell the dead earth worms, and I have been carting my camera on our 10 minute excursions in order to sniff the world with my eyes in an unusual run of doggie-zen training. Often, my eagerness to get back to work is interrupted by an extended sniffing session, so I am trying to allot time for the adventure and reduce my protests when Gizmo takes to being on zen time.
- On our daily walks we pass George, lizard of the basketball hoop. He gets chased into the bushes on a regular basis.
- There is Bob, keeper of the mail box post, who likes to watch me get the mail, but also gets run into the flowers by Gizmo if he isn’t well hidden. Bob has an amazing red throat that he flashes at me in the most flirtatious way.
- Most surprising is Ricardo, the invisible frog. Ricardo lives in the storm drain between two major buildings, and although we haven’t seen him, we hear the “Ploop!” of his leap into the standing water at the bottom of the drain when he hears Gizmo approach. Gizmo MUST sniff the storm drains, each and every one. He sticks his nose between the slats and spends a few long moments, ears perked, waiting for Ricardo to make an appearance. He hasn’t yet, but we know he is there. It just tickles me to see Gizmo jump when Ricardo moves around down there.
- Jester is the squirrel that hangs out at one of the trees. Jester gets pretty pissed off when Gizmo lingers around the tree he calls home. Unfortunately, that tree has some nice big leaves that make their way down to the ground, and we all know Gizmo has to pee on big leaves.
- Lucy, the fluffy tabby, is one of the less skittish cats in the neighborhood. Lucy isn’t putting up with any shit from nobody. Gizmo always approaches Lucy with a pretty dumbfounded look on his face. Most of the cats run in terror when Gizmo approaches. Since Lucy isn’t acting like a cat, Gizmo takes to looking distracted as he gets closer. He paces, looking at her like a shy teenager trying not to look like he is looking. Once he gets within 5 feet they usually lock eyes (prior to this Lucy looks unamused, and sometimes flicks her tail with irritation – how dare he interrupt her sunbathing!) Then,
without fail, Gizmo gets startled (more likely by a piece of grass poking him in the butt he is so low to the ground, or maybe Lucy throws him a death-ray) and he yips, and darts past her like she just tossed a hairball of doom in his direction. - Mickey is the schnoodle who lives up the hill. Mickey is great at sounding like he is ready to rip Gizmo’s head off, but he never does. Rather, they typically run and play like maniacs if we let them. Mickey isn’t out all the time, but I would have to say that Gizmo is certain that Mickey is his best friend. He often takes to plopping himself on the hill in front of the house and staring at the door with unrelenting hope that the door will open and purge Mickey into the yard. Doesn’t work that way, but it doesn’t hurt to hope.
Of course, my camera is around to capture the flowers I find on the way. I am less interested in smushed road frog, dry earth worm, and edible cat poop. The last few walks have produced this [these flowers are about an inch in size]: