I took Spring and Sprocket out for a run-around tonight. It's kind of hot and sticky. There was a mightily impressive thunderstorm yesterday. And the air is still wet from that. And there are still growlings of thunder, I think.
So this evening, when I took them with me, they didn't do their usual thing.
At first, they did. They jumped around and Spring growled at Sprocket's head and Sprocket kept banging into Spring and they skittered their way down to the car. Normal. They got in the car and Spring sat in the back window and enjoyed the breeze. Normal. We got out of the car and walked to the trail. They were sniffing and being generally annoying about trying to figure out who had walked there the most recently. Normal.
When we got to the trail, though, Spring was just meandering along. She wasn't doing the little skip she does when she's walking but thinking about running. That walk where the dog's legs are doing the regular walking gait and then it's like their back legs are deciding to do just one running action and then, whoop! back to walking.
She wasn't doing that. And she always does that. Not normal.
And when I got further ahead, when she usually comes tearing up the path to run past me and make me look like Pokey McSlow, she didn't . Not normal. She'd just look at me from the beginning of the path and then wander over to the other side to sniff that side. And maybe she'd do a somewhat hurried walk and then she'd stop and look at me. Not normal.
Then there's Sprocket. Who likes to be with me all the time except when it's time to get in the car or put on a leash when she likes to be just far enough away that I'll chase her around. Normal.
Not today. Today she stayed right next to me when I put the leash on her. Not normal. And she walked right along side of me. Not normal.
I decided that they weren't excited to be out on a walk. They were excited. They were doing their spazzed out happy happy routine, but then, I think, it was too hot. It think they just wanted to sit in an air conditioned room and sleep. I think they wanted to go to the movie theater and sleep near the popcorn machine. But instead they were on a walk. Too hot.
When I turned around to go home, Spring didn't get excited then, either, but she turned around right away and was ready to go. Not normal. Still no running. Not normal.
So I put Spring in the car--she did run across the pavement to the car--and Sprocket jumped in, too, (Not normal.) and we were on our way home.
They drank a lot of water. That's normal.
But Spring's still in a funked out mood. She seems tentative and unhappy. So I gave her some doggy aspirin in case it's her arthritis. Doggy aspirin. Absurd! I can hear you saying that it's absurd to buy doggy aspirin. But, my darlings, it isn't. They are supposed to taste like liver. She eats them. I don't have to have my fingers gnawed on when I try to stick pills down her throat.
I hope she feels better, though. I like the dogs when they're mobile.
Posted by dotty at August 1, 2005 11:52 PM