Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Poopin' In The Rain

This fine chap is Rory aka BoyDog. He answers to either; sometimes I think he actually prefers the nickname to his real name. I don't much care as I gave him both and generally, he ignores them both when he doesn't wish to come when called. Much to The Queen's displeasure. Here you see him sporting his Steelers jersey. He's a huge fan. Well, not really; he simply feels the team's colors suit his complexion.


How do I describe his personality to you? He's Forrest Gump in a dog suit. He's the lead soul in The Simple Soul Society, (okay I just made that Society up, but I'm thinking I might be on to something...) If Southern women were talking to him, they'd say, "Well bless your heart," as they are want to do when talking to an odd individual. And, they would mean it! You get the drift I think.

He's a lot like Yoki in that the simple act of being is the most complicated work he has. He exists just to be my dog. He's content with things the way they come. And, contrary to the reputation that Scottish Terriers are aloof and stand-offish, Rory never got the memo, so has never met a Human Being he didn't find fascinating. Just like his Mommer.

Rory is a wheaten colored Scottie, not to be confused with a Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier... Those of us obsessed with our Scottish Terriers call our dogs of this caramel color, Sweetie Wheatie. He is that for certain. Completely, simply sweet.

Just so you are chock-full of trivial information to share at your next social gathering, Scotties come in several colors, but most of us are only familiar with the classic black ones, such as our Fiona. There are no white Scotties. None. The only white terrier is the West Highland.

Coincidentally, there is a Westie in our neighborhood, Jack, who is Rory's very best friend in the whole world. When Jack comes to call, BoyDog makes a noise reserved for him alone. It's better than a doorbell announcing that Jack and his mother, Jill, (I know, isn't that a riot?) are waiting at the door.

I've never had a dog have a best friend. But, that's one of the things that makes Rory unique. Jack feels the same about him. When you watch them play, it truly is like watching four year old boys tussling together. Very sweet. Rory waits for Jack to come strolling by; he sits in the chair by the front window peering out on alert. Yes, our BoyDog has quite the cushy life.

However, yesterday in the driving rain, poor Rory would have argued my thinking as he was stuck forever due to difficulty completing his morning constitutional. Normally we're out and back in. But, not yesterday. Just like us on our off days, it took waaayyyy too long. His head bounced from the big drops splattering him on the noggin, ears back listening to the wind howl. He was giving me the rolling eyes completely flummoxed as to what to do.

He'd finish and run to the safety of the deck, only to give that, "Oops! Not done yet," look turning and racing back down into the yard for another try. Four times! And, me popping in and out getting soaked along with him. Acting like a deranged cheer leader, "Good boy, Rory! Good Boy!! It's all right, I'm here! You can do it! Good BoyDog!"

At last, completely soaked to the skin, (both of us,) Rory completed his morning mission. And, while both of us were wet, he had gone through so much, what does one do? You get a towel and get to work drying off the poor dog, first! You stand there wet and uncomfortable but the dog, the dog comes first.

And it seems completely normal. Hell, my wonderful dog was soaked because of attempts to poop in the rain! What choice does a good mother have?

Hugs and praise where administered freely because I recognized that he went through all of that because he didn't want to displease me by soiling in our house. Simple he may be, but he knows better and did better! What a good dog!

So, in my usual twisted fashion, this soggy episode got me to thinking: I've often said, "In my next life, I want to come back as my own pet!" Talk about the good life! And, I know it's the very same for yours. Yoki and Meggie barely lifted their heads to say, 'Goodbye, have a good day,' as I grabbed my keys and headed out to work each morning. And, I'd think as I started the car, "WTF is wrong with this picture!!? Man, I really picked the wrong part in this case!"

Then again things aren't always as they seem, are they? Very little is as wonderful as it appears. If you find yourself out in the cold dark, peering with longing through the window of someone's life, it may appear all bright and snug. But, from where you are, you can't know what hardship and discomfort also lurk in the dark corners inside out of your view. No matter what you observe in a glimpse, no one's life is as grand as it seems. No one's.

We all have those passing Discomforts- not unlike BoyDog having to poop outside in the howling wind and rain. And because today, I don't have that problem, I think I'll say my life is great and I am grateful. It is the small things that can really bring it into momentary clarity. The truth of things...not what we think of things. Discomfort comes and moves on...the key is to identify and latch on to the true parts that don't shift and stay with loving constancy...

As for today? It's a much better day for Rory out in the yard. For poopin', sniffin', and simply bein'! In typical Scottie fashion, he says, "Aroo! to you." Oh yeah, aroo? That's a signature Scottish Terrier sound. Only they make it. And, once you've heard it, you'll always know when a Scottie is gamboling about like a good Wild Highlander.

Namaste' Till Next Time,
Holly aka Mommer

10 comments:

Jan said...

He reminds me of Timmy, my little Poodle stud muffin, except Timmy wears a Raiders sweatshirt when it gets cold.

Along about October mornings, he decides that he can wait until spring to pee and poop.

Mike said...

Rory sort of reminds me of Muffy, my parent's dog. She would make the sound to go outside and take care of business three or four times in a row.

And I'm liking the new layout for your site! Colors really fit the mood.

Anonymous said...

Great blog, thanks for letting me know it was posted...I visited early this morning...and, Go Steelers...I'm going to send you a picture of mine two babies (I actually have four, two cats, two dogs)...I'm sending you the two dogs outside on the last snow day of 2009. Took the picture with my new Steelers camera, I call it a Steelers camera because I bought the camera with the money I won beating against the Ravens.

Love Rory, he’s such a cutie but I’m sure he knows that.

beth said...

"he exsists only to be my dog"....THAT IS SO PERFECT !!!

that is also how mine is...only "he's" a she and all that poopin in the rain...here, too !!

it was actually sophie who pointed out to me the little girl with the red shoes flying sideways...

LOVED this post !!!....for more reasons than the obvious...

Helpful Buckeye said...

Holly,
This was a great way to describe some of the anxiety dogs go through just to maintain their "house-broken" merit badge! And, of course, you also deserve a merit badge for being the caring, watchful doggie parent! Rory looks like he could be "sneaky cute" when he wants to be, just like my Scottish Terrier, Jenny, was a lot of the time.

Dave
Helpful Buckeye
Flagstaff, AZ

Toni said...

Well, I feel like I've been pooping in the rain for a while now, certainly more than 4 tries. All that about what appears to be may not really be? yea. You know it. Today, right now? I want a Forrest Gump in a dog suit -- my Zoe is presently hauling ass about the studio, in her wild-child mode, knocking everything off surfaces and making escape attempts by pulling at the corner of the door with her pawlets -- but my oldest's allergic girlfriend is her, so Zoe is on studio lockdown. A simple pet would be welcome at this particular moment -- still, I know that soon she'll give up and come make dough on my left leg (already full of pawlet/clawlet pinpricks), then curl up, stick her paws in the air, and start snoozing. Just about then, I'll have to pee and move her. Never fails.

My word verification for this comment is Iditarod. for some reason, I find that synchronistic with my day, and also hilarious!

Cindy said...

Holly I love your dog. What a sweetie. I Love what you have done with the blog, fabulous colors, tres chic...cinner

Life With Dogs said...

I'm fashionably late as always, but this one resonates. With three large dogs the post-raindance ritual is arduous at best - I'm thinking of buying a leaf blower to dry them off in bulk.
The again, I could just slip them some prunes...

Cam said...

Rory, I totally love you!

We must be cashing in on some good karma to deserve such loving companions!

Judy said...

As Jack's grandma and frequent walking buddy, I have to tell you that Jack and Rory are both members of the same Mutual Admiration Society. If I turn right at the end of our street instead of left, Jack plants himself firmly on the corner and looks longingly toward Rory's house. If Jack's lucky enough to head up the hill, he has a second "I want to see Rory, and I'm not moving till I do" spot across the street from Rory's house. For several seconds after they see each other it's as if both dogs, perhaps pondering their good luck that today is a play day, sit motionless. Just as quickly, the moment is gone and Rory transforms into a frenzy of sound and motion as he demands to go outside to play---and we all know that playing with your best friend is almost as perfect as a good poop!

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