Old Dog, Young Dog

Doogie is sitting next to me on the floor of my basement study as I type this (I took this picture of him just now). It’s cooler down here than the mid-80 temperatures upstairs, but there’s another reason he’s staying close by. Storms. We’ve had thunderstorms since late afternoon, the first notable rain we’ve gotten in weeks.

Thunderstorms bother our dog big time. If a roof-rattler hits in the middle of the night, Doogie will stand at the head of our bed and shiver. It’s like lying in one of those vibrating beds you find in hotels, only a malfunctioning one that just shakes your head till you’re dizzy. Eventually he’ll head down to the basement where he feels safer. Smart dog. Good dog. Let us get some sleep.

I think our dog is becoming more neurotic as he ages—he’s past 15 years old now. He pants and paces often. He used to travel okay in the car on longer trips. No more. Wendy and I took Doogie up north to my parents’ cottage in northern Michigan for the long Labor Day weekend. We also took my son’s dog Simon (the rabbit killer). Fun stuff.

While Doogie paced and panted in the back seat, Simon lay still on my wife’s lap while I drove. Simon was lying peacefully, but he was really biding his time. We stopped at a chocolate factory at my request and I went in to see what they had. Mmmmm, chocolate-covered potato chips.



After I went into the store, BOOM, Simon sprang from Wendy’s lap out the open passenger’s side window. My wife immediately got out and called for him to get back in. She didn’t want to chase him as the busy highway was nearby. But the scamp wasn’t in any hurry to return and wandered towards the back of the building. Again, Wendy called for him to come, this time in her sternest voice.



I’ve heard that stern voice. I sure would come if so called. And so did Simon. Doogie stayed in the back seat, pacing and panting. Like I said, fun stuff.

Coming back from Hubbard Lake, we stopped at a rest area. Simon was resting in the backseat with Doogie. Again, he was biding his time. My wife got out first. There was a sudden commotion and I heard Wendy curse. Though I thought I heard something fall out of the car, I figured it must have been Wendy’s coffee cup or something.

Nope, it was Simon again. Somehow he had managed to spring from the backseat to the front, than out Wendy’s door just as she was closing it. It happened so fast I never even saw him. This time Wendy snagged him right away before he could trot off. Doogie was oblivious to this all apparently. Just panted and paced as usual.

My parents say that if we give our dog a little beer, he will calm down and travel better. Maybe that might slow Simon down too. But what if I get pulled over for going a little over the speed limit? And the officer smells beer, lots of it, because of our panting dogs. You think he’ll believe me when I say, “Our dogs shared a cool one before we hit the road, officer. Really.”

“Step out of the car, sir.”

Wendy and I go on vacation in another couple weeks. We’re driving all the way to the Upper Peninsula. And what’s going to make this vacation special? No dogs, not one.