My Shadow For A Week

Simon was our houseguest for a week. Simon is a Boston Terrier belonging to my son Greg and his wife Lindsay. They needed someone to watch their dog while they vacationed in upper Michigan last week.

It's been a while since we had a dog around the house for longer than a day. Our beloved Doogie passed away almost three years ago. He followed my wife around the house most of the days of his life.

So it was a little surprising that Simon turned out to be my shadow, lying on the carpet outside the bathroom while I took a shower, occasionally climbing onto my lap, and refusing to go to bed at night until I retired myself.

Loyalty? Maybe. More likely he hoped I would get his ball out so we could play. That's what he craved all week, a game of ball. I would throw it, he'd run and get it, then I'd chase him around the house trying to get it back.

Sometimes I'd hide his ball, but he proved to be pretty good at finding it. One time I thought I had this ball well hidden among some junk mail on an end table. Next thing I knew he had the ball in his mouth as he stood next to my recliner, a particularly devilish look in his eyes as if to say, "Look what I've got."

The object for him was to destroy this ball as he had so many like it. Gnaw on it until it stops squeaking, then tear it to shreds. And eventually by the end of the week, he did.



That didn't stop him from begging to play ball, as in the picture above. He's looking to where the ball is usually kept, sometimes crying to play another round of his favorite game.

I'd tell him, "Simon, you destroyed it. You tore your ball to pieces."

That would get his attention, as in the picture below.



But as Wendy would point out, "You know he only understood the one word."

Yeah. *sigh*