Stuff's going good. Chinche and T have found some equilibrium. Tazmeena Cat meets T nose to nose and gives her a sharp blow to that nose and a hiss. I don't think she has ever needed to do that before. Well, when she was just a kitten. But that's a long story i don't think i'll ever tell. But maybe she has PTSD? Anyway, sort of an improvement, she spend the day under the house instead of on a shelf in the bedroom. I put her food and water under there. She's still there. Soon as it's night crate time for T, i'll go bring her in.
The Noteworthy for the day, which undaunted by almost 100 degrees, T found self at loose ends towards late afternoon.
for the second time, taking the drill battery, phone charger and curling iron from the bathroom sink counter. Unhappy with the NO!
Likewise the NO! because of chewing the edge of the rug.
This eve, Dorothy called to see how Day 2 was going and to give me a list of T's vocabulary. Interestingly enough, NO was not on it. What happened to NO? Jan the trainer makes a kind of growling sound to signify No because she says that the word no is used often in just ordinary communication and so is not a Trigger word. Well, i might disagree. No is a very clear word and obviously, T is not all that responsive to it. So that aside, we went out to Give Water. which went well for about a minute at which point T wanted to eat the nozzle thing. She likes biting the hose water when i fill the buck's water tub and i've let her. Mistake. Note that, grace: Everything Matters and relates to Everything Else. So there was some disagreement about nozzle attacking and i ended up bring her in to the Breathing Star Crate by her collar. Gave more water. Let her out and on giving to the squash, there she was again, head stuck in squash plants. Back to Breath. Not so easy this time.
So half way through watering, i stop to find her ball to burn off some energy. The rules are that she must bring the ball to the extended hand. This the rule she grew up with. not mine, and she knows this rule. If she drops it in front of you, that's not good...can become a competition then for who picks it back up first. No. she puts it in your hand and releases. and well....you might guess, this is not at all 100%. So when she doesn't bring it and give it, i go back to watering where she commenses to try to chew the nozzle and be told NO! and not listen and need to be physically moved out of the way etc. etc. etc. There is a clear shift in energy tonight. Already, she has educated herself about everything here. So, it's a Now What? moment. and Now What is......
Alpha
having read about the breed and having known things about dogs for a long time, why does this surprise me? But it does. and it goes back to that thought about Do Not Add. Why did i think that things would be Easy? She's actually a Big dog. OR , the high end of Medium Dog. Which equals the low end of Big. She has never been mistreated or afraid, really, like Chinche was. So how she finds out things is by Trying. In this case, when you don't know what to do, you could chew electrical cords or the carpet or the hose nozzel and if someone say NO, so what? Who cares. Well, they do, but still, so what.
so we are at the So What Moment. Didn't take long. And i like to imagine a world where Everyone and Everything innately understands Fair. but ..... Fair means many different things to many different Entities. So, here we go. Alpha. Been a LOOOOOONG time since i needed this. But just this morning, before the rug chewing, the electrical cord chewing, the refusal to give the ball, i had been thinking she is a dog that i could take into, INTO the Goats. I still believe that. But i will need to find my Alpha. First. Clear. First. so...thinking of how Stuff just Is. We can imagine a lot of things. But what Is, IS.
how she spends a day. Moving. non stop.
except when she heard a truck outside the fence.
and i tried to warp a loom on the fence. But she kept sticking her head through it, smelling it.
stitching down the jute string and adding this clay brown back...the clay brown back somehow Holds it, more than i had anticipated. Do I like this? or Not?
and late, at their Call, i spent time with the Goats. Sitting. waiting for each to come. Saying their names into them, scratching, caressing, talking, humming. They were glad. it's been 3 days since that and they were missing it. I was too.
ADDENDUM: so...it's dark now. but T has gone back out. Door is still open. She's cruising. Learning her world of Dark Time. and i watch as the blur of her passes by and disappears again into the Night like weaving, Jude says. appearing and disappearing. so it is and i watch. Waiting till whatever it is that says Enough and will call Dog to her Crate, close it and retrieve Cat from under house.
But...Not. Cat comes of her own accord...fast...through the door and to the ledge in the ROOM where her food bowls are. New Dog rushes in and there are long low warning cat sounds and New Dog Rushing around sounds and i am tired. So i just leave it to them. Finally, New Dog leaves to explore more of the Darkness. Cat jumps down and heads for the shelf in the bedroom. Crickets are unimpressed and simply continue their June Mantra.
End of Day. or close. Dog still Out....doing her final cruise. Now..as i type that, in. looking around...no cat. Ok. into her crate. I'll close the door.
