March 27, 2012

White Dog ran her paws over her ears and face. "I don't think I have a fever," she said. "Check the others and see if they're all right."

She was responding to my comment about the White Dog Army being inflicted with a major case of Spring Fever today. The weather has FINALLY become the absolutely perfect blue sky, sun warmed, gentle breezed joy that earned Albuquerque the title, The Land of Enchantment. With reckless abandon we have flung open windows and opened the sun porch to once again become part of our daily living space. Bird songs and dancing breaths of growth-scented air fill the house.

But the insistence of the season draws the WDA and makes them restless. Ideally, we would be out, seeking adventures, sniffing the winds, digging in fresh compost, conquering the world. The yard offers some diversion. But it is familiar and a nice place to play fetch or nap on the deck; it is not the excitement of new discovery or car rides with the wind blowing through the van.

So today, the Army attempted to add their own spice to the mundane. Every time a car horn beeped, or an emergency vehicle went by, or someone walked down the street, the White Ones sang at the top of their lungs, leaping at the windows, standing on back paws to shout out of the screens. They rushed the door in welcoming anticipation each time the wind flapped the mail slot. And when the Brown delivery truck drove down the street, the frenzy lasted 5 minutes (even though he did not stop)!

Mid-afternoon they decided that I was the key providing Spring Release so when I moved, the entire WDA moved with me. I went to the restroom...five White Ones prevented me from closing the door. I went to get a glass of cold water from the frig...my pack surrounded me making opening te door impossible. I stepped on the porch to admire sunset and they thought we were going for a walk (just me and five of you on a leash...yeah, right)! We all went into the yard where I hoped we would await Steve's return as evening gently fell, but the WDA one-by-one slowly drifted back inside through the dog door...I came in to discover someone had chewed up tissues, a stuffie had been rendered armless, and the empty dog food bowls had all been pushed into the center of the kitchen.

Steve walked in then and asked about the kitchen. "Spring fever, bad case," I replied. The five smiling devoted faces of the WDA looked up to welcome him. "Extra long walks tonight, please dad?" asked White Dog.