September 4, 2012

White Dog is still favoring her leg and is not jumping so she asked to be helped up to the bed. When Puff put her feet on the edge and peeked up, WD growled. "That is not nice," I reprimanded. "She just wanted to see where you went." Nuka came in and went out of her way to hip check Still Another White Dog and then rudely yip in her face. SAWD hung her head and started to slink away.

I called her over and pet her profusely as I questioned her sisters about this meanness. "She stinks!" Another White Dog complained. "She thinks she is ALL that," WD added as Oso stopped on his way outside to sniff Puff. "She makes everybody all edgey...look at how goofy YoYoMa has been around her," White Dog added.

I picked Puff up into my arms and took a peek. The beginning signs were there. With her heart and lung issues as well as her age, Puff remains an intact female. Our little girl (who is actually 87 in human years) is going into a heat cycle.

"You know," I said to the entire White Dog Army who was now all gathered and intensely interested in the attention Puff was receiving, "Puff probably does not like this hormone, scent, and behavior changing body chemistry any more than any of you do. It is not her fault and you are all very lucky to be spared. For the next 4 weeks or so, poor Puff is going to miss out on all of the fun. She can't go to the Park. Dad is going to have to be VERY careful about where and when she goes on Walks. And it is a fact that she is not going to be able to Walk to End Cancer."

At that last, the WDA looked shocked. "We can't not have the ENTIRE Army Walk," WD howled. "What would it look like?" "Let me think about options," I said, knowing we were already trying to figure out how to make it possible for Quinn to do the Walk. "Maybe we can get a stroller or something, I will have to figure it out. In the meantime I expect a LOT MORE sympathy and understanding and a LOT LESS meanness and  pushy games! I MEAN IT!"

"Yes, momma," was the reply as each of the WDA suddenly realized that a WDA without Puff was incomplete. Puff looked up and licked my cheek.