Traumas and phobias

Continuing our Nightmare tale...

Where we last left off, we had just taken in the anonymous (back then) black dog in our home.

My husband said he would set up an inflatable mattress and sleep in the kitchen with her, while I would nap in the living room with Aschiuta.

Easier said than done, for my side at least. I kept tossing and turning, wondering what we were going to do. I was afraid the dog would be reckless or traumatised or not potty trained (actually that was the least of my concerns). I had all sorts of concerns, a new one on each side of the pillow.

In the morning, I decided to work from home and stay to take care of the dog while Scorp went to work.

First things first. The dog would need to go out and do her business, so she would get into the routine and not leave us any "presents" inside the house.

However, there was a problem that had shown up the night before when trying to bring the new dog home. The dog absolutely refused to go up the stairs. She climbed the few steps leading to the front door of the building and up to the first landing and then she simply tried to back up frantically, as if she were being hurt by the stairs. My husband had to carry her in his arms all the way to the 5th floor.

Now, I have myself been a dog carrier for a long time, carrying Aschiuta in my arms all the way to the vet when she was smaller or even lately, to pretend that I wouldn't let her make paw prints on the freshly washed floors, I would carry her up the stairs. But even that is only until the 2nd or 3rd floor.

The new dog was larger than Aschiuta, I would not be able to carry her up and down the stairs. Luckily, the elevator had been installed and working (most of the time), so we rode the elevator. She seemed almost used to this means of transportation, which makes me believe she had used it before.

She seemed to understand what the walks were for and left some "presents" for me to magically make disappear. I took her 3 or 4 times the first day, because she took so long to do anything and didn't do everything all at once.

I kept her shut in the kitchen while I worked and visited with her during breaks. I felt like a new mother and also a nurse. Because, besides the staircase phobia, our new friend also had a serious health problem... an infected wound on her forehead. But more on that later...

Bad booboo on such a sweet face...

Chatting with pooch

I woke up this morning and something wonderful had happened. I looked into Aschiuta's eyes and she looked in mine. I instantly knew what she was trying to tell me. I could understand pooch language and she could understand me.

For the first time, I knew when she was hungry or thirsty, wanted to play with the ball or was just feeling lazy. She also understood when I tried to tell her about my life and sing to her.

I can't possibly explain this to you. I know many have felt that sort of empathy, but without actually understanding their pet. My conversations with Aschiuta are interesting and very meaningful. Everything is extremely easy now, no more misunderstanding one another. We both get along perfectly.

You might be surprised, but even for a doggie so young, Aschiuta has a lot to say.

She also has a message for everyone, here it is:

"Lavi is one big fat liar!"

Heh. We'll keep trying anyway.

"Kisses and huggies?"

I really think I'm making progress. I really do. Aschiuta has changed almost completely.

Remember the story about the crazy pooch who, as soon as my fiance went out the door, would jump right at me, barking and biting? Now, she's calm, sometimes sleeps and waits patiently. She often comes and nudges me with her nose, so I'll pet her back.

No more showing me her teeth, no more tugging on my sleeves until they break. We aren't arguing anymore and she lets me pet her without trying to bite.

What happened? She probably just grew out of her shenanigans. She might have simply understood that it's better for everyone if she's a good girl. I'm quite proud of her.

"Kisses and huggies?"

However, like I always do when I notice she's grown up, I wonder where the time had gone off to...

Dear pooch

Dear pooch,

We've been together for one year now and you're just over a year older yourself. We've taught you many tricks, including sitting and not sticking your nose in our plates at lunch. You still pull on the leash, but I know you get tired quickly and after that you're a nice girl, walking by me.

You don't respect me much, but I can't really blame you. I do most of the work around here and I also wash your dirty paws for you. I really mind it when you bite when I try to work. I know you have a huge crush on my fiance, but really, we can share, can't we?

If I send you to the balcony to take a little time out, it's for sparing my hands a few bites and maybe teaching you some manners. Don't worry, Scorp is only out to classes, he will be back afterwards. I always let you back in when you get lonely out there, if you behave yourself.

This is what I call Pasha pooch. Always on top of the pillow pile.

Look, you're nicely sleeping now, dreaming your poochie dreams. Such a good girl! Sleep tight!

Lavi

PS: if you're a really good girl, we will share a pepper later.

Happy birthday Aschiuta!

Today we lazed in bed for a while and when Scorp woke up, I told him "It's Aschiuta's designated birthday". So, he grabbed doggie and gave her a big hug and started singing "Happy birthday to pooch".

She's a big doggie now...

It's Aschiuta's first birthday today, at least the one we chose for her in her health file.

Pooch was found in the street as a pup. She was barely one month old at the time and looked very lonely.

At first, we thought she was older, so we chose her birthday as April 14. On a closer inspection and judging by the time she started changing her baby teeth, we talked to the vet and decided it would be May 14. This date is a combination between Scorp's and my birthdays: my month and his date.

Small fuzzy pup...

She has been with us for almost a year now and we've seen her grow older, wiser, into a very energetic dog. We've gone through health problems, vaccination, fleas and train and car rides. She has chewed on a lot of things and ate some things she shouldn't have. She has kept us warm during the cold winter nights and made us laugh and play when we were upset and worried.
 

She is our dear pooch and we are happy she's with us. And we don't plan on giving up on her either.

Many happy returns of the day, pooch!

Bad doggie!

The past week, doggie has become uncontrollable towards me. I know everyone will jump with an explanation, but I really have none.

Spoiled? PMS-ing? Jealous? I don't know...
 

Evil doggie sample.

It seems that, when the three of us are in one room, she's an angel. She plays nicely, eats, sleeps, occasionally steals a slipper or sock. Some people would argue Aschiuta can't even bark. She's the friendliest doggie in the world and wouldn't bite anyone.

Except for me, of course. As soon as Scorp goes out of the house (which he has done every evening for the past week trying to get a business deal), the little angel turns into a little devil with sharp teeth and loud barks.

I'm sorry to say I can't really do anything about it and I've tried a lot of good advice.

I'm sure it's probably all my fault, and she's always been a bit insensible towards me but how could I fix things?

A visit from an unexpected friend

A couple of nights ago, Scorp called me to come downstairs with some dog food. We've had a few stray dogs taking shelter at the entrance of the building, so it's not the first time I've brought a share of kibble for another dog.

But then he added "It's our former neighbour, the old black dog." Some of you might remember that last year we had an old dog stay on the hallway of the first floor and we would bring it food almost every day. There is a post about him, Our new neighbour. He disappeared a few times, but he'd be back in a couple of days. But one day, he was gone and we didn't see him again...

Until two days ago. I was a bit sad, wondering where he'd gone off to and if he'd managed to get through the winter safely. But he was back, still limping, still gentle and shy, but no longer lethargic. He was walking around with more energy, sniffing us and wagging his tail happily.

Most of our strays are mutts, grey, black or yellow, medium built and with droopy or pointy ears. If you've read my more recent post about Bobita, our doggie neighbour, you can get an idea of how these dogs look like. The old dog with a bad leg looks a lot like Bobita.

We were happy to see him again, since we had been a bit worried. He sniffed the food but didn't want to eat it from Scorp's hand, so he left it on the stairs. I'm sure he'd eat it later, they always do.

"Poor sweet dog", Scorp said, looking behind as we were going back inside, "he wouldn't know how to defend himself from bad people."

Hapy Easter! Peter's story

Aschiuta got into the photo to complete the Easter-y feeling.

 
With just a day until Easter, everyone is talking about eggs, bunnies, spring and wishing one another happy Easter.

We haven't caught the rabbit craze too much here as we got the chocolate one. One spring though, about ten years ago...

Bunny for sale!

I was walking around the market place with my dad, buying vegetables and fruits for home, when my eye caught something different on one of the tables. A box with a little rabbit inside.

The rabbit was white with brown on its back and face and brown ears.

We stopped to look at the little fellow and admire it and dad asked me if I would like to have a rabbit. Thoughts of responsibility raced through my mind.

Even if I hadn't had a pet before, dad taught me to take care of grandmother's dogs and also, there was the story of my best friend's rabbit. She also got one, a cute little albino. It was however too small and had been taken away from the mother too soon. Even if she tried her best to take care of it, the poor thing died in a couple of days.

My dad assured me that he would help me out and, since the rabbit looked old enough, we decided to try our chances.

Of course, mom was surprised, to say the least. She doesn't like pets, except maybe for cats, but not even those in our own house. Deaf to her protests of "it will smell" "it will chew", we started making the little one at home. Needless to say, the first thing it did was wet the bed.

Accommodations

My dad came up with the perfect name, Petrică, which we often turned to Peter. He kind of got used to both.

Since we had a big flat with two hallways, we decided to keep the rabbit in one of the hallways, where there were few hazards for him. We got him a small sand box and he apparently taught himself how to use it instead of the floor or carpets, so we were very impressed.

He ate a lot of vegetables and we always asked the salespeople in the marketplace not to rip the leaves of carrots or radishes, since we had a chewer back at home. One of our favourite treats was sharing a pepper. The little thing was also licking my feet a lot and we heard that he needed salt, so we gave it a big chunk.

I spent a lot of time with Peter and we used to play chase on the hallway. The fridge was also conveniently in the same room and, whenever we would open the door, Peter would dash with the speed of light and try to steal some carrots or cabbage.

Of course, greens weren't the only thing he'd chew. He chewed my shoelaces until I couldn't use them anymore and also took a bite of the tv cable. From this point of view, he was a lot like Aschiuta.

We would go out to the forest for picnics and we also took Peter with us every time we went. Rabbit leashes were unheard of at that time, so we just let him run off around. He dashed through the grass like a bullet, but always came back when we called him.

No more time for bunny?

This all happened over the summer holiday and our rabbit grew up. We realised then that we had a female rabbit, but the name remained Peter.

Unfortunately for all summer holidays, it was soon coming to an end and my parents were starting to talk about what would happen to the rabbit when I started school again. They seem very strict about school and that nothing should stand in my way to knowledge.

All in all, they decided that Peter had to move out. My aunt used to have a lot of cats and dogs at her house and also a big yard with a lot of other farm animals. They decided we should leave Peter in her care and ask her not to make a stew out of her.

We went and visited after a while. Peter was in a cage and had grown very fat from the lack of exercise. I was very sad and made the decision to never ask about Peter again. I'm half sure she ended up as stew... I'm just sorry I wasn't able to keep her for longer.

My little story has a sad ending and I'm sorry about that. I know a lot of people out there might make the same mistake we did, taking a pet only for a summer. I hope they think about it seriously, because pets are not toys.

Hope everyone has a happy Easter!

Waiting

She's lying at my feet, napping lightly, legs twitching in her sleep from time to time. I'm watching Star Trek again, letting her calm down and then maybe get back to work.

The front door opens, then swings shut with the usual dull bang. The sound instantly makes her lift her head off the blanket. Her ears fold back and her tail swings vigorously up and down. It's taking all her willpower to stop from lunging towards the door and scratching at it. I can see her almost smiling.

The door to our room doesn't open though. The light stays on in the kitchen and we can hear the door to the bathroom closing noisily. So it's not him yet.

I get halfway up and rub her back. She stops wagging her tail and looks back at me. She then turns back towards the door and puts her head back down.

She growls in annoyance, stretches and heaves a sigh. Mother never comes to say hello to her and Scorp will be home late from the darts game.
 

I guess we'll keep on waiting...

Waiting...

Chapter 6. Be a good dog

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The first day in the tall creatures' home was full of rustle and new events. I sniffed around and eventually found a nice spot to sleep, where the floor was a little softer. The Woman gave me some food. It smelled very good and I ate it quickly. I had never eaten anything so delicious and I kept following her for a while, hoping she would give me more.

I talked to the Cat again, who knew everything about the place I was in. He told me I was in a house, that the creatures were humans, or people, and that the one who had brought me there was the Man and the other one the Woman. They also had a Boy, who was always away and only came home at night.

The Cat's name was Ferdinand and he wasn't very friendly. He did talk to me though, because he said I needed to learn how to behave. "I will take you under my wing, if you will." He made a strange rolling noise in the back of his throat. "Remember not to get in trouble, you will make me look bad too." So I did my best to behave.
 

He also told me I might stay there for a long time and that I might not be able to see Mother any time soon. The thought made me incredibly sad, but I willed myself not to whimper and stay strong.

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Hello, Mr. Dog, Ms. Dam. Table for two?

Communication is tough when you don't speak the same language as other people. But there are some non-verbal elements, which are generally understood anywhere. You can raise a hand to call the waiter, shrug your shoulders to say "I don't know" and point to something of interest with a finger (though pointing is said to be rude).

What is it pooch? Hungry? Thirsty? Why are you barking?

I find it quite hard to find a common non-verbal communication standard with my dog. This is partly because I haven't had a lot of pets in my life and also because she can get moody sometimes. Why is she tugging on my sleeve? Why is she whimpering? Is she feeling bad? Hungry? Wants to play? Misses Scorpio?

You know how your dog wants to play now or go out or eat and you are hurrying to finish some very important work? It would be nice if you could strike a deal with it, saying "calm down, we'll go after I finish here". But it's not really possible. Your dog won't understand you. It will simply get the idea that the walk won't be happening any time soon, so it will keep bothering you.
 

Aschiuta and the case of the shredded sleeves

I get lots of tugs on my sleeves from Aschiuta because she needs to go out or wants to play. If I don't want her to get aggressive, I prefer to grab the tennis ball and play fetch with her a little. Letting her out in the kitchen also buys me a few more minutes to work peacefully until I can fully dedicate my time and attention to her.
 

She tugs on slippers too. All for a bit of attention.

 
I do keep wondering though, is there an easier way?

Chapter 5. New encounters

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Inside, I saw a lot of things of various shapes and sizes that I'd never seen before. And up on one of those things was an animal, almost as big as me. It had a small head and pointy ears and an unfriendly look on its face. When it saw me, it got up, arched its back until it was twice as big and started making a low growling noise.

This scared me so badly, I struggled to get down from the huge creature's arms to run away. But its grip was too strong and I couldn't go anywhere. My instinct was telling me I was in a lot of danger and I somehow hoped Mother would come and save me.

I squeaked as loudly as I could "Mother, Mother, help me!", but that earned me a light slap on the muzzle from the creature. I shut up, barely whimpering.

The animal with pointy ears calmed down, sat and started to lick its paws. "They don't tolerate cry babies here, runt." it said.

"Do you know Mother? What are you?" I tried to sound as brave as possible, taking care not to get a new slap on the nose. But the animal with pointy ears turned its back and lay down to sleep. "I am a Cat, runt. Don't you forget that."

I was about to ask about Mother again, when another creature, almost as big as the one that was carrying me, came in from behind us. It had different fur and smelled like food and its voice was higher. It started talking to the other creature in a barking voice; I couldn't understand anything. Eventually, the voice changed, cooing and humming and it pet me on the head. I flinched at first, expecting another hit, but calmed down a bit and licked the hand. The creature barked in a cheerful way and that made me think it wouldn't hit me.

The first monster put me down on the ground. The sudden change of perspective made all the big objects in the room look even bigger. The ground was hard, but there was no grass, nor dust. It was like a coloured rock. I began sniffing and exploring left and right. Maybe I could find a way of getting back to Mother. She must have been worried about me.

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Chapter 4. Beyond the horizon

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I can't really describe all I saw and felt while being carried by that creature. The world was so high, I sometimes got dizzy looking down.

We walked a while through the field I had lived in with Mother, covered in tall grass and with a bush and tree here and there. We left the river behind and got to a river of dirt and dust where there was no grass. The big monster carried me further on that dry river, walking in a funny way with those long legs, bouncing up and down with each step.

It wasn't hurting me, so I had soon stopped wriggling and biting. I sniffed the strange animal's fur and the smell was strong and sour, I didn't like it much. It had oddly coloured fur too: the chest, back and front legs, except for the paws, were the colour of the sky and the hind legs had the colour of dirt. Its hind paws were bigger than the front ones and also the colour of dry grass. Not to mention that it had dry grass on its head, made into a flat leaf of sorts. All in all, it was nothing I had ever seen before.

Of course, I'd seen little animals in the sky. Mother told me they were birds and that they could fly. The creature's front paws looked a lot like birds' wings. I was slightly worried that it would fly away with me. Then I would really have a hard time getting back to Mother. I couldn't fly, of course. Another thing that made me believe this animal could be a bird was the sound it made, like a long chirp.

After a while of walking like that, I started to see a group of little rocks of various colours in the distance. As we got closer, they got bigger and bigger, until they became a lot bigger than the creature, some were bigger than trees and wide as well.
 

Suddenly, the creature turns to one of those big things, pulls a piece of it to the side and goes inside. I thought I had been through the scariest and strangest day of my life, but what I saw in there topped it all.

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Did you hear that whisper?

You know the "whisperers", people who claim they are in tune with a less understood type of creature and are able to understand their language. They had the Ghost Whisperer and the Dog Whisperer and somehow it has become quite a fad.

I've had someone say "oh, I'm a dog whisperer" and, a little later on, suggest using a shock collar on Aschiuta. What dog whispered that to them?
 

What did you say pooch? You like the new dress?

It makes me wonder just how much of the "whispering" is real understanding between the human and the animal (let's be serious, ghosts?) and what is misconception. I've heard of a lot of crazy esoteric things about humans and animals.

The truth is, we don't speak the same language. We don't understand barking and, when a dog learns commands, it's the sequence of sounds they learn and an action to perform and maybe even the reward involved. They do not understand the meaning of the words themselves.

There is this nonverbal communication that is truly important. We have to interpret signs and try to understand what each other needs. You know, the usual scratching at the door to go out or whining when something hurts.

It's more than just the dress...

Apart from these obvious signs, people and dogs can have a deeper connection, based on mutual trust and respect. And it's not just dogs, it's also other animals we keep as pets. They are intelligent creatures and they have their own personalities. I tend to sympathise with Aschiuta when she rebels and barks if I don't let her chew on the furniture or steal our socks (she has her own socks to play with).

"No, I don't want to stop chewing the table."

Pets aren't objects you put in a corner to look nice. I'd also argue about unnecessarily dressing up pets, but if it doesn't bring harm or discomfort to them, eh, why not?

I'd like to add one more thing: how you treat your pet and what relationship you have with it. It's based on common sense and respect. I believe that when you have that with your pet, that's the empathy they all talk about.

I read two wonderful posts today that made me realise that some people already have that close bond with their pets. Here they are for you to read them, at 24 PAWS OF LOVE and Paw Print City Times.

Take care and remember, stop "whispering" and start "listening".

Chapter 3. For a little food

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Mother left me alone again and she'd been away for longer this time. I was growing impatient and hungry. I now knew that Mother went to find food for us. She always fed me first and waited until I was full, then she quickly ate the rest.

I noticed she wasn't playing with me as much lately. She was weary and snapped quickly when I would bite her to get her attention. She would take me by the back of my neck and give me a good shake. Of course I was sorry then, but later, I still tried again.

That day when she wouldn't come back was a very hot day. There was a small river next to our small shelter, so I went to have a drink. What I saw there paralysed me with fear. A huge monster, bigger than anything I've seen before, bigger than Mother even, was standing on its hind legs next to the other side of the river. It was holding some food in its front paws and eating from it. He was upwind, so I could smell the food. My stomach started making hungry noises.

My hunger and curiosity won over my fear. I came out of the tall grass to the river side and sniffed. The creature noticed me, took a little food in its paw and crossed the river to where I was, holding the food towards me. It kept making strange noises I couldn't understand, like an odd bark.

I went towards the food and stole a small piece and ran away back in the grass and ate it. The creature didn't move, so I went back and took another piece. This time I didn't run away and ate it there. When I was done, I started licking the paw that still smelled like food, happy that I got lucky to eat so soon.

But suddenly, the paw grabbed me by the back of my neck and picked me up. Just like Mother did, but this didn't give me a warm feeling of safety. My instincts screamed "danger", but even if I struggled and cried, the paw didn't let me go.

Without getting back on four legs or letting go of me, the monster started walking away. Away from my home, from my Mother. Mother, where are you?
 

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Lovable, but not to everyone

You've most likely seen it happen. Someone visiting your home or meeting you on the street. They take one look at your furry pet and they sometimes feel uncomfortable and try to stay away from the animal. If they are tactless, they will even complain that "animals are filthy and smelly" "they leave too much hair around the house" and "don't you know what germs they could carry?"

Leaving germs on the bed, eeek!

The Mom issue

I'm sad to say my mom is one of these people. When we first got Aschiuta off the street, we were living with a friend and he had no problem with the cute pup. After a month though, our friend had to move out and mom came in instead.

Now, you must know that my family policy had always been "no pets inside the flat". And I guess they had their reasons (mostly that animals belong outdoors) and they both admitted to liking animals. We actually had a rabbit for a summer and hosted a kitten for a couple of weeks. I might talk about them in a later post.

When my mom moved in, we agreed she would stay in one room and the doggie and us in the other room. She didn't have to run into Aschiuta too much, because we don't usually let her out of the room much. But when she escapes, my mom makes the "eeek, stay away, you animal!" dance and Aschiuta just wants to hug her more.

Are pets bad for you?

We've had "the talk" a lot of times, that dogs are smelly and they shed too much fur. Also, she has heard of an aunt who died because of an alleged cyst caused by an animal hair. And, there's the story she read about someone who developed asthma because of dog hair. Bottom line, she wants us to give Aschiuta away.

I'm sure she is a nice concerned mother, but I think that's a bit overreacted. I'm sure animals can cause some diseases to humans, but, apart from the common allergy and rabies, I wonder how often the others really occur. Do you guys know any cases of pet-caused illness?

We're seeing the glass half-full

Regardless of all these cons of living with a pet, I don't want to give Aschiuta away... She has grown on us and we've also watched her grow from a small puppy. I'm sure I don't have to tell the pet owners who are reading this post about how wonderful living with an animal can be. It's an emotional bond, beyond all the germs and fur and smells.

So, let's enjoy that glass of life with our pets. Cheers!

Pet Blogger Challenge - About the blog

Follow the link to the challenge page.

1. When did you begin your blog?

I started this blog on November 2010.

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?

To be honest, I first wanted to see how this whole "earn money by placing ads on your blog" thing would work. And my first niche subject was... a blog about our doggie, Aschiuta.

3. Is your current purpose the same?

If not, what’s different?

Blogging about Aschiuta has really grown on me. I like writing about her and learning about other pet owners' experiences. Even the thought that a handful of people is reading it will keep me going.

If so, how do you feel you’ve met your goals?

To be honest, I'm still trying to apply for Adsense, but till now I've had no luck.

4. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?

If the former, how often — and what techniques do you use to stick to it?

I tried to write a new chapter for my fictional story each weekend, but I've been a bit too busy with work. I do however mainly update during the weekend.

If the latter, do you worry about… well, whatever you might worry about (e.g. losing traffic, losing momentum)?

I sometimes write posts on a whim or for special occasions, such as Christmas. I don't think that would drive traffic away. Being spontaneous makes me write better and more interesting posts.

5. Are you generating income from your blog?

If so, how (e.g. sponsor ads, affiliate relationships, spokesperson opportunities)?

If not currently, do you hope to in the future — and how?

Like I said before, I hope to have my Adsense account approved, but right now it's more like a stubborn ambition. I suppose I wouldn't even make enough money to buy Aschiuta food every week.

6. What do you like most about blogging in general and your blog in particular (bragging is good!)?

I enjoy writing and Aschiuta gives me a lot of things to write about. She's also adorable, so I guess she advertises herself. I like to think I have a nice design, without overloading people's browsers. And maybe my readers also enjoy what I write, why not?

7. What do you like least?

I'm a bit upset that I don't have time to write more and also that I can't really take a lot of pictures of Aschiuta to include in the posts. Also, a lot of the stories are old and I really don't have any "footage" of those times.

One other thing I'm still not happy about is that it's taking me a while to build a network. A lot of my close friends come and read my posts now and then, but I don't have a huge crowd around...

8. How do you see your blog changing/growing in 2011?

I will definitely keep posting and following/commenting on other blogs out there. I hope to grow the network and who knows, maybe I'll have a lot more traffic too.

Chapter 2. A taste of adventure

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A few days passed and Mother taught me a lot of things. How to walk, how to play nicely and how to stay out of trouble. There were a lot of frightening things out in the world and she made me stay only in our little shelter and not stray away from it.

I was getting nervous... I wanted to know if there were other dogs out there, besides Mother and I. Mother wasn't very fast when we were playing and she would get tired quickly. I guess I had too much energy for her to keep up.

One day, I got bold and bit her while I was eating. She yelped, got up and left me all alone. I was very sad and a little hungry, but even if I whimpered for her, she didn't come back soon.

When it was already dark, Mother came back with something in her mouth. She dropped it in front of me and waited. I cautiously got close and sniffed it. It smelled good and I licked my lips. She seemed to wait for something, so I took the piece of food in my mouth and tasted it. I dropped it again and picked it up again. It was good, better than milk. I ate it all without delay and went to rub noses with Mother to show my thanks.

We went to sleep side by side and I felt that I had experienced something wonderful that day. Maybe Mother would bring more later?

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"Is Aschiuta sleeping?"

Things one can do while Aschiuta is sleeping:

• cuddling and napping with her
• getting some work done
• listening to music on headphones
• watching an episode of the current favourite series
• looking at doggie to check up on her
• thinking "awww, she's so cute sleeping like that" and taking a picture
• watching a scary ghost show and getting brave thinking that, if a nasty ghost shows up, you'd be there to protect doggie
• getting some work done
• writing random blog entries about doggie
• watching porn
• updating facebook status with random links to blog posts
• trying to grab a snack, hoping she wouldn't wake up and come begging
• slipping out for shopping or going out with Scorp
• cleaning or washing clothes, hoping doggie wouldn't wake up
• singing along to the Offspring, but not too loudly
• wondering what she's dreaming about
• thinking "she's so good when she's asleep"

Things one can do while Aschiuta is awake:

• all of the above, but, at the same time, shouting at her "stop chewing on that!"

She's so good when she's asleep...

Dreaming Doggie Dreams

I dream about a lot of strange things. Scorp is always amused when I tell him about my dreams the following day.

You might have heard that we dream every night, even if we don't remember what we dream about or even that we dreamt anything at all. Even more intriguing, they say that we can't go without sleeping for more than a few days. But that is actually because we can't go without dreaming for so long.

But if you think we are the only intelligent enough creatures to have dreams, you're wrong. Animals have been proven to dream, just like we do. You should read this article on the MIT News site for more information.

Aschiuta's dreams

I recently wrote a post about where and how Aschiuta likes to sleep, Beddie-bye with Aschiuta. Now I will tell you about her dreams.

She might dream more often than we know of, but when she moves or whimpers in her sleep, it's quite obvious that she is dreaming.

Whimpering

Aschiuta came from the streets, so who knows what scary things she might have seen then. Maybe she remembered having been left alone in the room when we had to go somewhere. Or who knows, maybe her doggie imagination made up nightmares for her.

Little whimpers from a dreaming doggie

 We usually wake her up when she's having a bad dream and she looks scared and confused at us for a few minutes. Then, when she sees it was all a dream, she goes back to sleep.

Running

Aschiuta loves to run and jump. It's her favourite fun thing to do, wherever she is. So it's only normal she would love a good run while she's dreaming too. It's really funny to see the little paws moving fast, even if she wasn't really going anywhere like that. But somewhere in her mind, she was...

Suckling

Yes, she dreams of suckling and it's very obvious from the way her lips and tongue move in her sleep. She even makes a little sound. This makes me believe her mommy stayed with her at least for a while and took care of her. I hope these are sweet dreams for Aschiuta.

If you know any other animal dream stories, you are welcome to share yours in a comment. Sweet dreams everyone!