I want something, Lady said; but what?

LADY TRIES TO 'TALK'

Lady's a great communicator for a dog, and I can be pretty dumb as a dog owner. Earlier today, she came to me and did her trying-to-talk act. HUH-HUH-HUH. I figured it out enough to give her something to eat.

Sometimes she'll walk to the door, then walk back to me. That usually means she wants to either go outside or to go for a walk. Sometimes I just hook her up on her line outside, and she'll be happy.

Just now, she came back and did her I-want act again. This time, I was sure she didn't want food, although she licked her chops and bumped her nose against my hand (another indication that she wanted something).

She had water, but I threw it away and gave her fresh water. She drank and drank and drank.

Even I can get it right now and then.

NOTE: Lady passed on Sept. 17, 2016.

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EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com  BLUESKY: PROFILE

MORE ENTRIES FROM THE DOG BLOG

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• ... said the spider to ...

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• YIP! YIP! The stereo-sound huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

EDITOR@WORK BLOG ENTRIES

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

BLOG ENTRIES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

ANECDOTES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer OUTTA there!

BLOG ENTRIES FROM THE AUTO RACING JOURNAL

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing

No competition for food

THIS IS MY FAVORITE SHOT OF LADY. SHE
LOOKED SO HAPPY.

We had to put our collie Scottie down last week, and I've noticed an interesting result from it: Lady isn't eating as much.

When Scottie was alive and well, I'd put food down for him, and Lady would rush to eat it. If I gave Scottie a treat or chewie, she'd run over to get it from him. And she ballooned to 62 pounds (her best weight was probably 50).

Now, he's gone, and she has no competition. She still rushes over for treats and chewies, but she's not eating as much. She nibbles a little bit and leaves the rest for later.

She's in no hurry, with good reason.

Update: Lady has lost weight since Scottie died. The last time she was weighed, in April (around the time Scottie died), she weighed 57.2 pounds. Today (Dec. 2), she was just under 51 pounds (50.9).

><

EMAIL: tgilli52@gmail.com  BLUESKY: PROFILE

MORE ENTRIES FROM THE DOG BLOG

• Katie cried

• Growl and pull

• 13-plus years with my dog Lady

• ... said the spider to ...

• The Dog Diary (2014)

• YIP! YIP! The stereo-sound huskies

• What Lady and Michael Jackson had in common

EDITOR@WORK BLOG ENTRIES

• You really DO need an editor

• Reminders for would-be novelists

• What I do when I'm editing

• What I charge (it's a deal) and what I edit

• Slogging through the Internet

• J-school: More eyes on your stories

• J-school: Go out and learn

• Rookie mistakes for magazine writers

BLOG ENTRIES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Resume for a writer and editor

• An editor's views on powerful writing

• Advice for be and would-be novelists

• Links to TG's stories online

• Favorite quotes

• What I do when I'm editing

ANECDOTES BY TOM GILLISPIE

• Wipeout at Death Valley

• Days with rainbows

• A desperate writer working in the dark

• Yer OUTTA there!

BLOG ENTRIES FROM THE AUTO RACING JOURNAL

• Angel in Black: Remembering Dale Earnhardt Sr.

(a book of great stories about the Intimidator)

• Then Junior Said to Jeff...

(the book of great NASCAR stories)

• My best day as a sports writer

• Jeff Gordon's milk toast to Dale Earnhardt

• Wayne Auton: A life in racing