It is the same routine every morning. As my feet find the floor, Frankie stirs in her kennel whimpering to be let out. Chow time! Chow time! she is saying in dog language. She is a dog who is very motivated by food. I quickly get her to the bathroom to express her bladder. She is full of energy in the morning. As soon as I put her onto the floor, she is off, hopping towards her food bowl. The progress this little one has made since her accident almost two years ago is amazing. She may never walk “normal” again, but her drive is astounding. As I said, she is motivated by food. She hops, falters, sways, gets back up and follows me to the closet where I keep her food. Then bounce, bounce, bounce she goes like Tigger in Winnie the Pooh and runs down the length of the rug runner to her food dish. Her brain does not have a connection to her spine to tell her to walk, but in the world of vet study it is called “spinal walk.” It is just their sheer determination to move in whatever manner they can. As Frankie eats her kibble she stands the whole time, her little butt swaying from left to right, trying to keep her balance.
Once she is done with her breakfast it is time for me to make the bed. Every morning it is the same routine. She hops from one side of the bed on the floor, then to the other, as I make the bed. Once on my side, the bed is complete and she knows she can then snuggle in for her long winter’s nap once again while I go for my walk and then get ready for the day. I keep a king size green blanket on the bed. I open it up wide, lift her onto the bed and go through 5-10 minutes of swaddling her snug within the blanket. All the time giving her plenty of kisses to lull her off into doggie dreamland again.
There are days, of which have been many, during this cold and snowy winter that I wish I could be Frankie and just snuggle back in for a long winter’s nap. But, just providing her with a routine, nurturing her and keeping her happy warms my heart and brings me so much joy. I am not sure if we really come back again to this life once we leave, but if we do, I hope to be an animal in a house just like mine. Now to me, that would be heaven.