This stay at home quarantine thing gives an interesting perspective. Everyone’s seen the cute YouTube of the little schnauzer talking about toilet paper… and the cat who swears she doesn’t play with it. But how about a little reality check from an older dog? Meet Gunny, a senior citizen canine who wants to share with you a few of HIS thoughts on this entire situation:
It was OK for the first couple of weeks when everyone was staying home. I got a few more walks and a little bit more attention. But that’s not the whole story. There’s more going on… and — to be honest — my quality-of-life is not better.
I can’t go to the groomer. Which means my coat is growing long. I had this little issue underneath, but I couldn’t go anywhere to get it cleaned up, and now it’s turned into a hot spot. Which means… a trip to the vet.
I already hate those places. Most of the time, though, I go in with my person… sit and wait with a bunch of other dogs and their people and then when you finally go in to the exam room, they bribe you with nasty cookies and then take you in the back and do whatever they do. But now, I don’t even get the reassurance of my owner in the exam room! This time, they took me out of the parking lot alone… did all of the things I hate, and then brought me back. The indignity of it all!
We could’ve avoided all this with a nice hairdo. A little bit of grooming. But I understand that we’re supposed to be in quarantine.
Speaking of quarantine, what is that about quarantine that makes people stock up on junk? I mean it used to be that they’d have dog food in the house. Most the time they’d supplement and give me snacks off their plate. Even though I’ve heard the lies where they tell people that they don’t do it, they do. And that’s my favorite part. I love the people food treats.
But now they’ve stocked up on this junk. The dry food with nothing good on top. Do you know how bad it tastes at the bottom of the bag? It gets stale. I eat it anyway because they don’t give me enough real food to eat. But I have to take it out of my bowl and go eat it on the carpet for it to even have the least bit of appeal. Now they’ve bought four extra bags. Can you imagine how bad that’s going to taste when it’s all said and done? Yuck! I might have to bury it.
Speaking of burying things – being an older dog, I get a little stiff from time to time. My back is a little stiff and I can’t dig like I used to. Sometimes they take me for a walk. The walk helps me loosen up a little bit. But what feels really good is an adjustment.
At the moment these adjustments do feel a little startling, but once everything is all loosened up, I feel like a young puppy again! The sad thing is, they’re skipping that for me right now. “No unessential trips!” they say. I’m wondering how I can let my people know that to me, these wellness visits are essential. “We’re going to wait a month,” I heard them say on the phone. I’m not one to complain, but it’s been two months already… and “stiff” is now synonymous with “pain.”
I’m not getting any younger here people! By the time we get around to doing this, I don’t know if my body will respond. Of course, by then, they’ll probably take me to the regular vet and get me some of those medications that make my stomach feel bad. It really makes that dog food taste worse.
It’s a vicious cycle.
And I understand more than they know. It’s like when they’re gone all day and leave me alone in the house. I start to get bored. I get into the trash, cause a little trouble. I see what they’re doing, and it’s kind of similar. They’re bored. They’re so bored that they’ve stopped walking me. Funny how boredom breeds boredom.
I used to get to go to the dog park. Now the people can’t go so the dogs have to stay home. Who’s being punished now? Anyway, I’m trying to figure out a way to make them understand. I can’t speak up, I need them to do it for me.
Hope someone speaks up soon and they get back to work – then they’ll get back to taking care of me like I’m supposed to be taken care of.