Twas Two Days Before Christmas
We are now in the official countdown to Christmas. Doc was rushing around all weekend cleaning, buying food for the holiday feast and wrapping packages as Walter watched with the curiosity of someone that didn’t undestand what all the hubbub was about. One thing Walter wil learn is that you don’t know who might show up at your house or what might happen during the holiday season.
The first surprise happened on Monday morning when Walter woke up to find that my old friend Elmer the Elf had stopped by. I sent Elmer to make sure that Walter was doing ok as the holiday approached. There have been lots of changes in routine and Doc is a little on edge trying to get everything done. I think Walter has a touch of the holiday blues as Doc can’t pay as much attention to him as usual, so I thought Elmer might chear him up. But the opposite happened. At first Walter acted scared and so he groweled at Elmer especially when Elmer got near the bone Walter was munching on. I do agree that Elmer came on a bit too strong at first when he tried to hang on to Walter’s collar to give him a hug. It’s never good to be that pushy when you first meet someone. You need to be respectful of people’s space. But, after some time I saw that Walter had warmed up to Elmer and I found them taking a nap together. Misson accomplished.
The next event happened over the weekend when Doc was trying to sleep in on Saturday morning. She woke up suddenly to the sound of a puppy that had jumped up on the bed and was now standing on her chest licking her face. Yup, Walter is now tall enough and strong enough that he is able to get on the bed. Doc has rules about that, but Walted kept testing the boundary until that evening, Doc gave in and let hm sleep next to her while they watched the classic holiday movie “Christmas Vacation.” This is just how dogs push the limits until we get what we want. For now, Walter still has to sleep in his own bed on the floor at night, let’s see how long that lasts.
The last surprise was a painful one. Yesterday, after Doc had all of the gifts wrapped she went to bend down and give Walter a kiss on the forehead and, Walter, being a high energy puppy, reared up quickly, hitting the top of his skull against Doc’s lower lip and oh boy, I could tell that hurt. After yelling out in pain, Doc went over to the mirror and saw that her lip was swollen and bleeding. Yep, Walter gave Doc a big fat lip for Christmas. Not something anyone would want.
It’s Tuesday, and Doc and Walter are at wok seeing patient’s. It is a reminder that not everyone that clebrates Christmas is looking forward to it this year. Some people are dealing with grief or other issues that have dampened their holiday spirit. Doc tells them it’s ok to do what they feel comfortable with and just take care of themselves for the day. Self-care is important.
For however you end up celebrating the holiday, Walter and Doc wish you peace, blessings and good health during the holiday and for the new year ahead.