Even after living with this beautiful and sensitive Siberian Husky for over 5 years and nursing him after his debiliating spinal cord injury, he still can continue to amaze me. Those of us that really live and love our dogs know how intelligent they are, but it certainly seems that when I have a heart-to-heart talk with this boy, he truly understands. I know years ago a favorite vet of mine shared with me that she felt that bright dogs had the same comprehension as a 3 year old child. Sometimes I feel they might even be brighter than this. I have had the 3 year old child and yes, often my Avalanche acts just like one. He becomes stubborn and single minded and I have to work and manipulate to get him to see things my way; but his ability to remember and apply conversations seems very uncanny. But then again, I haven't had too many opportunities in my life to be as close to a dog as I have been with him.
As an example, he has bonded with me more than my husband since I do more of the care-giving. He has recently started to refuse to go outside in the evening with my husband if he knows that I am not coming out right away to walk him. On nice afternoons, we often let him lie in the shade of a tree in the front yard to see the happenings of the neighborhood. He is such a social animal this is very important to him. Then after a while I will take him for his evening walk which is a slow saunter around the block without leash, shoes, or walkabout (the things he usually has to have on for his morning walks with his dobie brother and sister. I let this be at his pace so he can smell as much as he wants and visit with neighbors, other dogs, etc. Recently he has decided that if I am not available to do this with him, he would rather not even go out. If my husband gets him outside he will hang for awhile but then want back in and wait until I have the time to walk him.
Last night I had to rush off to my son's Back to School Night so I couldn't walk him. He decided to wait and when I walked in the house he got up - ready to go! While we were on our walk I let him know that since it was late we couldn't go that far but that I would make it up to him in the morning and by gosh, he remembered and we had a wonderful 1 1/2 hour walk this morning and he is as happy as a clam! What a great guy!
Friday, September 21, 2007
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