How Is Everyone Holding Up?

By: Joel Allen

Hello, folks! So, how is everyone doing? I just want to share part of my everyday routine to make y’all smile.

In my small world, my pack thinks me being home is an everyday normal. I mean, I am home a lot anyway, even before this “lockdown.” Every day my routine consists of getting up in the morning at 0330 and preparing my crew’s first meal. They eat at approximately 0400 and, yes, everyone sits for their meals. My old girl, Ollie Girl, is a Merle Great Dane who dances excitedly for every meal she gets. Her nails start clicking on the floor when she dances, and my imagination always thinks of her as one of those Spanish women dancing back and forth clicking those castanets. There she is dancing, snorting, and when she sits, she is just ashakin’. That always makes me smile.

Then there is my service dog, Zoey, a Border Collie/Heeler mix, who is quite bossy toward the others at home. She always does a low rumble toward those that would dance and drift close to the area she is in. That rumble of hers starts low, and when she gets more worked up, she sounds almost like a weed eater, LOL. Then she sits for her meal, with those liquid brown eyes gleaming with anticipation up at me for her meal. I give her the “OK” and she eats her meal.

Next in line is Woodrow (aka “Woo Woo” or Woody), who is a Black Great Dane and always excited at meal times. Our mornings consist of him being very vocal and waving a paw at me sounding “Woo Woo Woo,” hence is nickname. Then he sits and waits for his meal to be placed and given the “OK.”

Then there is Minnie, my foster pit mix, who looks like she might have part Boxer because of how her jaw seems to square, and she looks like a miniature Woodrow. When she is sleeping, the way her jaw sits causes her tongue to stick out. Seeing that makes me laugh at times, and I have a few pictures of her sleeping with her tongue sticking out. She is quite stout, and when she sees me coming with her meal, she runs to her crate and sits. I place her bowl down for her, and she will look at me waiting for her “OK” to eat. Minnie is also my driveway alarm and doorbell. She barks sometimes, but she will mostly do a low “burrrrrr” rumble as she is watching what or who is approaching the house. When she is playing “watchdog” she is always looking between the slats of my blinds. One more thing I will add is Minnie is also nicknamed “Minnie Prints” by my Mom because Minnie will leave prints on her sometimes by jumping and saying “Hello.”

Lastly, there is my other service dog Houston, a Black and Mantle Great Dane, who will sit at feeding time and wait. He does not like it if I leave the room while he is eating. He will stop and look for me and then return to his bowl once he has seen I am still here. Then he will repeat what he did again. I think next time I will hide from him just to try and desensitize his need for my presence. It’s bad enough if Zoey gets a turn to go to work and I leave him at home; he is howling and crying like it’s the last time he will see me!

Don’t get me started about the sleeping arrangements either. I am always swamped with all of them, and they are all jockeying for who can get the closest to me. I get shoved around a lot. If that happens too much, Zoey starts her “weed-eater” sound toward the others, LOL.

I just wanted to share this with everyone to make y’all smile during this difficult time. I hope y’all enjoyed a brief glimpse of my everyday life with my “Loves.” I hope all who read this are keeping busy and sane during these times. We will all get through this.
By: Joel Allen