Dharma was diagnosed with bad hips at her first vet appointment. The Purdue experts said her condition wasn’t bad enough at the puppy stage for surgery, but we knew it wouldn’t be smooth sailing as she aged.
Fast forward to today…
Dharma has some phobia about floors and steps. Floors are lava and steps are similar to jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. Only with her pink lead will she take those 2 steps from the deck to the sidewalk to make it into the yard.
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays me from escorting a brown hound to the yard — 100 times every day.
Is Dharma faking — or capitalizing on her challenges?
Last night I had Dharma’s pink lead around her neck walking her to those darn steps so she could pee, get a peanut butter cracker, and go to bed. Merida took off like a jet after some critter that had infiltrated the yard. Little Miss Cripple jerked that leash, ran off those steps, and barked — ready to tear something apart.
I know Dharma has bad hips, but I also wonder if she’s milking it a bit. To some extent, I think I’m getting played by a dog.
Now you know: In the early 60s, the US Coast Guard got letters from the public demanding to know why the castaways on the TV show Gilligan’s Island had not yet been rescued.