Friday, October 31, 2014

Missing Harry

I've been asked by several friends how the other dogs are reacting to Harry's absence. Even though we live with our animal companions, it can be hard to tell how they are reacting to something. Or to put it another way, it is far too easy to anthropomorphize and ascribe to them human emotions when they may actually be feeling something quite different. And it can be easy to miss subtle changes in their behavior and demeanor.

When Harry was here, he had his choice of two beds positioned in front of the gas stove for his daytime napping. It had been more than couple of years since he was able to jump on the furniture due to the arthritis in his shoulder and his increasing frailty. The beds were well padded with extra blankets. He freely rotated between the two and Azza often stretched out next to him in the evenings.

During the day, Azza is crated. I have crated her since she was a puppy. The crate is a happy place for her. A few months ago, I made the mistake of leaving her out with Mimi for about an hour when I ran an errand one afternoon. I came home to find chunks of the windowsill missing. No, when there is no human about, Azza goes in that crate.

While Harry chose his spot in front of the fire, Mimi's regular daytime napping spot was on a dog bed on the couch next to the gas stove. She prefers to be on furniture whenever possible, mainly because I've always allowed it. She could see Harry on the floor at the foot of the couch, she could see Azza in her crate, and she could see out the front windows. It was an excellent vantage point.

After Harry died, I noticed that Azza was not spending any time in the dog beds by the fire even though the weather was getting cooler in the evenings. Was it the beds themselves? As an experiment, I removed both of the beds that had been there for the last few weeks that Harry was with us and I set up another bed next to the kitchen table where I spend most of my time studying. 


Azza

Azza immediately claimed that space, literally diving into the bed and curling up with a big sigh. Mimi has long been using a crate located on the other side of the table to keep an eye on me.

Mimi

That wasn't a subtle change--it was pretty obvious. Azza doesn't want to hang out anymore in the spot where Harry spent most of his rest time. She is still perfectly happy using the dog beds but not in that spot. 

The really interesting change is where Mimi now naps during the day: on top of Azza's crate! Once I figured this out, I put a bed up there. It is toasty warm from her body heat every day when I get back from campus. She can still sort of see out the front windows but I think it is an inferior perch for monitoring the street outside. But I don't think she chose the new spot for that reason. I think that she moved because she felt alone on the couch on the other side of the room. Azza may not be her first choice of companion, but she's now the only choice.

You can read what you want into these things. I can't tell you what they are thinking or feeling, I can only tell you what the dogs have done since we said goodbye to our old man.

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