Hit & Run

In the early morning dark there is a sudden scrabble of paws and nails on the hardwood floor, a jingle of dog tags and the sound of flight - a blur of cat moves past me, just a whisker ahead of the black dog - and both come to a screeching halt at the double doors to the sunroom.  It's a minor altercation, over and done with before I'm forced to intervene, no doubt a passing hit and run on the part of the cat or an imagined slight on the part of the dog or both.  These disputes are fairly common - they flare up and die out, the cat escapes, the dog sulks, and all is forgotten.  

In her younger days, the black dog was faster and far more deadly.  Never a sweet natured animal, she favored a hair trigger temper and a highly suspicious nature and was more than willing to act on both.  Now, with a considerable amount of gray in her muzzle and far less spring in her back legs, she's been forced to slow down somewhat.  She hasn't mellowed (far too strong a word) but she has learned to pick her battles and conserve her energy, at least to a small degree and the cats, once terrorized by the slightest flick of an ear or the start of a growl, have become emboldened.  Being cats, they're discreet and approach her with caution rather than wild abandon but they do approach her and are not driven off by empty threats - they appraise and measure her mood, no longer as impressed with the curled lip and bared teeth - it's taken thirteen years but they've learned that she can be outrun and outmaneuvered.  As grateful as I am for this small respite, it also makes me sad to see her on the downside of her life.  I may not like her very much but I love her dearly - it's one of those odd ironies of life, I shouldn't wonder, to love the unlovable. 

Still, it's never a good idea to underestimate her.  She may not be able to jump up on the bed even with a running start and she may not be as proficient as cat catching as she once was - but she's still a handful, as jealous and frantic and loud as ever and with the proper provocation, just as willing to take your hand off at the wrist and be pleased to do it.  She's not been an easy dog to raise or live with or even love.  She's snappish and bad tempered, unpredictable and willful, obstinate, aggressive, hyperactive and untrusting.  She's also smart as a whip, fearless, as loyal as the day is long and uncommonly beautiful.


At least once in our lives, we should love the difficult and maybe even the unrequited.