Grace for the soul

Tag: dogs

  • Fun Five

    Fun Five

    List five things you do for fun.

    Over the COVID lockdown, which now seems so faraway and surreal, I started appreciating the time I had for myself. My dad, my pooch at the time- Loki, and I, found the lockdown somewhat cathartic.

    I don’t want to say that I was happy about COVID, because I wasn’t. Too many people died and too many families suffered heartbreak. What I came to appreciate was the slowing down of things as a result of the lockdown.

    I started having time to enjoy breakfast with my dad. There were great discussions over brekkie and it somehow set me up for the rest of the day. My dad passed away a couple of years ago, and I no longer have that time with him, but I absolutely enjoy the quiet of the morning, when I get to go on walks with my present pooch- Gamora, or even when we play ball in the garden. I feel like I have time to recount the day past and plan for the day ahead and for a reflective, organiser like me, this is a beautiful thing. Maybe it’s not everyone’s sense of ‘fun’ but I love it and am loathe to give it up.

    Another thing that is fun is spending time with little Gamora. I love our walks together. When Gamora walks into the park, her bum starts wiggling, her ears flap, and she has the biggest, broadest smile on her face. She’s interested in every smell or movement. She’s on to everything in a flash and there’s so much joy in this bouncy little girl. I love it when we play ball at home. She has her own rules, which she communicates quite efficiently. She’s also great to watch – whether she’s out doing what feels like security patrols in the garden, chasing birds, or when she’s lolling about indoors playing with her toys. She makes such guttural sounds of enjoyment and contentment which I absolutely love.

    I’m terribly conscious of the fact that I’m probably contradicting lots of people’s idea of what is ‘fun!’ But I am finding so much joy in these new ideals I have for what is fun!

    I love having friends over! I especially love it when it’s small groups where everyone knows everyone. I enjoy planning menus and prepping food – I love it. There’s a kind of peace I feel as I plan and prep. And I cannot explain it – except that I’m my element in each of these stages. It’s also brilliant watching Gamora interact with our guests. She has special greetings and playing styles for different ones.

    Something that I think is so fun now is pitting myself against myself to try and finish reading books. I’ve already finished two books this January and have started on a third. That has stuff that I need to work out as I go along and I’m contemplating starting the fourth book as I do this. I’m enjoying going back to reading.

    The fifth but not the last thing I enjoy doing for fun is chatting with friends. Sometimes we meet outside, sometimes they come over, or we talk on the phone or over video calls. I’ve come to love this so very much. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I no longer have my father with me and these conversations have ended. I’m finding a sense of enjoyment and fulfilment in these different conversations. Really am glad for these things!

    A park morning with Gamora
    An orange semolina cake with ginger crystals that my friends love
    Prepping a pumpkin salad
    Going back to reading
    Friends and family

  • Gamora’s Mind

    It’s no secret that I love little Gamora to bits. She’s the half-pug-half-dachshund bundle of joy that goes speeding about trying to deliver kisses to people and patrol the garden. She’s not very big, but has the propensity to become very fat! This is because I spayed her early – well, partly this. Mostly, it’s because she can eat and eat and eat and keeps looking for food all over the place.

    In December, for her third birthday, I had a Birthday & Santa-Paws Pawty. I wanted to celebrate her birthday and host the family for an early Christmas party to kick off the season. Gamora had a ball. Friends and family came to spend time with us and our home was so full of laughter and chatter. It was beautiful.

    One of Gamora’s gifts was a bag of dental chews. Gamora has got some allergies so I tend not to give her anything bought, but I let my guard down and gave her some of these dental chews. I didn’t think too much of it and gave her a couple for about 3-4 days.

    I then started noticing that she was struggling. All sorts of bits were coming out of her and she also started throwing up. We rushed to the vet, where they told us that the dental chews had most likely caused some kind of obstruction.

    They stopped her from throwing up, but for an entire week, I watched her nature’s calls. If they weren’t happening, I was meant to rush her back to the vet. Thankfully, things kept going in the right trajectory and her very swollen and painful belly was no longer bloated and sore.

    The vet has said she’s out of danger, but we’ve to monitor her for a bit where her food is concerned to make sure her digestive tract is fully healed. So her kibble is soaked and she gets some porridge at points. She loves it. My greedy little pup just licks her bowl of food till it’s all shiny and glossy.

    She wonders why she doesn’t even get homemade treats at the moment and is constantly waiting every time I open the fridge. I wish I could make her understand that I have to go slow with her until her digestive tract has fully recovered and that I’m doing this because I adore her and want her to grow old with me. I’ll do everything that I must to care for this little one.

    It’s wonderful now watching her back to her usual self as her belly’s not hurting anymore. A new delivery guy is absolutely besotted with her and asked if he could give her a treat. I’ve explained that she can’t have any – and he very sweetly has taken to throwing her ball into the garden for her to run after. Friends and family come by to visit and she wonders why no one’s letting her lick their fingers after a meal. It’s all part of making sure she gets better. She enjoys the time with them, but I want her to know that we love her and that’s the only reason it’s not business as usual.

    She’s a sweet pup! She has a curious nature and is extremely expressive. I want her to know that I’ll always do what’s best for her.

    Are we there yet?

  • A Dog Called Gamora

    Daily writing prompt
    What is your favorite animal?
    View all responses

    I love dogs! I didn’t always have dogs but around 2010, I got my first dog whose name was Patches. Patches was a rescue we got around the time he was four. He was gorgeous. He had a white coat with black spots that seemed to fade at points. He had such a lovely personality and I nicknamed him The Turkey Thief because one Christmas he stole a turkey and ate it!

    My second dog was Loki. Loki didn’t live very long. I had to put him down when he was three. I had Loki from the time he was eighteen days old. His, was such a tragic story. All he knew from the moment he was born was pain and agony. Loki didn’t do well with people as a result of such deep rooted trauma. His eating and drinking capabilities were also significantly reduced. It was a hard decision, but the right one. He did have lots of love in his short three years.

    My present dog is Gamora. Gamora is half-pug-half-dachshund. Initially, after Loki died, I thought I wouldn’t take another pup. But a breeder was in desperate need to find homes for the pups after a pug (Gamy-girl’s dad) and a dachshund (Gamy-girl’s mum) fell in love and had a litter. Gamora chose me. She’s the first female dog I’ve had and she’s a beauty. I named her Gamora because of how she out-muscled her brother and made me pick her.

    Gamora’s an absolute sweetheart. She’s very different from Patches and Loki. Apart from being much smaller than the both of them, she’s also by far more intelligent. She seems to have problem-solving skills – especially when she sets her sights on something. She’s also incredibly brave in comparison to both Patches and Loki, which is hilarious. The hunter personality from her dachshund DNA is strong and she takes her duties patrolling my garden very seriously.

    I loved Patches and Loki with all my heart. In fact, I still love them. When I think of them, they make me smile. But there’s something about Gamora that has totally captivated me. I don’t know if this makes me bad and if I’m playing favourites here, but this little girl has simply got me. She’s got the most curious little way of worming her way to you. She does a sploot and then starts crawling towards you to give you the biggest, warmest licks of love. It’s her love attack position. She does get you. There’s no winning.

    She’s also incredibly matter-of-fact about what she wants. There’s no two ways. It’s either Gamora’s way or the highway! Every night when we go to bed, the same thing happens. She decides that she wants to sleep in the exact spot that I’m sleeping in. It doesn’t matter if she chooses first – but once we’re settled, she very confidently marches over and creates a space for herself. Even in the dark, you can feel her working it out. She makes you cooperate!

    Gamora loves people. She has a few favourite people who are often in our home. Some babysit her regularly and she shows them special greetings when they arrive. In the mornings, some of our neighbours have to stop by at our gate to greet her and have a moment with her. It’s poignant. I don’t need to be around – it’s their thing with her. Gamora makes her disappointment know if anyone of these gets into their car and drives off without greeting her. It doesn’t matter if they’re rushing off. She expects to be paid homage!

    Gamora also has favourites among delivery people. I dislike going shopping, and I try to reduce my having to go to physical shops by buying stuff online. Gamora has her special routines with some of the more frequent delivery folk. They tell me they love her and that it makes them happy knowing they’re coming to our home. One even told me that he knows our home address because of her! What’s amusing is that they actually take a moment to greet her and engage with her. She loves it.

    If there is one thing that motivates Gamora, it is food. Unfortunately for her, both pugs and dachshunds are prone to weight gain. It shows! It doesn’t help that Gamora is allergic to grass and has to be on some allergy meds, which seem to add to her weight dilemma. She doesn’t appreciate not being given my food, even thought she has just eaten hers. The look of heartbreak she manages to give, as if she’s been starved and abandoned her whole live and never has seen a day of kindness, is simply unmistakable. She’s got chops!

    The most difficult thing for me when it comes to managing Gamora is not having my dad around. When it came to Patches and Loki, my dad’s presence always helped. There are times when I need to be out for work. Patches and Loki always had my dad to fall back on to. Gamora only had my dad for about five and a half months. Saying this, her memory is remarkable. There are moments when she demonstrates her sorrow at his passing. Once the son of a friend who was visiting, a toddler, grabbed my dad’s walking stick from a corner it was in. It surprised me for a moment to see my dad’s walking stick and at the same time, Gamora became very quiet. I thought it was because she wanted to hide from the child. However, the friend left very shortly after that and when I got back inside, I couldn’t locate Gamora. I finally found her curled up next to my dad’s walking stick, looking at it with her sad puppy-dog eyes. It made me cry. This little girl is intuitive.

    I love this little girl and I love this time of my life where I’m working for myself and get to spend time with her. I wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s been such a special little gift to me from God and I am so thankful to him for her.

    Gamora draws people into her little galaxy. She’s full of love, cheer, and mischief. Love you loads, little Gamora!

    Patches and me
    Loki and me