Luci's mama must have taught her litter to observe good boundaries. Luci is not the most obedient dog--she does things her own way and in her own good time--but she doesn't cross my sleep boundaries, which is one of the best things about her. I give her the same quiet when she sleeps in my bed for twelve hours, and I wake up in the middle of the night. It's tempting to pick her up, but she prefers being left to her dreams. If I watch a movie, she burrows under the cover without complaining.
Because she's so little, she has a small footprint, so her errors in judgment are not big deals. She doesn't touch my shoes on the floor--except for the furry bedroom shoes which she treats like surrogate puppies. She cuddles against them, but she also shakes them and throws them hoping to entice me to play the game of Get The Shoes Back.
If she were a German Shepherd or a bear cub, we'd have to have a few more rules.
She was most likely taken away from her mama too early--either by accident or by being chosen by some previous humans. Then somehow she was separated from those who took her. I'll never know her history because she doesn't speak English, but will be forever grateful to Janet for finding her for me at SNIPSA.
When I take a bath or brush my teeth, she watches carefully to see if this might be a day I'm going to leave her for a long long time, like two hours, and she's going to have to sit by the Christmas tree in the window the whole time and wait.
Luci has what the dog books call Separation Anxiety. If she knows for sure I'm leaving, and if I don't say "Come on!" (words she loves) and if I say instead, "You stay, I'll be back," (her least favorite words) she literally trembles. She follows me from room to room. Her idea of a perfect day would be a walk with Freda or me followed by a lot of hugging, then a late afternoon romp with Carma. Both dogs know when it's time for their playdate and beg Jan and me to make it happen.
Jan got them advent calendars at Trader Joe's, each day with a treat. They get so excited when they see the advent boxes coming out!
I'm off to a birthday lunch at Cappy's to celebrate Kate's birthday, then tonight to Helotes to hear the 4th grade Christmas music.
Happy Birthday, Kate!
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