Petey, the Drama Dog

John and I have noticed signs of aging on poor, pitiful Petey in the week since we've been home. He lost a tooth, his muzzle seems to have gotten grayer and he doesn't seem jump and run so much. One afternoon when I got home from work he didn't run down to the car to get a ride to the back door. He didn't even come down the steps to greet me. He wasn't mad, because he stood up and wagged his little stubby tail. He met me with enthusiasm, just not at the usual Petey level.

We think he has arthritis in his back legs (hips if dogs have hips) that bothers him from time to time so that he doesn't jump so much. We give him baby aspirin to take the edge off. That usually only lasts a day or two then he's jumping and running like crazy again. Initially we thought that was the problem this time as well. Only this time it seemed to last longer.

On Thursday, John had an all day faculty meeting and was up and gone before my alarm went off. When I got up, Petey didn't rush in to the room as usual. Generally, he gets in the bed as soon as I get up. He'll stay there until I'm about to leave and walk me to the back door. He knows just the sad, pitiful look to give me so that I'll give him a treat.

On Thursday, none of this happened. When he didn't come to the bed, I went looking for him. I found him on one of his living room beds all curled up. He raised his head slightly and looked up at me with his most pitiful face. I asked if he wanted to get in the bed and he just let his head flop back down. I asked if he wanted to go out and he didn't respond at all. I thought that maybe he'd come back to the bed once he realized that I was up, but he didn't. I got ready for work and walked through the living room to see if he'd escort me to the back door. He didn't. He just laid there motionless. I went and got him a treat - a whole one - and brought back to him. He raised his head up enough to take the treat and flopped his head back down.

I wondered if my employer would allow a family sick day for a dog. I decided probably not, and went to work. Since John was in the meeting all day, he could not get email, cell phone calls, or texts. I could not discuss Petey's condition with him. I didn't know what he'd been like earlier in the day, but I suspected he'd been asleep when John left. So, I was left to wonder all day. I even wondered how I'd tell Petey's faithful fans what had happened.

When I got home that night, Petey came tearing to the back door and greeted me with enough enthusiasm to make up for all of the missed opportunities earlier in the week. I was shocked. I filled John in on what had happened in the morning. He was surprised. Petey had been up with him, gone out and been his perky little self while John was home. John hadn't given Petey a second thought all day because he was just fine when he left!!!

We are now beginning to wonder if Petey just has my number. He knows I'm the one that gives him the baby aspirins, or benadryl. Maybe he was faking it, thinking I would stay home like a child faking a stomach ache to stay home from school. He almost had me. He did get a whole bacon treat out of it.