Sheepdog Season

Sophie (left) & Mike on the back porch

Dear George,

Katja and Donna are touring in France, while I elected to stay home and take care of our respective sheepdogs, Mike and Sophie.  It’s definitely more exciting in France, but being home with the dogs has its own perks.  Because of Mike’s infirmities, I’m leery about leaving him home along for too long, so we’re all together at home most of the day.  Mike and Sophie get along fine, though they do their own thing.  We do go on a lot of individualized dog walks — Sophie usually down Ludlow Ave. to Burnet Woods and Mike on a 6-block walk in our immediate neighborhood.  The dogs are good companions — affectionate, attentive, loyal, patient — and I’ve always felt I have a lot to learn about giving and contentment from them.  Here are a few photos with poetic commentary that depict what life is like these days with Mike and Sophie.

Love,

Dave

We are spending more time on the patio

The dogs and I go there each morn

Mike enjoys rooting in the dirt

While Sophie chews an acorn

Ever since he was six months old

Mike’s had an extraordinary knack

He’s able to hold four legs in the air

While balancing straight on his back

Sophie and I stroll down Ludlow

We stop at the fountain to rest

Sophie likes to watch the people who are out

She’s thirteen but still has her zest

We three are watching the Bengals game

The dogs bark and cheer for the team

Although they don’t watch every single play

They do when the game picks up steam

The dogs did drift off in the second half

The Bengals were clearly ahead

They gave a big bark for Andy Dalton

But then they were ready for bed

You might say the front porch’s a prison

The sheepdogs peek out through the slats 

The world going by holds their interest

They hope that they’ll see pussycats

Here’s Mikey with his rawhide bone

He carries it everywhere 

He’ll never chew on that rawhide bone

He keeps it under my chair

Burnet Woods is the forest primeval

And it’s only four blocks from our house

It’s Sophie’s favorite place to go hiking

She looks for a squirrel or a mouse

The dogs let me know when it’s time to eat

With meals they’re remarkably shrewd

Mike eats faster with Sophie here

He’s afraid she’ll get into his food

The dogs drink plenty of water

Their bowl’s on the kitchen floor 

But they both prefer the upstairs bowl

I never say “No” any more

I rarely leave the dogs home alone

But if I do — such despair

The dogs stand and wait at the kitchen door

Wondering when I will be there

The stairs have become much more daunting

I lift Mikey up step by step

Sophie still makes it on her own

Though she has lost a little pep

The dogs get in bed at nine o’clock

I beg them to leave me a place

But they cover up the entire bed

I’m lucky to find a small space