gifts

Dexter is naturally gifted when it comes to bedding.  He has no problem whatsoever in making use of a blanket,  a comforter, a towel, or a pair of jeans that I tossed and missed the laundry hamper.    He knows how fluff a dog bed, going round and round pulling it up with his paws until he plops down – or I yell at him about all the dust he is kicking up.  Other days I have surprised him, snoring away, legs in the air in the middle of the nice leather couch.

He appreciates the finer things.

All by himself he learned how to get biscuits by banging on the cupboard where they are kept. Of course, if we didn’t respond he probably would have stopped doing it.  We respond.  Yet Dexter is also the one who, when we come home only to find Comet greeting us, has closed himself in a bedroom by rooting behind the door for something and shut the door.

Comet on the other hand, after the first day bringing him home, does not leave the property line.  One time that my son came over to take Dexter out, he found himself outside and spent an hour or more by the front door.   Given his unknown history before we adopted him, he may believe that air conditioning and two squares a day plus biscuits is preferable to anything the outside has to offer.

He learned obedience fairly easily – except for the whole don’t-root-in- the-trash and tear-into-loaves-of- bread-left-out.  We adjusted instead.  However, he easily learned to sit before he gets something to eat.  And neither dog begs at the table.  When it comes to their eating habits, Dexter learned to be less picky and eat more quickly or Comet willingly hovers to help him.

As for the pack lead, me,  I know my gifts.  On my way home from work, I will call my spouse to ask whether we need anything, or if she works late, whether I can bring something for her dinner.  I will, most of the time,  take the laundry from the dryer into the house, or start a load when I get home.  I get frequent opportunities to barbecue to make dinner less of a chore for her, to gas up her car,  and like this week,  to set up a computer and monitor in her exercise room so she can watch online videos while decompressing from work.   And if she feels like going to bed earlier than I do – I know it is time to fluff the bedding and curl up with my missus.  The air conditioning and the three squares a day are nice, but my supreme gift is appreciation for my “Alpha” female.