It's just me and Boo for a little while. Poor dog. He doesn't understand why Mom's van is outside but she isn't here. Every once in a while he notices it out the window and goes berserk, running from window to window, looking for her. But she isn't there. When I pulled up in the van after work, he went NUTS. I let him outside and he strained at his leash, looking around the van, trying to find Mom. Sorry bud, just me and you.
I confounded him this morning. It was pretty funny. When we don't want Boo getting in the living room (and invariably up on the furniture uninvited if we aren't looking), we put up a baby gate in the doorway between living room and kitchen. As my parents were pulling out of the driveway, Boo ran to the front window, insinuating himself behind the curtain to peer out in distress (suitcases! Oh noez!). I hypothesized if I could cut down his typical run and jumps from front window to back window to back door and back and forth ad nauseum, perhaps he'd calm down faster than normal. Rather than put up the baby gate, I slid the sliding door between kitchen and living room closed. I didn't really think about it until I saw Boo's expression upon encountering it, but I don't think he's seen that door closed often...if ever. There's scratch marks on it from our last dog, Tia.
So when the car pulled out of the driveway, Boo jumped down from the window and ran toward the kitchen only to stop short with a doggy WTF???? expression on his face. He cocked his head, wiggled his ears, cocked his head the other way, wiggled his ears again and crept forward. He sniffed the crack under the door and backed up quickly. He cocked his head and wiggled his ears again.
By this point I was laughing at him.
He did the sniff forward, jump back routine a couple more times before trotting back to the front window where he forgot about the door, evidenced by his startled expression when he charged toward the kitchen again and repeated the door examination, only with a bit more confidence. Finally he just sat and stared at me, his eyes saying, "What in the blue blazes is this and why are you doing it to me?"
So I opened the door. He still ran to the back window and door, but not nearly as frantically as normal.
I know it feels like a terrible day for him, with Mom leaving and not coming back when she normally does! But it hasn't been all bad. He met the postmaster who thought he was adorable. I wasn't sure if dogs were allowed in the post office. I mean, it IS the 'Duh, so it MIGHT be allowed...unofficially. I compensated by picking him up and carrying him in. He tried to jump out of my arms and over the postmaster's counter, but I held tight. Whew!
<Yes, Mom. That means one of your mysterious packages has arrived! It's on your dresser.>
I more than half expected (about 60%) to find a doggy present in the kitchen when I got home from work, but Boo was SUCH a good boy! Yes, he was! Weren't you Boober? You were such a good boy!
