Bayou Dogs and ummm...Not Bayou Dogs!

My son and daughter-in-law came to visit this weekend and as they usually do, they brought their pets.  I do not mind this as I like critters.  Mark and Joanna have a cat, Kiki, who stays in the spare bedroom so she won't get lost in the clutter of the Little Bayou House.  Joanna tells me that this is done so Queen Kiki will not ruin some of my "collectibles" but I think she is just being kind.  I do believe the cat might become lost in the clutter and not be seen for the next thirty years or so. Consequently, the cat stays in the spare bedroom and pounces on anyone that opens the door.  She is a very loving cat and demands that her subjects pet her at all times.  But this tale is about poor PJ, their dog.  PJ is a most friendly dog..he just about loves everyone!  He likes to be the center of attention which sometimes is just not feasible.  I am spoiled with Ms. Ez as she will lie around on the floor and watch more than intervene.  (Then, again, perhaps she is just lazy!)  PJ is a remarkably well-behaved dog which makes him even more welcome here.  He listens well to whatever I tell him and tries his best to obey.  I think sometimes he just becomes a tad confused with the different surroundings.  The Bayou is a different sort of life for him.

 Ms. Ez is a true bayou dog.  Over the years, she has learned to navigate around the hillside and pier. She loves being near the water and all of the critters that live there. She is not afraid of these critters and has actually befriended a few of them to the point that they no longer fear her.  She fits in well.  There are bayou dogs (which in other areas are called country dogs) and then there are the "not bayou dogs".  PJ is not a bayou dog..he is a city dog!  Mark and Joanna live in a small town but compared to life on the Bayou, they might as well live in New York City itself!  (Don't get me wrong..I have nothing against New York City and those that live there..it is just that I could not live there!)   Anyway, I noticed today that poor PJ is not cut out for life on the Bayou.  He does well with visits but would be like a fish out of water if he had to make this his home.  It would be like me moving to New York!  This morning, I let the dogs out to do their business.  They were directed to "go down the hill".  PJ looked at me with a bit of confusion but soon remembered from his last visit and dashed down the hillside until.....he met up with a flock of doves!  Ms. Ez loves her birds and they love her...the birds were terrified of PJ and, well, he was of them.  When they flew up not twenty feet of him, it so startled the poor dog that he immediately turned tail and ran back to my side!  Poor PJ!  He is not a bayou dog!  Then later, I left them outside to play but he wanted back in the house!  Ms. Ez kept bringing him sticks and balls so he would play but he sat on the steps and whined.  Poor PJ!  He is so not used to country life!  Why play with a stick when he could watch television?

Then last night, my heart just went out to this pup.  Ms. Ez was all snug on her bed and he was snoozing in his crate.  During the night after the fire died down in the wood stove, it began to get a mite chilly in the house.  A strange noise awoke me!  I listened..it came from near the dogs.  Hmmmm?  I could not see either of them in the darkness so I just told them to go back to sleep.  All stopped for about ten minutes and then..the noise started again.  Following my earlier method, I fussed at them to go to sleep!  This time a bit sterner!  Quiet!  Ten minutes later...aarrgh!  "Settle down!" I demanded!  The noise got worse!  It sounded a bit like someone was shaking the crate!  I grabbed a flashlight and searched for an answer.  I got it.  PJ was trembling with the cold!  The poor dog was literally shaking like a leaf!  I looked at Ezzy and found her still all snug under her blanket!  She will root around until she is completely under the small fleece blanket.  PJ, on the other hand, was on top of his blanket and freezing!   I opened his crate and spread the blanket over top of him.  "There Pup..go to sleep!"  He seemed appreciative and promptly dozed.  The shaking stopped as did the clattering of the crate.  I figured he was used to their central heating unit and the icy air of the Little Bayou House was just too much for him.  He would sleep well now!  Wrong!!!!  A half-hour later and he was out from under the blanket!  The clattering of the crate was strong with his trembling!  Again, I got out of bed to cover up a dog!  This happened four times during the night.  Finally at five in the morning, I decided to get up and build a fire!  After all of this, he still had not learned to stay under that blanket and had not learned to burrow back under if it slipped off during his sleep.  Poor PJ!  He is definitely not a bayou dog!  I have a feeling he is really thankful to be back in his own bed tonight!  I think he likes to come visit his country friend but is happy to get back to his city life!