Old Dogs and New Tricks!

  Who says that you can't teach old dogs new tricks?  I think that is probably the most ridiculous thing that Ms. Ez has ever heard!  She may not be the brightest dog ever to roam this earth but every now and again she surprises me and sometimes even herself.  First off, the dog is purely spoiled.  Never before have we had an "indoors" dog except for one tiny mixed breed fluffball that would have made a tasty tidbit for the owls or coyotes.  All of the large dogs stayed outside.  They wanted to be out.  If we tried to bring them inside, the crazy things would howl to be outdoors.  Once outside, they would gallop around the yard like crazy!  I can remember trying to bring the dogs inside during hurricanes and that was even difficult.  Each dog was going bananas to be out and would try to sneak out each time the door was cracked open.  Nope, outdoor dogs love being outdoors and there is no changing that.  We provided them with cozy houses with snug beds and they were happy to sleep on the cold ground. (Except for one who insisted on sleeping on top of the doghouse! But that all changed one Ms. Ez came to stay with us at a ripe old age of five weeks.  Her first family allowed their dog to have numerous litters of pups.  With one litter, they decided that the "runt" of the bunch needed to be discarded. Their method of disposing unwanted pups was to "knock them in the head".  Cruel, indeed.  Darling Daughter, Elizabeth, would have no part of that and snatched the little one from the hands of the big, ole meanies that wanted to kill her!  Yay!  Elizabeth to the rescue!  Anyway, Esmeralda became a part of the family before she was even old enough to eat on her own.  (Yes, Elizabeth named her Esmeralda.  Could you imagine trying to yell out the door for the dog with that name?  Not happening. I shortened it to Ez.  With time, it became Ms. Ez.)  Anyway, long story made short.  Ms. Ez is here to stay even though she is a spoiled indoors dog.

  Being used to the cushy life she is, Ms. Ez has a certain intolerance to the cold.  The Little Bayou House rarely gets up to a toasty 60 degrees in the winter and the night's temperatures hover about 40 degrees.  I have no problem with this as I will just toss another log on the fire, pull up my blanket and snooze soundly.  The old dog does have a problem with it, though,  She shivers and shakes all night.  I have tried throwing a blanket on her and that works until she gets up to shift positions. After about a gazillion circles, the cover winds up on the floor and the dog starts her shaking anew.  I refuse to get up a dozen times during the night to tuck a dog into bed!

  For the past few nights, the old dog has learned a new trick.  She gets her mat from by the door, drops it on her bed and manages to slip between it and the large bed.  All I see in the morning are her little toes poking out!  Now that seems to be an ideal situation for both the dog and me!  She is warm and snug and I do not have to worry about blankets on the floor!  Good job, Ms. Ez!  This just proves that you are never too old to learn!