Just Passing By

I’m not a dog person… until we adopted Bamboo.

Formerly named Clark, this Scottie was turned in with his brother Lewis by their previous owner who didn’t want them anymore. The two pups were 9 months old when they arrived at the shelter. A young couple took Lewis a few minutes before my kids and I fell in love with Clark.  The pups were still able to sniff their goodbyes at the reception as we finished with the paperwork.

More than a year later, Clark has taken to his new, funkier name. Every night, Bamboo will follow Goji and I to Goji’s bedroom and wait patiently as I tuck my son in. Then he’ll follow me out knowing that it’s his time to be tucked in. He’ll only go to bed when I say “Bed!” and reward him with a dental chew. Then I’ll put a blanket over him and he’ll sleep through the night with it.

In the morning, he’ll bring his blanket and form it into a nest in the middle of the living room. My fluffy slippers make for comfy pillows. I guess Bamboo finds the feet smell aromatherapeutic too.

On weekend mornings when I wake up early, we go out for walks in the neighborhood. The kids take him in the afternoons, which are the highlights of his dog days. His shaggy hair just makes people want to pet him and cars stop to ask what kind of dog he is.  Too bad he’s not very friendly. He will growl at anyone and everyone who is within a few feet away from us. I couldn’t tell though if he’s being protective or just unbelievably annoyed that someone would have the gall to interrupt his sniffing.

He’s almost 2 now. Given his breed’s life expectancy, he probably has 10 more years with us. So when the kids have gone off to college or spreading their wings to start their own careers, I’d only have Bamboo to tuck in at night. Now that’s a comforting thought, better than tucking my own grandkids in 10 years. So not ready for that!