A week ago, we got the puppy fixed and as a result, have spent the last week convincing a not-yet-one-year-old Brittany Spaniel puppy that it can’t run, jump, tussle or scratch its belly. Not an easy task.
Especially considering that we just got the dog to jump in and out of the boat and now we’re making her wait and use the Elli-vater. As a rule, she doesn’t object to being lifted in and out of the boat – she likes the attention – but she does not at all care for the general lack of activity. She sits in the bed (something she doesn’t mind doing 23.5 hours a day so long as the remaining half hour she can run) with her front paws crossed and one ear flipped back and glares at us for restricting her activity. No speeding down the dock at ducks, no chasing squirrels up trees.
She protests this even in her sleep. Stretched out next to me, pushing on me with her paws, she starts sleep-running. All four paws twitch and muffled barks die in her mouth. Excitedly, she sleep runs and, I hope, catches the duck. In a few more months, I expect she’ll add sleep-swimming as well.