I wished the camera was within reach.
As the kettle boiled I had opened the door for Ani to go out and prepared her breakfast. Calling her in I watched, astonished, as she skidded to a halt and began the low, warning growl at her breakfast bowl. Spider, I thought. They are everywhere.
I checked, but no, nothing.
Ani is still growling, advancing, pawing at the ground like a small horse and retreating.
I pulled everything out again… checked all round… not a thing. I could see no reason for it.
Ani has by this point retreated to the living room, within sight of the bowl. Her nose is wet, her mouth says yes, favourite breakfast… but she won’t go near it and is whining. I sit on the cold floor in my dressing gown and show her it is okay.
She advances… but not too close, continually growling with that low, worried rumble. I pick up the bowl and she scarpers to a safe distance, howling quietly. Maybe a field mouse has come in, or a big beetle? A frog? Goodness knows…
Feeding her a bit by hand I attempt to reassure her, utterly bewildered at what is happening here… she’s never done anything like this before…
She takes the morsels and wolfs them down. Not the food itself then. Weird. I advance the bowl again… she retreats further, pawing and growling.
I can’t understand it… there is nothing different, no changes… nothing at all to worry her, yet she is obviously very worried by something….
I look at the bowl from my ground level view… and then I understand.
Seriously? Really?
Oh Ani….
The two pale golden capsules hidden in her food… capsules she had eaten with no problem every day for the past week… are catching the light and sticking up slightly from the surface.
Like eyes, perhaps…?
A quick stir and they are out of sight. I try again, she creeps in slowly and wolfs her breakfast after a cautious sniff.
My dog is officially a chicken…
… and I was chuckling away at the daft thing for quite some time. Her sheepish ‘thank you’ after breakfast sort of said it all.
She’s not having the best of days. The washing machine decided to pack up and spew soap suds all over the floor, billowing everywhere… This wouldn’t be too bad (apart from my own consternation) but she’s always liked helping with the laundry…
Last seen she was hiding under the sofa cushions, which, to complete her discomfiture, I have stripped of covers to go in the wash… hmm. That could be tricky…
Still, she is buried and not coming out. Daft animal.
Except… that is unfair. From the small dog’s perspective some arcane creature had taken up residence in her bowl and was looking back at her with a pale golden stare. She was genuinely worried about something she simply didn’t understand. It was outside her experience and made no sense to her. Then the friendly washing machine attacked her.
I can’t say she is alone in being scared by what she has not had to face before and fails to comprehend. It must be a feeling we are all familiar with at some stage of our lives and I suppose we might all end up feeling sheepish or looking as funny as Ani did to outsiders who can see the fear for what it is.
Me, I was supposed to be having a quick clean up, strip the sofa and curtains then get out into the garden… yeah, right. Where’s the screwdriver…
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
Liverwurst. NO dog can resist anything wrapped in liverwurst. It is the final fallback position to get medication into a resistant dog that is far too clever for his/her own good.
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She’ll normally eat anything and takes her meds no problem.. but not, apparently, if it is looking at her.
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Oh hugs to Ani (((Ani)))
And sorry you had to deal with a washing machine, out of sorts. No fun when things break on you like that.
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Between that and the Hoover that’s only the tip of the iceberg today!
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hope Ani feels better soon and hope you get out to that garden! ❤
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Won’t get out there today now.. still playing with screwdrivers…x
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Terrible Ani! Just terrible! I met a young Dalmatian recently outside a cafe…he was terrified of his water bowl and he reacted much like you to your food bowl…the water bowl looked to be a cut-down very large cooking oil container and it was very, very deep! I think the poor dog thought it was going to swallow him if he stuck his head into it! Like you he readily accepted in his case water from my hand but the make shift water bowl was terrifying!!!
Washing machines are a nightmare! I am very scared of them especially when they fill up with soap (I have bad dreams about drowning in them!) and just as bad when they go into that dreadful spin mode!! Best to hide just like you Ani! Trouble is like with your soap suds they have a habit of breaking down and causing the dirty water not to drain…leaving a machine full of sodden great unwashedness!!! Hand washing at midnight is no fun! Hope your week improves for you both! Wolfie hugs 🙂
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It was the eyes, Wolfie… golden eyes…*shudders* I just didn’t know what was going on… !
Don’t normally mind the washing machine… I like to help empty it… whether ‘she’ likes it or not… always have. But the soapy stuff went everywhere and she says some really strange words, you know… ones I’m not sure about….
That’s probably why I went and hid…. 😉
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Reblogged this on theowlladyblog.
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Reblogged this on MARSocial Author Business Enhancement Interviews.
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Looks like you and Ani had quite a Sunday.
I hope she gets better soon. She’s lovely. @v@ ❤
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So do I, though I think sh is beginning to pick up x
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I guess you’ll just have to conceal the meds better next time!
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Apparently so, Noah 🙂
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Sue, Ani is such a pet and it seems like the bond between the pair of you gets stronger with every post. Just adored this.
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She has been called the externalisation of my inner mischief… that’s not a bad description and you can’t get much closer than that 🙂
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No, you certainly can’t! But discern more than just inner mischief ~ would sensitivity be going too far?
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That dog goes too far as it is without any encouragement, Jean 😉
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Reblogged this on Anita & Jaye Dawes and commented:
lovely post, Sue. Makes me remember that I miss having a dog…
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Poor Ani. Bet she’s still all tuckered out.
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You wouldn’t think so today, Fransi 🙂
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Oh that’s good :). Fully recovered from her trauma 🙂
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Now we just have to get her to recover from the baldness 🙂
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She will 🙂
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Sounds like a rough day all the way around. Good detective work there. Ani is good. Our Ko-ko would balk at taking pills no matter what disguised them. Not that I blamed her. Like you said we all have fears like Ani’s. Hope things return to some semblance of normalcy for you both soon.
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I’d settle for the usual weirdness, Ellen 🙂
Ani normally eats pretty much anuthing, including the pills, but the ‘eyes’ were too much for her 🙂
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You are so compassionate. Your post inspires me to be more patient with my dog’s seemingly insane, nonsensical behavior. We just have to get down to their level and try to see life from their perspective. Good post!
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If you could see the insanity this morning, Eliza…. 🙂
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Oh Sue Ani is just adorable!
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I know…she’s fast asleep upside down and snoring right now 🙂
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