Of our super seven, Dexter is our senior adult. He puts up with a lot of rambunctiousness from the others, the puppies in particular. They pursue him relentlessly and sometimes Dex just needs his space; so I'm giving him a little blog space today.
Things were good when it was just he and Jake. Ah, our precious Jake. He was 3 years Dex's senior and passed away suddenly, but gently 02/07. That's another story, though. Anyway, Dex was very content in those days. Then Zeila came into the picture and he was no longer the baby of the family. I think that took some getting used to. Things really got weird for him, though, when Jake departed and Bruiser came along. But, he adjusted.
He wasn't prepared, however, for the puppies! Whoa Nellie! Talk about a world turned upside down. They're hyper, for one thing. Plus, they constantly want to jump on him and lick him; poor guy, he gets so annoyed. He'll snarl and show teeth, which is his way of begging for mercy, but they're unimpressed. If he could just get a little peace once in a while... he's no whipper-snapper anymore.
Of the puppies, Emma is the one who gets away with the most. She adores him and is always near him, licking, licking, licking... he puts up with it pretty patiently (even if he could talk, though, I don't think he'd admit that he has a soft spot for her; but we know better).
I'm going to suggest to Joe that we have a Dexter Day real soon (we do special "dog days" every now and then - it's like having a couple of extra birthdays throughout the year. Oh, give us a break... we're not grandparents yet!). He deserves a day of special pampering and more grace (more grace because he tends to act out his frustrations... forgetting that he's a very well trained/behaved dog; and by act out, I mean getting into the garbage - he hasn't done that since he was a puppy - or being a little slow to respond to our requests for him to come and sit... those kinds of things; things he clearly knows better).
Here's to you, Dexie!
