Warning: Dog body fluids

When Goshen is feeling ill I immediately notice it on her. I know her so well and my perception almost feels intuitive. Barak on the other hand, is not that clear just yet. Goshen is normally quiet at home, but when she is ill she pants and acts restless. Barak pants and acts restless on a regular basis, although he is much calmer than when he arrived to us. If Goshen is tummy-sick I will know in time to take her out, and when she comes out, she will pooh at once. Last evening, when we came home from Tel Aviv, I took them both out for a short night-ride, he peed several times, and we went back in again. Just as we were going to bed he was walking around, following our doings, as he normally does, maybe slightly more excited than normally (if I look in the rear-view mirror), but we ignored it. Just as I am about to turn off the lights in the living-room he lays two humongous piles of pooh on the floor, looking completely ashamed the poor thing. What to do? Just starting to pick it up and clean the floor. I took him out again, but he did not seem to want to pooh more at the time so we all went to bed. Later on, in the middle of the night, I awoke from hearing him wandering about in the flat. First I observed him for a few minutes, since he normally changes sleeping place a few times during the night, but he really seemed anxious, and even came in whining in our bedroom, so I put some clothes on and took them out. He immediately poohed twice, diarrhea this time. Do you think that I was happy for my attentiveness this time? Today he is eating over-boiled rice for dinner and I look upon these events as a good preparation for handling future baby diapers.

Previous section was written the day before yesterday, but never posted. Next night he did not succeed to wake anyone, so Yoram woke up with a pile of loose pooh to take care of yesterday morning. Since then he did not pooh, but he hardly ate either, so I assume that he is empty now. The rice he was given to eat in the evenings is completely sucked up by his body and leaves nothing to dispose. I hope it is over for this time. My conclusion is that he got a tummy bug from eating the manure in the straw that some idiot put in our back yard.

Today as I cleaned the house, I tied him outside as usual, with Goshen hanging out with him unleashed (she has earned that trust), but I also gave them fresh bones to chew on. Maybe a bit bold so soon after his tummy ordeal, but I think that he will be fine. After they finished the bones, Goshen suddenly came inside and called for me, so I went out to see what was going on, and where Barak once was tied I found a shattered leash. He was not far away, though, probably provoked by a cat, so when I called he came back and was retied with another leash. The leash he shattered is a very thick leash, which we got after he shattered another one. I guess that the only thing left that can keep him put now will be a metal chain.

A very content Barak,

with the leftovers from the leash hanging on his collar

As persistent and hard-headed as Barak is, as wise is Goshen. She is the always-in-duty deputy officer in the house and she constantly observes Barak's every move, growls at him when he begs off of us or the kids, and warns me when something is up. Now when Barak's tummy was bad, he ate grass and puked a couple of times, and for some reason he prefers to puke on their rugs, in case that I don't notice it on time and can move him out over the floor instead. On two occasions Goshen came and noticed me when she saw that he was retching, which enabled me to move him away from the rug in time. Yoram claims that the reason she did that was that she knows that when one rug is in the washing machine, she will have to lay on the floor, since Barak is such a gentleman (not!), but I seriously doubt that her thought-processing reaches that level of complexity.

Right now both of them are stretched out over the floor, Goshen with all four legs in the air, quiet and content. In spite all their follies I love them so much.

Goshen in one of her classical sleeping poses