Late yesterday afternoon Michael and I were tending to the animal chores. Tucker got busy sniffing out and digging for gophers. At one point, he was head first, up to his elbows in a big hole that he had dug. I was horrified to look, fearing he might actually come up with something. This morning I was even more horrified to find that something had filled the hole back up and laid a stick on top.
Now, back to yesterday. Tucker was a muddy mess by the time we finished chores and headed inside. I was not letting him back inside the house unless he stopped here for a bath first.
After his bath, he ran through the house like a maniac until he dried off. Then he suddenly got very quiet and went into his neurotic mode. He wasn’t happy. He kept telling me something in the “Timmy’s fallen into to well” behavior. I tried to get him to go outside. Nope. Was it a treat? Had I forgotten to give him a treat after his bath? Nope. What the heck was wrong?
He was sitting on Michael’s bed imploring me with his pretty eyes to fix whatever was wrong. I went over to pet him and I suddenly realized I hadn’t put the monkey vest back on him after his bath! OMG, that is huge. Tucker has an emotional attachment to this halter that we lovingly call “the monkey vest.” I think for him it works the same way the Thunder Shirt does for nervous dogs. I think it gives him a sense of security. He also likes to have his dog tags attached to the halter. Sometimes when I call him he moves a bit to make them jungle so I’ll know where he is.
After retrieving the monkey vest from the dryer I hurried back upstairs. He was so excited when he saw it that I could hardly get it back on him.
He was a happy, happy boy. He could finally settle down for his 23rd nap of the day. Crisis averted.