Maeve and Water

Maeve is a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel of eight years old. She is about nineteen pounds and diabetic. She has the beginning cateracts of older dogs. She mostly loves people (though recently, if men and small children get between her and anyone she values (wheter as food- giver or house- pack- member) she becomes cranky. She even discovered she can "disagree" with her previously-adored male vet. (He won't try to hug her again after giving her a nail trimming!)

If she's sound asleep, upstairs, and my Father comes quietly up to use the bathroom, Maeve will chase him all the way down the hallway. She is usually asleep on my nurse sister's bed (her original "Mom"), so protecting Ann is part of this. Also, Dad is of the old school, that you must "show dominance" to a dog...and since Dad, at 85, is the Head of this house, Maeve "must respect" him. (Which she mostly does--until her "Mom" comes in.) Then, it is like Maeve is the Princess, and the Queen is the only person she will listen to. The rest of us exist only "to serve".

Don't get me wrong. Maeve adores my Dad. He takes her out in the garage, where he spends most of his retirement hours. (He used to take her down to the basement, to his worshop, too, until she started peeing on the new furnace and dropping "presents" in the dirt cellar.) He takes her for rides in the car--whether to the grocery store,where they both wait for Bev to finish shopping, or to Wal-Mart, where he walks the dog around the parking lot, also waiting for Bev to finish shopping.

He doesn't take her to Church. He doesn't take her to his City Council meetings. When it thunders, it is to Dad that Maeve  runs, hidding behind his feet, even as she did when she was a pup. He feeds her breakfast (her "Mom" is still at work) and lets her out, first thing in the morning. (When I try to help, I get yelled at...that is "his job". )

 Maeve, however, could care less. In fact, lately, she's been coming into my room to wake me up and go out a bit earlier. Or, to play. Or, sometimes, for a cup of water. This is driving Dad crazy.

See, her bowl of water is next to her food bowl,  in the kitchen. She has always gone there for water and grub. That was Dad's and Mom's domain. When I moved back into 88 Maple, I took on the role of "auntie"...which in dog terms basically means "a playmate who will feed you treats..." She listens when she requires something. She is affectionate 99.9% of the time--only getting growly once, when a house full of guests were  rowdy, over Christmas. I tried hugging her, to comfort her ,because no one was paying her the proper attention...ahem...Well, my affection was NOT what was required. Maeve wanted all the guests out of the house; she wanted to go upstairs, to bed. Because I didn't "get" the psychic message, I was reprimanded. (She has picked that up, I'm sure, from the rest of the family...)

Aside from that, pretty much anything I want to do with her, is allowed, valued and appreciated. 

In this vein, one day, when she came into my room while I was writing, she  sat by my feet, looking me directly in the eye, and began licking her lips, like crazy. I knew she'd had "lunch" and been outside to pee. I scratched her her belly, behind her ears.

While she loved this, it wasn't the point. She kept licking her lips. It dawned on me: the dog was thirsty! (Could this really be? Was she really using a kind of doggie-lingo-sign- language to inform me of her desires?)

Somewhat lamely, I asked, "You want a drink?" 

She got up, barked excitedly and ran out of my room. In the hallway, she stood in front of the bathroom door, wagging her tail, tongue out, "smiling".

Since we were the only people upstairs, I didn't mind how strange this might look: I got a Dixie cup and filled it with tap water. I held it at her level. Maeve drank the whole cup, licked my nose, once, then walked back to her "Mom"'s room, for a nap.

The latest kink in our routine is: one Dixie cup isn't enough. After one full cup is drained, she will pull the cup from my fingers and drop it in front of me,then wait. If I don't respond, she will pounce on the empty cup,  take it to "her room", and wait in the doorway, looking at me.

Until my sister and parental units witnessed this, they didn't believe it, either. (Now, they think I taught her this trick...)

The only problem is that when she drinks from the cup, she slurps and there is a tiny wet spot on the upstairs rug, where she dribbled. Everyone has stepped in a "wet spot" and assumed it was Maeve's "other end", leaving the drip...this  always causes a four alarm gestalt response.

When Dad saw me letting her drink from the Dixie cup, he thought it was ridiculous-- but entertaining. (Until Maeve started to charge him in the hallway as he approached the bathroom.) Dad challenges ANY dog (or person) who challenges him...and staring her down, ala Dog Whisperer, or putting on a manly voice and scolding her loudly, does nothing--except to escalate her response. Mano v. Doggo.

Cavaliers are notorious for being brave and being stubborn. Especially if one tries to "command them".

Maeve is the alpha female of this household--except when her "Mom" is at home. So, if she's "guarding Mom", no one is going to get close...especially someone who is using "her" resources. Well, Maeve doesn't  growl or chase any of the women of the household  who use the bathroom, even if she's napping on the cool floor tiles. She just gets up, looks at us in exasperation,  moves into the hall. But when Dad comes up--look out.

Her latest ''trick" is chasing him ALL the way down the hallway. He isn't entertained anymore.

The other night, Ann gave me a plastic cup.( She said I'm using too many Dixie cups for Maeve. Use the plastic cup if I must give her a drink.) Well, Maeve sniffed it suspiciously, but when I put it down just inside my bedroom doorway, she liked the idea.

Maeve began coming in, checking out the cup,. If she was thirsty, carrying it to me. If she wanted more than one cupful of water, she'd drop the cup near me, or take it to "her room" and wait for me to notice...the game became a wee bit more sophisticated.

This week, it was incredibly hot and humid. Maeve wasn't sleeping well anywhere in the house. The bathroom floor seemed most comfortable. (Even with the air conditioning on and the fan in the hallway, it was icky. ) I kept my bedroom door closed to keep the cooler air in the room.

 I left Maeve's  cup of water outside my door. She immediately noticed it and was fine. But when Dad came upstairs, she went after him in the most vociferous way she ever has. He was furious!

"It's because you're giving her water up here--she has her water bowl in the kitchen. She knows it is downstairs--if she wants water, let her go downstairs!" Dad yelled at me.

The little plastic cup disappeared. Maeve and I were very sad.

"Hide this bowl in your room..." Ann slipped me a ceramic bowl, the next day.

 I placed the new water dish near my nightstand.

Of course, Mom found it first.

"Did you just give the dog water?  I stepped in a wet spot in the hall and I thought she'd had an accident..." Mom confronted me with a damp wash- cloth and the spray spot-remover. She eye-balled the ceramic bowl near my nightstand.

"Uh, well, yeah, but in my room...." I threw my arms up in surrender.

"Your Father doesn't want you to have a water dish up here!" 

So, the dish disappeared.

For the last two days, Maeve has come to my door, sniffed around, and taken to barking-- at me.

Of course I've caved. We are back to smuggled Dixie cups. (She is insisting on three cups at a time.) She has also tried to "call me" --from her "post" in her "Mom's " doorway.

That, I refuse. I am human. I can withstand conditioning-by-a-dog...

Wait...guess who just walked in...

Maeve, I'm writing about you in my blog--okay, okay--I'm coming! Don't get everyone in an uproar...

(Helayne's now trying this with her cats...so far, they love the idea...)