Quit Doggin' Me, Dog!

My beloved Sebastian is growing weary in his old age. He recently turned 11 in early June and shows now signs of perking up. Yes, he has his moments where snippets of his puppy-hood work their way into his daily routine. But, he mostly just lies around looking cute.

We got him as a wee puppy right before I set sails to college in the summer of 1999. Since then, he's learned to love each of my family members in a unique way. For me, at least, he seems to perk up a lot more when I arrive at my parents house. But, for reasons I'll never understand, he continues to act sheepish or untrusting around me at times. I don't get it! Other than the couple of times I stepped on his tail by accident, I have done nothing but love this guy and treat him like a little brother (well, in a good way).

One of my signature moves is to lay down on the floor and wait for him to trot over and curl up next to me as the little spoon. He knows I am a fan of cuddling. But then why is it that he can't relax and fall asleep? Any time I do this, day or night, he keeps one eye parked on me and the other closed. He's stares at me, wondering my next move. He sleeps with one eye open.

And then, the other day, I rushed over to my parents house in the morning sans shower to only get a butt-out hug from him. The normal greeting scene involves a speedy run to the front door on his part where I then squat down so he can jump up to put his front legs on my shoulders and lick my face. Yes. But this morning after he jumped up, he turned his head away and leaned back so that nothing other than the pads of his feet touched me. The nerve! Why you gotta dog me like that, Sebby? Why?!

The remainder of his myterious ways include staring at me from other rooms as if I'm going to steal something, stopping a couple feet short of me when I beckon him to come hither, immediately striking the submission pose when I come over to pet him, and giving me a prolonged stare of hatred following a routine bath (and by routine, I mean twice a year).

All that aside, I love this dog. I just wish I could understand him sometimes. I've asked him on several occasions to explain himself, the response to which is...a blank stare. At the very least, the staring and judging has to stop. I know trust takes a long time to build and seconds to shatter, so I can be patient with that. But, I didn't judge him and stare when he celebrated Mardi Gras earlier this year. So, why can't he extend me the same courtesy with how I act around the house?