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Friday, February 18, 2022

Biggie—Year Eleven—The Nose Bump


Right now Biggie is asleep at my feet.  There is something wonderful far beyond words having a little doggie whose trust is so great as to sleep at (or on) your feet.  The only problem is this: if I so much as wiggle a toe, it will disturb him.  That is something I simply don't want to do.

Biggie’s favorite form of getting my attention is a nose bump.  He will just touch the end of his nose to my leg, step back, and look up at me.  He always starts with this, but if I don’t respond in a timely manner, he will resort to other methods.  I may receive two or even three nose bumps before foot scraping begins.  Foot scraping will turn into agitated twirling or bouncing, and as a last resort, woofing and barking.  Usually it doesn’t get that far before I figure out what he wants, although sometimes, no matter how hard I try, I just can’t figure out what he wants.  However, overall he is a good communicator. 

Even though he has been in my life for eleven years, Biggie is almost sixteen years old, yet he still acts like a puppy much of the time.  Yes he is slowing down some, and he can no longer jump onto the sofa without some assistance, but he still likes to go for long walks, runs in the park, and trips to the beach (unless it is too hot).  He also loves to ride in the car.  It starts with a nose bump, two steps back, tail wagging, and a hopeful stare.  If I don’t respond in about two seconds, the foot scraping begins and quickly escalates into agitated twirling, bouncing, woofing, and barking.

Biggie is still my part-time dog.  His mom is moving a few blocks from their current home into a better place, so he is visiting for a few days.  Each time he come over, it seem his routine has changed a bit.  Different wake-up time, different feeding schedule, different walking schedule.  But one thing has always remained the same.  The nose bump.