14 February 2013

Perceiving The World


She goes with us nearly everywhere.
When we're driving home there is a point where we say nothing, but knowingly look at one another.
Lucy sleeps on Sara Jean's lap when we're in the car. She's a great traveller, sleeps continually until we stop for a potty break. At those stops I don't even have to leash her; she prances behind me to the designated spot, squats, does the typical useless scratching at the ground to "cover up" what she's done, then follows me back to the car.

No dog is more efficient.

So after Sara Jean and I glance at one another we start watching her.
There is a point about two blocks from home where Lucy will awaken, sniff the air, and cross over to my lap to look out the driver's-side window.
She knows we're home. And it happens at almost exactly the same spot EVERY TIME.

Now we've been in Destin off and on for a little over two months. Lucy goes with us nearly everywhere here too... she waits in the car when we go out to eat, go grocery shopping, etc..

And SJ and I now have a new place where we quietly glance at one another, then start watching her out of the corner of our eye.

How do they know?
It's GOT to be sense of smell, to awaken her from sleep.
I would love to know what goes through her mind,
but I'm not at all sure I'd like my sense of smell to be that acute! 

4 comments:

Rita said...

It is fascinating. Decades ago my cousin let his beloved old dog use his old van as a dog house.

We rode all around the mountains in Huntsville AL in the stinky dog house with old Blue sleeping away the whole time. After a few hours of sightseeing, my cousin turned onto his street and the old dog jumped up from a dead sleep and perked up.

Their ritual was that he let the old dog out at the bottom of the mountain and they would race up the hill.

Amazing creatures.

We know so little about this world.

Unfortunately Anonymous said...

If someone else is driving, I've gotten to a point where I can wake up about 4 blocks from home. I think it's something about the hills and turns.

I can also sometimes sleep at work and wake up just in time to do my job (easy work, but time-dependent, usually to within 1/4 second), but that's another story for another time...

Old NFO said...

Their perceptions ARE totally different from ours no question!

Scotty said...

There is a point about two blocks from home where Lucy will awaken, sniff the air, and cross over to my lap to look out the driver's-side window.

Our doxie does the same thing. I could put an X on the spot where it starts every time she does it.