... About puppy love. (let me tell you).Although severe visual impairment Visual Impairment Definition Total blindness is the inability to tell light from dark, or the total inability to see. Visual impairment or low vision is a severe reduction in vision that cannot be corrected with standard glasses or contact lenses and has made it impossible for Caroline Kohl to read, she keeps an ongoing journal in her computer--from which the following has been excerpted. At the time Caroline wrote this entry, she and her husband, Bob, were living with her parents. I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if this is the Chinese Year of the Dog, but it sure has been a year of the dog for me. It started when the couple next door got a very hyperactive hy·per·ac·tive adj. 1. Highly or excessively active, as a gland. 2. Having behavior characterized by constant overactivity. 3. Afflicted with attention deficit disorder. nine-month-old golden retriever golden retriever, breed of large sporting dog developed primarily in Scotland in the mid-19th cent. It stands about 23 in. (58.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 60 to 75 lb (27.2–34.1 kg). . Dad regaled us with the tale of his first disastrous meeting with Ginger, the new dog. Wanting to meet her new neighbors, Ginger crawled under the fence and started jumping all over Dad. He grabbed her by her chain collar, and in her glee she started twirling Twirling is any of several artforms, hobbies, or sport and recreational activities accomplished by spinning or rotating the twirled object either for exercise, or in a rhythmic, or otherwise artful manner. in circles. The chain twisted around Dad's finger so tightly that he couldn't extricate himself. Mom rushed to his rescue and untwisted un·twist v. un·twist·ed, un·twist·ing, un·twists v.tr. To loosen or separate (something twisted) by turning in the opposite direction; unwind. v.intr. To become untwisted. Ginger. Then Ginger made another playful lunge at Dad, hitting him in the groin, which sent him staggering around the yard seeing stars. The incident prompted our neighbors to enroll Ginger in the first of many very expensive dog-training schools. The husband works all day and the wife wasn't going to the backyard to see Ginger, because the dog would get too rambunctious. In the evening when they tried to have some contact with her, I heard lots of "Sit, Ginger", "Down, Ginger", and "Aren't you listening to me, Ginger?" I felt so sorry for her. I asked if I could have permission to visit Ginger. I was tired of hanging around while everyone else had things to accomplish. One thing I could still do was give love and affection, and it seemed that Ginger was starved for just that. The first week was torture. Ginger was so happy to have me there that she just couldn't contain herself. She was extremely mouthy mouth·y adj. mouth·i·er, mouth·i·est 1. Annoyingly talkative. 2. Given to ranting or bombast. mouth , licking me all over and grabbing my hands in her mouth. I could see right away that I would need special shirts and pants for my visits, as I always came back covered with mud from head to toe. Thus my "dog clothes" wardrobe evolved. Ginger was a puppy in a big, grown-up grown-up adj. 1. Of, characteristic of, or intended for adults: grown-up movies; a grown-up discussion. 2. body. She tried many a time to crawl onto my lap, but her big body just didn't fit. So she would snuggle up next to me. I would spend as long as she could stay still telling her what a "good girl" she was, while stroking her and rubbing her belly. She loved all of this positive attention. Sometimes I could get her to relax enough that she would let out a loud sigh and then fall asleep. As the summer wore on, Ginger became less of a wild woman. Her attention span got longer, and I could sit on the grass with her stretched out next to me, enjoying each other's company. Ginger and I have become the best of buddies. We now have a routine: when I first arrive at the fence, she pokes her nose in my hands and pocket to see if I've brought her a home-baked dog biscuit. (My husband, Bob, and I have been baking for her. This month's flavor is garlic.) I hand her the treat, then she leads me into the backyard, where she flops over for the first of many belly rubs. If I sit on the ground with my legs outspread out·spread tr. & intr.v. out·spread, out·spread·ing, out·spreads To stretch or extend or to be stretched or extended. n. 1. The act of spreading out. 2. Something spread out; an expanse. , she curls up between them, puts her head on my leg, and loves to be petted while being told how wonderful she is. Originally I started this project thinking I would just be helping Ginger. But perhaps she has helped me more than I helped her. She has given me a purpose. I have a job to do next door while everyone else here is busy with household chores that I can't take part in. I don't feel left out of things anymore. Maybe that is what Ginger and I have in common. Her behavior has kept her from being a part of things with her family, and my "disease" has kept me from participating in life the way I want. We have created a unique friendship that I hope will endure for a long time. Burying my fingers in her warm, velvety vel·vet·y adj. vel·vet·i·er, vel·vet·i·est 1. Suggestive of the texture of velvet; soft and smooth: velvety skin. 2. fur is what I will always remember about her. Caroline Kohl was diagnosed with MS in 2001. She feels her success with Ginger was in large part due to the use of techniques she acquired in her teaching career. She lives in central California Central California can refer to one of several divisions or regions of the U.S state of California:
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion