When Dr. D is away, J-dog is promoted to man of the house.
I can't imagine the roller coaster of emotions this must create in his poor little poodle noggin. On the one hand, I am certain that he misses Dr. D. Usually around 6pm each night, J-dog will mosey over to the front door, gaze at it wistfully, and soon thereafter deflate into a puddle of pup on the floor... waiting for the customary "he's HOME!" ritual which, these days, doesn't come. When Dr. D calls and I answer, J-dog can immediately tell that I'm talking to that tall and lanky guy he loves to play with, and he goes bonkers---running around the house, jumping on the couch to look out the window, and doing his darndest to vocally communicate to me that he'd really love nothing more than to jump on Dr. D and get his muzzle vigorously scratched.
However, J-dog has it extra good when Dr. D is away. For starters, I tend to talk to him a lot more, and I'd like to think he appreciates the intellectual stimulation (for example, "do you think it's too warm to wear these pants?" and "Melanie really deserves to win So You Think You Can Dance---she's the best contemporary dancer we've seen in a while, don't you agree?"). Additionally, I try to come home during the lunch hour to give J-dog some extra attention and exercise, although he's used to this being his prime nap time and so usually I just end up eating on the couch next to a sleeping poodle. Lastly, when Dr. D is gone I allow J-dog to do something he is normally not permitted to do: sleep in our bed.
Granted, this is a poor substitute for my husband. But it's also ridiculously comforting. Judge me all you want, but J-dog is a super cuddler.
During Dr. D's first away rotation, I was a little apprehensive to find out whether J-dog would be disgruntled to discover that all of these perks would come to a screeching halt when the tall/lanky/fun man returned.
It turns out he really didn't mind. J-dog relinquished "man of the house" duties and resumed a posture of utmost adoration as soon as Dr. D walked through the door. I know this current away rotation is twice as long, but I've got a theory that when Dr. D returns in a month, it'll be the same story.
Wish that day was today.
