KUMA IS ONE YEAR OLD

          Happy happy birthday to Kuma. He turned one year old today. I looked back at some photos and couldn’t believe how small he looked the beginning of October when he was three months old. I tried to take a similar photo to show the difference, but I no longer have those pillows and, as you can see, he doesn’t fit on the couch any longer either (both posted on Facebook).

          I cannot begin to express how happy I am to have Kuma in my life. He’s made such a huge difference to my being lonely and depressed. Let me tell you about some of the interactions that always…okay almost always…make me smile.

          Kuma almost always gets me up at 6:30 am. If I get up at an hour or so before that to use the bathroom, he seems to understand me when I say, “Mommy has another hour.”, or thirty minutes or whatever. Sometimes he even allows me to sleep until almost 7:00 am. But, when Kuma decides it’s time for my feet hit the floor, he walks all over the bed and me, tries to find my face or ears so he can lick them clean or my hands so he can try to get me to pet him. Sometimes, the way he walks all over me, is almost like getting a massage.

          First stop is always the bathroom and Kuma wants to stand beside me while I pee so I can scratch his back end. Then, it’s his turn and we both go outside. If the weather is bad, I only go as far as the door. Back inside, I make myself a latte and we settle on the couch to watch “Good Morning America.” Initially, he brings me his bally-ball and I toss it down the hall for him a number of times. When I’m ready to drink my latte, I say, “Okay, mommy has her coffee.” and he stops trying to get me to play and simply lays down alongside my legs. Once my glass goes back on the coffee table, however, it’s play time again.

          Kuma waits patiently while I do my exercise program and becomes a bit more impatient as I prepare my breakfast because he knows he’s going to get a big treat. He doesn’t expect to get any of my breakfast the same way he expects to get a bite or more of whatever else I eat during the day. Maybe he doesn’t like yogurt and granola or maybe I’ve never shared it.

          When it comes to going places in the car, Kuma is always ready to jump in and plop himself in the navigator seat. I didn’t think he’d ever take to putting his head out the window, but just lately he’s finally been doing so. There are times when he sees another dog or even a person and he’ll begin to bark, but “NO BARK!!!” usually brings it down to a quiet growl. He’s not getting to go as often now because of the weather. I won’t take him even if I figure I can park in the shade because the car gets too hot.

          When it’s time to end the day, Kuma lets me know beginning about 7:00 pm. He sits at the entrance to the hall and looks at me. If I don’t respond, he will come over to the couch and try to get my attention. When I say, “Bedtime peepee?” he’ll dance around until I get up and we go outside. Then, until 8:30 pm, Kuma continues to go up and down the hall and look at me as if to say, “C’mon, it’s bedtime.”

          I have to laugh when I stay up later because Kuma becomes very frustrated with me because I don’t get off the couch and perform my nightly routine at the right time.

          Once we’re in the bedroom, Kuma gets on the bed and supervises my final preparations. Once I’ve laid back, he makes himself comfortable fairly close to me. Sometimes, he moves to the little bench at the foot of the bed and stays there until the television goes off and I’ve assumed my sleeping position. Then, Kuma comes back onto the bed and plops himself down (feels like he weighs over a hundred pounds), so he’s right up against the small of my back…I like that and it feels very good.

          It doesn’t matter where I go in the house, Kuma is right there with me. I’m rarely out of his sight and sometimes he’s so close he steps on the back of my flip-flop. My fitness instructor is always telling us older folks we need to be constantly aware of our surroundings. With Kuma so close, I have to be always aware or I’d end up on my ass.

          Of course, everything hasn’t been absolutely wonderful for the last nine months. He did eat my hearing aids, glasses and one of my favorite shoes, but he taught me to make sure I put everything up out of his reach. It’s pretty much become a habit and I’ve only myself to blame if I fail.

I tried to train Kuma to use only one part of the yard for his bathroom, but when the barricade came down, he figured the yard was his domain. I wouldn’t mind so much if he stayed out of the flowerbeds, but he thinks those are his as well. I stopped counting how many flower starts he managed to break or trample and started to utilize all the dahlia cages I’d made as well as all the tomato cages I had saved up. True, my garden doesn’t look perfect due to all the cages, but the flowers show through, don’t get broken and I don’t get annoyed.

          Karma and Kaizer were rat terroirs which were bred to take care of the rat population in the White House. They never once tried to catch any of the wildlife in my garden. Kuma thinks it’s his duty to dig after the moles and/or the rats/mice that use the mole tunnels to get around. I keep telling him, “No digging.”, but he just ignores me because the pursuit of those rodents is more important and fun. Kuma also thinks the birds that come to visit are intruders as well and will chase after them.

          My final complaint about Kuma is how unglued he becomes when he’s on a leash and sees another dog. It’s more my problem than Kuma’s because I know what needs to be done to train him to not do this, but I’ve been lazy when it comes to this behavior. It’s on my list to accomplish.

          So, Kuma is now one year old. The time has flown by and I’m so grateful to have this smart, funny, furry puppy living with me. At dinnertime, he will receive some well-cooked meat as his birthday treat. I won’t add a candle, but I will be singing the birthday song as he is served…not that I haven’t already sung it to him multiple times today.