Ninnie's "Nose" something is wrong (Her Lesson )

This Blog has been about Brutus. However I have 2 other dogs in our family that mean just as much to us as Brutus does :Shaft and Ninnie.

This post will be about Ninnie

I have noticed some unfamiliar behavior that she has rarely ever expedited before.

Ninnie and Brutus have always been close but I have had to separate them due to Brutus' dog aggression issues.  They get along fine until they both want to go after the same lizard and all heck breaks loose. NInnie at times can be just as dominant as Brutus ( they say females are always the dominant anyways and I tend to believe that especially with our old girl Ms Tonka .)
At this point of Brutus' illness, Ninnie is much stronger than Brutus.  I can not let another "yard incident" happen as it would not turn out well for  Brutus and may be too much for him. Even though I want them to spend more time together , it just isn't worth it .

When ever Brutus has the chance he will lay down next to Ninnie and she will lick, paw and nose sniff  at him continuously ( which she never did before ).  She has never been a big licker or groomer or one to show much emotion.  She has never been a whiner or pouter.

 She has started to urinate  in her room.  Granted I may not be spending as much time with her as I should and there has been a change in schedule due to Brutus' illness. She has always been a lady and has always held her urine until she is allowed outside.

I truly believe that  her nose  knows  that something is wrong with  Brutus and she has started preparing her self for his departure.   I also believes she feels my sadness too.

Dogs do grieve and maybe because they are so more in tuned to life, she already knows whats going on and is already in the pre-grieving stage. 

I think I need to pull my head out of my a$$ and  see that she needs me now as much as I need to cling to Brutus.  ...SO GIRLIE GIRL ..MOMMY IS GOING TO START BACK ON DAILY WALKS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE OUR "GIRLIE GIRL" TIME AGAIN. SO THAT WE CAN HELP EACH OTHER THROUGH THIS SAD ORDEAL.
Ninnie has always been my silent ROCK. She too has many lessons to teach. Her lesson to me today is to: REMEMBER THAT OTHERS WILL ALSO MOURN THE LOSS OF BRUTUS & WE NEED OTHER TO GET THROUGH IT TOGETHER


PLEASE READ MORE DOG'S GRIEVING BELOW
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How to Help By Cesar Milan

While extremely long periods of grieving aren’t normal in dogs, simply showing patience and understanding to a pet in mourning can help an anguished dog cope, suggests anthropologist and author Elizabeth Marshall Thomas.

While it’s safe to show your pet a little patience, human emotions and behaviors can also feed in to the dog’s mood or behavior, suggests Dr. Pachel. “It’s a natural human tendency to want to console, to comfort, to soothe, to nurture, yet it is possible to feed in to the negative emotional process,” Dr. Pachel says. For instance, “if the dog is reluctant to eat and then gets more attention for sitting by the bowl rather than eating that’s a great way to create a picky eater, at that point.”
Maintaining a normal routine for your pet, such as maintaining a familiar eating time or playtime, is the best way to help with the transitional process. Take a tip from animals that live in the wild. They don’t have as much time to grieve as domesticated animals, “they have to move on pretty quickly, to suck it up and keep going, just like some of us must do,” Thomas says. “This doesn’t mean that grief isn’t still with them, just that they can’t do much about it.”
In the case of an extremely depressed dog, you can also add to your dog’s normal routine to raise serotonin levels, which may have a positive impact on your dog’s behavior. A dog that doesn’t get much playtime could benefit from a short walk or exercise. Read Cesar’s ideas on how to engage in thoughtful playtime with your dog.
When one dog in a two-dog household is gravely ill, it may help for the healthier dog to be present during euthanasia, or at least for the animal to see the deceased dog’s body, says Dr. Pachel. Similarly with a dog like Hawkeye, who was able to lie near the casket of his deceased owner, if it’s a possible scenario, it just may help the dog to understand the process better.
As for getting a new pet as a replacement, it really depends on the individual situation, says Thomas. “When I’ve lost a loved one, it didn’t help me to bring in a new person as a replacement for the deceased person"
Introducing a new dog to the family during a time of transition can, in effect, establish an unconstructive dynamic in the household, explains Dr. Pachel. The owner’s attitude might change, which can create further confusion in your pet. Consistency and stability is more important for the dog who’s grieving.
As the story goes with Hawkeye, Tumilson’s hometown friend in Iowa, who had been watching the dog while Tumilson was away, adopted him. While we may not know what’s ahead for the dog who stole our hearts in late August 2011, we cannot forget his demonstration of love, loyalty and emotional depth after losing his best friend.

Brutus, Grandson and Peter Pan

There was a time when my grandson Joshua came to live with us. He and Brutus became very close. Brutus followed him around to make sure Joshua was ok ( always being the faithful guardian ) and just because it was cool to have a kid in the house.

Every night Joshua and Brutus had a nightly routine that never faltered.

Joshua would take his bath as Brutus watched over him in the tub ,then they would head to the living room for some pre-bed time reading. Joshua would wrap Brutus up in his favorite Spider Man blankey and he would start "reading" to Brutus the story of the evening. Night after night Brutus would patiently listen as this 3 year old "read and acted " out the scences from his favorite book "Peter Pan". I am sure Brutus was so tired of hearing about the lost boys but he never let on and layed there on the couch watching Joshua pretend to fight off Captian Hook and sang "tick Tock-the Crocodile" until it was time for bed. At which time Brutus would walk Joshua to his room. Together they would jump in his little bed and they fall would asleep together usually on top of each other.

Having my grandson and my Brutus in the same place, space and time is a joyous memory I will always cherish .