Saturday, August 21, 2010

A Burr In The Butt-Fluff

Early this morning I took the dogs and headed down to my favorite state park for a walk around Pike Island.  When I arrived, there was only one other car in the parking lot.  We headed off in to the fog and were about 1/2 way up one side of the island when Belle sat down and refused to get up.  Normally when she does this, it's usually just a burr in her butt-fluff.  I checked her over, found she was burr-less, but still she wouldn't budge.  Until I turned around and started heading back the other way.  Up she popped and happily moved forward - as long as it was opposite the direction we'd been going.  After trying to turn her and continue on our original path she immediately sat and refused to budge.  By now her behavior was starting to give me the creeps.  We turned around again, and again, she happily walked at heel.  Not far from where we were there is a cut-thru across the island.  I took her down that path and she was her usual self, doing her deer prance and dance every time we passed one of the many that make up the herd in the park.  When we got to the other side of the island, I took a right instead of the left that would take us back to the parking lot.  We got about a 1/4 of a mile before she sat.  No amount of coaxing would get her to move forward.  I turned us all around and headed back to the car.

I don't know why Belle sat like that, and refused to move forward.  For all I know, she was just hungry and knew that if we continued the way I wanted to go, breakfast would be delayed interminably.   But she was clearly trying to tell me something she felt I needed to know.   Despite my initial thought, "let's go, here", it also occurred to me she has other senses that are keener than mine.  With that in mind it seemed wisest to listen to her "sit" and go home. 

Belle's clear communication about where she would and wouldn't go got me thinking.   How often do we ignore the stubborn "sits" in our lives because we think we know more or know better which path is right for us?

3 comments:

Lisa and pups said...

Interesting food for thought.

Anonymous said...

Maybe she saw a ghost. I'm half-kidding. Which means I'm half-serious.
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Jack@PDB
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Chester said...

Fantastic!