Hope?

[stoutfellow]

Now that's a sound I haven't heard in a while.

A little while ago, I was working at the computer when I heard Murphy woof. His voice had an echo-y quality, one that it only has when he's in the garage. I hurried back there and opened the door into the garage; there he was, outside, poking his head through the outer doggie door. Evidently, he'd gone out but was having trouble getting back in.

I stepped down into the garage and opened the outer door for him. Then I watched as he laboriously made his way up the doggie steps to the inner door (my hands hovering over his hips just in case) and stepped back into the house.

He hasn't gone out that way (and there's no other way for him to go out without my aid) in weeks; I'd thought he couldn't, any more. Admittedly, it'd be even better if he'd been able to come back in without help, but even so it's the most hopeful thing I've seen since his troubles began months ago.

It brings its own concerns, of course. I can picture him going out sometime while I'm not home and being stuck outside until I return (but maybe he would keep trying, in my absence); with the onset of cold weather, that's more than a little worrisome. But still...

Comments

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

I'm aware of that problem, and, in my judgment, what I'm considering would not increase it.

[kattsune.livejournal.com]

Sorry if that came across a little harsh. When I still lived at home, my parents would leave the garage open enough for the dog to get through, and they thought it was fine because neither of them would have fit under the door. I could fit, though, and that's where my concern is rooted. Of course, my dog was 70lbs and so fairly substantial... I tend to be overcautious though.