Dog day

Spent the morning out at the VA Hospital. Overlooking the entrance to San Francisco Bay, I doubt there's a VA with as beautiful a view anywhere. My friend Bill, who was in the Army, went out for routine checkups and I was minding his wolfdog, Molly. Molly doesn't handle separation well. Even though the dog and I are very familiar with each other, to him the only important person in the world is Bill. I think it's a part of his wolfishness; humans as a species do not interest him much. So he takes petting and such with an ease which is really a kind of indifference.

So Molly and I went for a walk for about a half hour, but then his anxiety got the better of him and we had to go back and sit by the front door where Bill had entered the building and wait. For about two hours.

God, do Americans love dogs. And this dog is pretty irresistible. Half wolf, half malamute, he is a handsome, handsome fella. So I sat there meeting and greeting all the vets and staff who wandered by to say how beautiful he is, to ask if they could pet him, to talk about their own dogs. A surprising number clocked his hybrid history. Military folks may like dogs even more than the general public. Funny thing is that because I am the right age and I'm there, they assume I am a vet, too. A few sat down for a while and told their whole stories. Illness, family, pets, etc. Had a guy in the canine corps come and talk about the dog that saved his life. Another guy about his son's terminal illness. Regular people, many of them in not great physical shape, signs of wear and tear pretty evident, but able to connect easily around this animal.

When Bill finally emerged, Molly's relief was very visible...and audible. He did his twirling dance, with lots of jumps, and his wolfish howling, over and over. For about five or ten minutes. 

It was a good morning.