Shadow and Vixen

I have heard about the devoted canine companions, but I have never had one. Until now. Tibe is my shadow. When I wake, Tibe is there. When I walk to another room, Tibe is there. On the weekends about sixty percent of our time together, he is touching me. During the weekdays, while I am working, he sits near me or in the adjoining room. If I get up to get a cup of tea, he comes into the kitchen with me. If I go to the bathroom, he sits near the door. He is my shadow. In many ways it is an extraordinary experience. I am awed by the devotion and continually aware of how much this dog depends on me.

Lots of our other animals have been affectionate, of course. One of my favorite memories of our dear Liza, the feral cat we rescued from the streets of University Park, is the first night I return home after my mother’s death. She slept right next to me all night long, cuddled up next to my body or underneath my hand. Liza was not a physically affectionate cat, but she seemed to know that night I would appreciate the reassurance, the kitty contact.

One challenge of the shadow behavior is that whenever I sneeze or cough, Tibe becomes agitated. He does not want me to sneeze or sniffle. If I am eating and something catches in my throat, he sits at attention, watching me, monitoring to make sure that I emerge fine. If it lasts more than two or three seconds, he barks, waiting for the assurance that I will be okay. Fortunately, the sneezes, coughs, and chokes happen infrequently. More vexing is how much it disturbs Tibe when I cry. He hates my tears. He does not want to console me with gentle licks or nuzzles. No, he wants to jar me out of tears with play. Play with a one hundred thirty-five pound dog is not necessarily what one wants while crying.

Vita Vixen, on the other hand, is the most comforting animal while crying. She wraps her sweet little body around my neck and purrs. She rubs her head against my face and cuddles me. She will sit with me for hours, purring, snuggling, just sitting with the tears. We hide away from Tibe. Tears and sadness are emotions he does not understand, emotions that vex him. He wants to erase them with play. Vita Vixen is happy to absorb them with love.

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