Beloved

I emailed my sister about a time, last fall, when Kuro and I had a wrangle about whether he was coming inside or not. It was cooler out, and I wanted him to come in, concerned about his comfort and health. He clearly did *not* want to be in the house.

"You're coming inside."
'No, I'm not.'
"Kuro, you need to come in NOW!"
'I want to stay OUTSIDE!'

I could see him thinking. He was quite clever with his compromise. He walked over and stood by our station wagon, parked under the trees in front of the house.

I swear, he said just by his look 'Ill stay in here but I'm NOT coming inside.' He even put one paw up on the bumper.

I opened the tailgate,boosted him into the car, & watched as he settled down on the dog bed in the back. He stayed in the Volvo over 3 hours, tailgate open, enjoying 'being outside' yet sheltered and comfortable.

Had he been a younger, more robust dog, I'd have made him listen to me. At that point, he was so old I was indulging him shamelessly. I was just happy to be able to help him find contentment.

The same sister emailed me 'you'd live in a shack if you could still have Kuro man with you.' As long as it was weatherproof and safe for dogs, she's right.