random thoughts – Day 1,281 – (Tuesday) – dog-gone life

Life with no dogs is settling into a flow. In many ways it's similar to life with dogs, just less entertaining. The shift from two dogs to one was hard, and from one dog to none has not exactly been  a basket of cheer. 

Winston and Moose, once upon a time.

Thanks to physical therapy co-payments twice a week, recent life isn’t even less expensive. Canine medication expenses have been replaced with human health care costs.

There are still multiple overnight awakenings but they are due to neighbor noise and my own sleep issues and not from a Canine Overlord needing to go outside for a late-night wee. The morning alarm goes off at the same time is has for years, but now it’s followed by a leisurely trip down the stairs instead of a race to the door to let a pup outside. 

There are fewer grocery store visits and no food measuring, chicken chopping, or veterinary medication dosing. There are no cuddles, no gentle snores. No dog breath in the face. No Canine Overlord barking at the backyard gate to be let inside. It feels very empty. 

One bright side to dog-free life is leaving the house. It’s a lot faster getting out the door, and little to no concern about the return time. Yet, despite the new “freedom” I still spend about the same amount of time at home as before. 

There is no reason to say “Bye, I love you! See you in a little while” while walking out the kitchen door. The arrival home after any trip outside is met with silence and no little Winston rounding the corner from the office. The benefits still feel mostly overshadowed by the void.

Like anything else, it will take getting used to.