Eli’s excellent adventure

/ J. F. Riordan

Every morning for many years, our dogs went together into the woods for what we referred to as their morning ramble. Everyone went along: First Reggie and Pete; then Moses and Pete; then Moses, Auggie, and Pete; Then Auggie, Eli, and Pete. They would be gone—usually within sight—for ten or fifteen minutes, and then all return together on the run, jostling happily back into the kitchen smelling of fresh air, or sometimes of some foul thing they had all rolled in, and expecting their treats.

Then one day, it stopped. Why? Because, as we belatedly realized, the rambler was Pete. He was the hound dog, the one with the scenting nose and the wandering impulse. Pete was also the pack leader, even in his dotage. The Germans also seemed to have an instinct to protect him, following him like body guards. For whatever reason, it was a daily ritual. And their rambling was a very good thing. Everyone went off independently, but still together, to smell smells and stake territory, and make their own decisions. I very firmly believe that dogs who have this kind of independence develop a depth of understanding that builds capabilities and personality. Argue if you want.

Eli is a particularly unrambly dog. He likes to stay close to home, preferably on the bed or couch. He doesn’t like loud noises. He thinks airplanes are thunder, and runs to hide. He hears distant gunshots and runs to hide. He hears construction noises in the distance and runs to hide. He only shows his shepherd side when strange animals or people approach. Then he stands his ground quite terrifyingly.

So, this morning, after he had interrupted me four times to go out, and I had brought him to the door four times while he simply stood at the door step and looked out, I put on my shoes, walked out six feet, and when he followed me, I turned around and walked back in, leaving him to scratch plaintively at the door. I ignored him and went back to my work.

But from the library windows, I could see, to my surprise, Eli, alone, down in the woods, and moving purposefully away from the house. I stood up to watch and followed him from window to window, room to room, as he went deep into the brush, sniffing, looking, investigating logs and holes. I didn’t want to interrupt him, but I didn’t want to lose him, either.

But after ten minutes or so, he paused and put his nose into the air. And then, having made his decision (“‘I smell something,’ said the Poky Little Puppy.”1) he turned and galloped up the hill to the house. Not fearfully, just a happy-to-be-going-home gallop.

I have no idea what inspired this, but I am happy when he’s happy. Maybe he will find it was an experience worth repeating. I hope so.

  1. The Poky Little Puppy is a children’s book written by Janette Sebring Lowrey and illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren. It was one of the famous Golden Books series, and is still in print 82 years after its first publication. ↩︎

31 thoughts on “Eli’s excellent adventure”

  3. I always enjoy your blogs and this one lifted my spirits on this dreary day in Maine. Also wanted to belatedly thank you for the tip on Monsieur Spade. We’ve started watching and are enjoying it quite a bit.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I hope Eli continues his adventures and can build his confidence by doing so.

      The Poky Little Puppy was my daughter’s and mine favorite story to read almost 50 years ago. I didn’t realize it was still in print!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. I so look forward to your morning stories. They lift my spirits.💙
    But I also enjoy Charlie whenever I catch him! Not so much lifting spirits as in so much agreement!

    Liked by 2 people

  12. I love this!  I wonder if he was dutifully staying home to make sure you’re okay.  Eli is such a love. (I haven’t seemed to be able to sign in to your blog, so I thought I’d try this, hitting reply.  I was disturbed when you were suddenly no longer on Twitter, but Charlie seemed fine on TV, so I wasn’t terribly worried, but still, I miss your lovely tweets about Augie and Eli.)

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Lovely! Thank you for sharing it. (I feel so sorry for people who do not understand how unique and deep and wonderful each animal is, especially those who share our homes.) Special Eli! Good boy!

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Early every morning while the horse and donkeys are being fed, my dogs disappear into the woods. While I would love to know what they’re doing, I think sometimes dogs just need to be dogs.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. I love this story about Mr. Eli and I love your writing. I’m happy he found some independence and went rambling on his own. I wonder, if Auggie had been with him, would he have just followed Auggie and thought nothing of it. At any rate, hopefully more adventures on is own will ensue.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. I am always interested in the differences in animals’ personalities. They are just as individual as we are. We had 2 gerbils once, sisters. One was very independent, tried to get out of the cage all the time. The other one was very timid but would follow her sister, not wanting to be left alone. They got out once and our cat chased them while we were working. Came home to find the bold one hiding behind the sofa, which was low enough the cat couldn’t get to her if she stayed in the middle. Couldn’t find the other one for several hours. She was hiding, staying very still, under a mop in the corner of our tiny student apartment, afraid to even make a noise. She was very glad to see her sister again when we put her into the cage. Unabridged dictionaries are very useful for weighing down a cage cover when needed, by the way.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Hi, My friend’s daughter is a homeopathic vet in ME and suggested this for her mother’s new rescue dog…. https://www.amazon.com/Real-Mushrooms-Calming-Chews-Dogs/dp/B09RZZCW2N.

    It really has been quite miraculous, more than anything else she has tried.

    We noticed changes very quickly, relatively speaking.

    Her dog had been rescued from a hoarding situation and never knew anything but the yard it was tied up in. Did not know how to climb stairs, perhaps never been in a house.

    lots of fear, jumpy, but has come such a long way in 7 mos..

    She was lethargic, fearful, did not know how to play, did not eat, drink, go to the bathroom much.

    Recently she has learned to romp and play and fetch a ball. My cheeks can hurt from smiling so much watching her:).

    She now runs down the driveway to great me, and lays her head on my lap when I sit for a visit. it is wonderful!:) My friend also uses aconitum, a homeopathic remedy and other, when she knows her dog might be triggered more than usual.

    some also find success in helping their pets with calm with CBD. if you are unfamiliar with CBD, it is nothing like cannabis!:)

    I am enjoying your blog!:)

    We live in the Monadnock region of southern NH, with wildlife, power outages and small towns also.

    A friend has a red G. Shepard, gorgeous wonderful dog. I found you via following your husband. I SOOO appreciate the good fight he is putting up and all the hard work. He also seems like a very kind man, with much integrity…i really do not know how he maintains that in this environment.

    i do hope you all stay safe!:)

    very best, Lynn

    >

    Like

  26. I loved reading this story about Eli’s adventure! Maybe Pete’s spirit was coming through to the pups and Eli was inspired.

    Like

Comments are closed.