The trouble with Dino was that he was always ‘in your face'; never still; always wanting attention.

He would watch Rufus and, any time Rufus might be getting more affection or attention, he would be there, looking to get more attention, barging in front of Rufus, latterly, knocking him out of the way.

He was never just ‘still’.

Now he is. He lies there and you have to coax him over to you.

Of course, this makes him seem very sad. So we think he is sad. Or, maybe, he is?

So he is getting extra attention. He has treats more often. He gets more walks, more play, more ‘quality’ time. And he’s not asking for it so often.

But this feeling of him being sad won’t go away.

When he does go out for a walk, he strains at the lead, almost running. As if he has to get somewhere quickly. It seems like he needs to check to see where Rufus is. Again, this is our thought and not necessarily his. But he doesn’t pull on the way back home. Having not found Rufus, maybe he is resigned?

And, whereas I hate myself for assuming he has these human emotions (or, rather, human understanding), it made me email the kennels yesterday. I want him to have a playmate. I don’t like him being this quiet.

The new puppies will be born towards the end of February. That means (if I remember correctly) we could have one at the end of April/beginning of May. He won’t take the place of Rufus. Rufus didn’t take the place of Sam. Each has their own character and therefore bring a different set of dynamics to the household. I’m sure a new puppy would have an effect but what effect, exactly, I cannot say.

But you’ve gotta look forward, right? Right?