Member-only story
No Voice, Constantly Sleeping, Still Sick
My animals are so confused.
Kudu is almost entirely blind so she knows me (and hates me) by smell and sound. Right now — they’re both off.
When you’re sick, you smell different to your pets. I have no idea what the difference is, I just know it exists because they react to it. They react to it in different ways. For some, it might make them aggressive. Dogs have been known to nip at people when they smell cancer. But that’s them trying to get your attention. When it’s something like this, like the flu, they seem to understand that that they need to calm down.
My dogs are trained to give hugs. They’re big dogs so when they jump up onto their back legs, Rosie stands right at the center of my face. Stirling towers over me. He’s very big.
When they give hugs, Rosie puts her front paws on your forearm, turns her body into yours, and rests her head against your chest. Stirling will put his paws on your shoulders and lean into your face to give you a nice big smooch, before he turns likes Rosie does.
They’re tained to do this. This is not bad behavior. I love it and to yell at them for it would be wrong on multiple levels. So what do I do when I’m sick and don’t want them jumping on me?
