Fred’s Daily Routine Since My Knee Op
Up the stairs and down the stairs, barking as he goes
Every day during my knee-op recovery, one of four different nurses visits me, then goes downstairs to visit my neighbour Ginny who has cardiac problems.
Although my partner takes Fred for a walk most mornings, Fred is Ginny’s dog and very protective of her. As soon as the nurse knocks on the front door, Fred starts barking. And continues barking while the nurse attends to Ginny.
Since this distracts the nurses and annoys my partner, one of us lures Fred upstairs with a piece of baguette. As protective as Fred is of Ginny, he’s even more eager for the piece of baguette.
Once he’s consumed the bread, which he does in an instant, he positions himself in front of our door until Ginny taps to give the all-clear. Then, as though he’s been away for months, he tears down the stairs, almost tripping over his feet to be back home again.
While I give him treats, call him a good boy and generally fuss over him, he has no urge to protect me. If he happens to be up here when a nurse gives me a shot or changes my bandages, he sometimes…