Hi all – It’s Shelby. I have been thinking a lot about rituals. We have certain ways of doing things in our forever home and it seems to me that these rituals are important for both puppies and people.
My Mom and Dad have an evening ritual they follow almost every night and I wonder if other puppies have parents who do the same. Just when I wonder about this, I realize us puppies have rituals too!
Every night when Mom leaves her office she calls Dad. She has a special tool in her car, so she doesn’t have to use her hands to hold the phone so it is safer and just like Dad we can hear all she is saying. Sometimes Dad is busy painting or walking us pupplies. But when he realizes Mom has called he always calls back. They talk about the traffic (what a silly thing to discuss) and sometimes when Mom forgets to take the backroad, they will talk about the “Crawl Over” (Mom laughs that this is supposed to be the “Fly Over”) and the “Free Parking on 217”! Mom always asks how the day was for Dad and how were the kids (this is us), and she usually tells Dad about her day. But, she would much rather talk about Dad and us, than work. It is always calming to hear their voices and we know when Mom calls this means Mom will be home soon. It is as if Dad is guiding Mom home safely, and we know Mom is less stressed by the traffic when she can talk with Dad. Before the call ends they also have this ritual of making sure they know they love each other – hearing this always makes me feel warm and happy.
Is is funny – within minutes of Mom’s arrival, Tesla and Lincoln will head to the door, they wait there and Tesla in his gruff little bark (he had his vocal cords destroyed by the mean people he lived with when he was younger) will sound the alert. I was so puzzled about how they knew Mom was coming. But then Lincoln told me to listen carefully to the sounds when she is talking to Dad. He said not only will I hear Mom’s voice, but minutes before Mom opens the front door – I will hear one set of clicks, then another, then really fast another, and fast another – within just a minute Mom will arrive. He said these are the ritual sounds leading her home.
Once Mom is home the rituals continue. We are all so excited to see Mom and I always run and find my favorite toy to bring to her to share with her. I want her to know how much I have missed her. Mom sits and one-by-one, we each spend a few minutes on her lap. She pets us, hugs us, gives us kisses and tells us how much she has missed us. We each patiently wait our turn, so goes the ritual, as we each know one of us will be next. Mom is home and that is the best feeling ever.
The other ritual we have at night involves Dad, but don’t tell Mom we also follow the same ritual during the day when we are just with Dad. As soon as Dad sits in his recliner, we each find our way to sit with him. Sometimes we are on his lap, but most often we surround him on the recliner. Lincoln usually sits next to Dad, while Tesla and I lie at the end of the recliner, often side by side. Sometimes, Miss Bentley will join us, but the closest she will get is the arm of the chair or sitting on the side table. Truth be known there isn’t much room left. But when Porsche was with us, she was always the one who would sit in Dad’s lap. We just love being close to our Dad.
Rituals are funny things, but as a puppy I think they are also important. For us kids, and for our Mom and Dad, they are the reassurance of joy of being connected to one another, and that all is right with our world. They are a series of actions or behaviors regularly and invariably (such a big word for a small pup) followed by humans and puppies alike. They bring a sense of comfort in their regularity and a sense of certainty in the sameness of each day. We are still finding our new normal and having these rituals help us know we are both safe and loved.
Oh! One final ritual. It is bedtime – and bedtime brings the ritual of treats! And you already know, I really love my treats!! Night all!
Tales of Shelby the ShihTzu 