Sibling Rivalry...

During Mom's surgery and early convalescence, I find myself here in Highland Park, not so much to care for her as to care for Caesar, so she won't have to worry about his care. Whatever the patient wants, the patient gets, and if walking and feeding the dog will give her peace of mind, I'm happy to oblige. I'm not sure, however, that Caesar is happy to be in my care. As I've previously documented, he doesn't much care for me. Sure, he tolerates my offerings of food and treats, but we both know he'd rather have his mama home to tend to his every canine need.

One of my most difficult duties vis-a-vis the dog has been sleeping with him at night. For a creature of less than 15 pounds, he somehow manages to hog most of the bed. He starts out the evening by staking a claim to my pillow, from which he refuses to budge. He snarls and snaps at me if I try to dislodge him. Then, during the night, one of two things will happen. He will either crawl between my legs when I'm sleeping on my back and refuse to let me move for the rest of the evening, or he siddles up against me and into every iota of space that I vacate, slowing forcing me across the bed in search of new space, until eventually, I have to get up and start over from the other side. It doesn't exactly make for a restful evening.

Caesar looks all cute and innocent sitting by that pillow, but make no mistake, he's ready to defend "his" territory.

But, frustrating as he can be, he's a part of our family. Even if he doesn't give me much affection in return, it's hard to deny that precious little face. I love him anyway, even if he'd rather bite me than snuggle in my lap. And for Mom's sake, I'll risk life and limb to take care of him until she's back on her feet.