Rain and Wet Dogs

Every time I drag our dog Noodle out in the rain, I think about how many things probably confuse her. Noah, my almost 17 year old, mentioned how difficult it must be to have all these legs around you, expecting you to understand commands, and ever since, I've been thinking about the inexplicable from a dog's point of view. Thunder, rain, the random car ride: all without explanation. I'm not so focused on how all of this forces you (or the dog) to live in the moment, but the fear and unexpectedness factor. This is because we have a very, very shy dog and being fairly shy myself -- and having learned to cover it up with years and years of practice -- I guess I relate. Or, as my cousin Jan said early in her own dog ownership -- When do they stop being little human beings in hair suits?

On the plus side of course, with all this rain comes an unlimited supply of delicious grubs which the dog paws out and snorts up. A schnauzer thing, I believe.