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After a long cold winter, enjoy it again every year when you can put the long-sleeved jerseys back in your closet and take out the short-sleeved t-shirts and shorts. Enjoy when you can walk the dogs without a thick winter coat, and enjoy when you can walk through the 200 meters to the woods with the sun on your face. With the warmth of the sun on your face, everything looks much happier, people emerge from their 'winter dip'. You suddenly see many people passing by, and weird but true ... everyone greets each other and smiles. Yes the world seems to be a bit friendlier as long as the sun is shining.
The greenery that buds, the flowers that color your garden. Tasty floral scents bump into you as soon as you open the door and the dogs are kicking around early in the morning to lie outside again for a whole day. They play a little, the chews a little, they run a few more laps in the morning coolness and then a proverbial brake goes on and they lie on their own in the cool sand, they look for the shade and during the day like the sun is turning the dogs are turning. You see them lazily dragging them to another place in the garden and falling down again. And sometimes they also stretch out in the sun ... but whatever they do, they enjoy!
And yet ... there is a real shadow side to this wonderful time for Rowan. He really sees the positive sunny side of the summer, but that summer has a really huge disadvantage for him! My big tough white shepherd is ...
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I'm going to tell you how it went ... about seven years ago. The first time I was confronted with the summer trauma of Rowan.
We were in bed, Rowan, Myla and me. I didn't live together yet and Rowan and Myla both always slept in bed with me. In the summer months Rowan often visited the cool floor. And that evening too. It wasn't really hot, I thought, but Rowan was panting all the time. At first I thought he was so warm, but he was lying on the cool floor, the window was open and a cool breeze was blowing in ... there was cool water in the bedroom to drink so the panting was strange to me in front of. Anyway, I know of course that dogs sweat through their tongue and sole of the feet, so it can be very difficult for them to lose their warmth, and then they have to pant. Only this panting just sounded different to me ... it worried me.
I listened in the dark with pointed ears, and felt Myla begin to respond to Rowan's panting. This was no gasping of heat. This was a dog that didn't feel well. It was clear to me now. The moment it dawned on me, Rowan got up and walked to the door squeaking. I immediately thought he was sick and was worried right next to him. "Hey, what's up, dude?" He looked at me with his ears in his neck and I saw on his face that he felt miserable. Don't ask how it's possible, but dog owners see it when their darling feels miserable. And so too that evening. Rowan squeaked again and tapped his mouth against the door. I let him down the bedroom and followed him down the stairs. Myla followed me and we followed Rowan in the firm conviction that he wanted to go outside. That was true, but once outside he did nothing but pee a little. Not that it was necessary, but it was more of an action from him than to show that he was out for nothing. To my astonishment, Rowan tripped inside again and lay down on a blanket with a deep sigh and went to sleep. I was not reassured yet and sat down with him, ready to take action if he indicated that he was not feeling well. Myla was faithfully watching him and so Myla and I were watching a peacefully sleeping Rowan.
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After fifteen minutes I decided it would be fine. I also wanted to go to sleep sometimes. The next morning I just had to go to work, and if you are awake all night it is not so pleasant ... So we all went upstairs again. Rowan, Myla and me. The first ten minutes after I lay down in bed, everything went well ... but suddenly, out of the blue, Rowan started panting, squeaking and walking to the door like crazy.
Myla and I flew up and were with him immediately. "Rowanneke boy, what is it?" I really wished he could talk at the time. But unfortunately he could not explain to me what the problem was. It was clear that he really indicated that he did not want to stay in the bedroom. He really wanted to go outside again, and to hear his way of panting, and to see by his snout, it seemed as if he really wasn't feeling well. So it started all over again. Rowan down the stairs at the front, Myla and I in a procession after them and there we went again. To the back door, outside and again a small pee to lie down on that blanket again ... and fall asleep again after about five minutes. Now I really didn't know anymore. Once at that point, Rowan did not appear to be sick. What was wrong with my dog? If only he could talk.
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Anyway, another fifteen minutes of waiting ... and then the procession up again. In bed, and I decided to stay in bed this time. Whatever would happen. Rowan was not sick, that was clear to me. What it was, I didn't know ... but did he sleep well downstairs and Myla and I sit / lie awake? No that went a bit too far for me! After I was lying down for a few minutes I suddenly heard something else that kept me awake. An annoying mosquito buzzed by my ear ... Stupidly annoying little animal, definitely wanted to suck nice blood while I was sleeping!
But at the same time that I heard the mosquito buzzing, something else started. Rowan immediately started panting like crazy. Walked to the door and squeaked that he wanted to get out. And suddenly the penny dropped, with me ... Rowan, my big tough, strong white shepherd is afraid of a mosquito? I decided to take a look at it ... and to my surprise this happened a few times. The sound of the mosquito made Rowan panic.
Although I almost had to laugh about it at the time, and it would still be almost laughable ... it is really a drama for him. My white friend is not comfortable in summer time. It is not only mosquitoes, No, unfortunately my guy has this too with those big big black flies, bees, wasps, ordinary flies, in short ... all insects that fly and make a buzzing noise. In all those years that I have had him now, I have seen Rowan grow up from a fearless puppy who was not afraid of anything, to a beautiful stable dog ... who therefore has 1 major problem. And that is his fear of buzzing animals! Luckily he definitely enjoys the summer, but the buzzing insects ... they must stay away from him.
Now it is lucky, we are outside a lot, and it does not bother him outside, but as soon as they are inside, my big tough strong white shepherd runs for the little flying buzzers.
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