Alfie is Lost!

Alfie is lost.

I don't mean physically, no, he is here, sort of, in body only! I mean mentally and psychologically lost. Look at the photo below, does this look like a happy, well-balanced animal?

His head on Rob's pillow! Eish!

I rest my case!


And the reason for all this unhappiness? Rob left on Friday to go on a tour to the Kruger Park. The minute he pulls the bag out of the cupboard, Alfie begins to go into a decline. He does brighten up if we mention 'caravan' and then he grabs his ball and stands at the back door, sometimes for hours until we are ready to go. But, if it's Rob going alone, that's it. I can see the little cloud of misery gathering over his head. Now, you must remember that years ago it was ME (and my sister too!) who saved him, ME (and her) who plucked him from the traffic when he was running scared in the road, ME who convinced Rob that what we really needed was a little off-white scruffy dog and ME (and her) who went back to the vet to claim him and bring him home!

When is dad coming home?

So, why does he treat me like chopped liver? He spends the entire day lying on the bed and staring into space, or looking out the door and watching the road, or lying on the couch looking pale and wan like a heroine from an old time movie.

As far away from me as possible!

Even walk time doesn't excite him. Yesterday he kept coming to a halt in the middle of the road and needed persuading (and a shove every now and then) to finally make it home! It was windy yesterday and he was the picture of misery, eyes closed, hair and ears streaming backwards, tail down, pathetic!

Counting the hours till dad comes home again!

Even food doesn't interest him, and I have been tempting him with morsels of ham and chicken, even some prized boerewors! I feel so bad that he is so unhappy, but there is nothing that I can do about it, until Rob returns, that's how it is!

I think he blames me for Rob's absence. I think that he thinks that I sent him away somewhere!

Roll on Thursday!