Deer Creak...

So, now that Spring has sprung, I've decided to take my own advice and go outside. And do you know what I've found? Deer...My neighborhood is infested with deer! And where there are deer there are ticks. And where there are ticks there is the threat of Lyme Disease. And when there is the threat of Lyme Disease, dogs like me suffer.

The weekly buzz has been that Rambo, one of the dogs down the block, contracted Lyme Disease. His doctor pulled several ticks off of him last week during his examination and he was unfortunate enough to have had one carrying Lyme Disease leech onto him.

I've been extra careful lately and usually remember to scratch around when I come in from outside. Hopefully, that Frontline stuff is as dependable as they advertise it to be. I couldn't imagine being troubled with Lyme disease on top of my arthritis. That would make for some seriously creaky joints.

I have also taken it upon myself to remain on yard duty. It seemed to me that the best way to keep the ticks out of the yard would be to keep away the deer, so I stationed myself out back. And when the deer come for a visit I simply chase them out of the yard.

As big as deer are, they are frankly very stupid creatures. Although they are double my size, they're still afraid of me and my creaky joints. They'll stand there like statues, and I'll walk toward them, but I won't acknowledge them... Make them believe that their "stand perfectly still and they won't see me" ploy actually works. Then, at the last minute, I'll jump in their direction and watch them take off. It is actually mildly amusing and I get the greatest satisfaction from it. I can mosey on back to my doghouse feeling very accomplished

Today was a bit different, though. One lone deer was separated from the herd who had slipped away when I turned toward them. At first, I figured that this deer was just like the ones that wait in your headlights before darting across the road to join his friends. As I approached him, I wondered why he too didn't flee. I crept forward to find out what was keeping him. I was practically under his nose when he finally limped off. That was when I realized, deer too, just like us dogs, can have creaky joints. And as he wobbled across the street I sympathized with him, knowing just how it feels to having old, aching bones.