Nurse Jake

I’ve been “under the weather” this week, which is why I haven’t been blogging. I’ve had a particularly nasty gout attack and, quite frankly, I haven’t been up to doing much.

Sunday night, the pain kept me awake. In the middle of the night, I got up to go to the toilet. This isn’t common for me, but not unheard of. While I was there, I heard the “thump, thump” of Jake jumping down off the bed (yes, he sleeps on the bed with us; deal with it). He walked into the bathroom (where his food and water bowls also are) walked up to me, then went and drank some water. He rarely, if ever, has a drink during the night.

I left the bathroom and headed back to bed. Jake was sitting in the hallway near the bedroom door, looking toward the bathroom. He was alert and waiting for me, as if the real reason he got up was to look after me. I went back to bed, he jumped up and stayed there all night.

Most nights he curls up against the crook behind my knees or at the foot of the bed. But last night he never went near either, staying up near my back.

One can claim it’s all coincidence, but I don’t think one needs to anthropomorphise to realise that dogs can be sensitive to a member of their pack being unwell. The truth is, no one really knows what dogs know or feel, so who can really say for sure that, in a manner of speaking, Jake wasn't being my nurse?

At the very least, I know he never bumped my foot and seemed especially affectionate. That’s enough for me.