The Look

When planning a trip, part of my ritual is to pull the suitcase from the closet several days in advance. This is Scout’s cue that I will be departing soon. He seems to do better when he is warned than when I just pack up and leave.

I recently did this in anticipation of an impending adventure. He studied the bag several times a day, sniffing and watching me for signs that I was leaving.

Sadly, the day of my departure was a different story. He knew without my saying a word that it was travel day. I don’t know how he figured it out because the day didn’t start out any differently than all the others.

Whatever his trick, he knew and he followed me around all morning. He wanted picked up and cuddled. A couple of times he clung to my shoulder like a little kid begging to not be left behind. Once, he bit my hand in protest. He is apt to violence in these situations because he clearly can’t vocalize his displeasure.

And I felt like a heel for abandoning him. The above picture illustrates the concerned look he carried around all day long.

I just call it The Look. Poor baby.

As pet owners or perhaps more accurately stated, as people who are adopted by pets , we play a pivotal role in their lives. Scout’s life is quite big, roaming the house as he pleases and monitoring all things that go on in and around the house. He looks after the birds, squirrels, bugs and all the other little creatures. He is well cared for and a bit spoiled.

Yet, his world is quite small too. Confined to our house, I’m his only companion and my leaving is hard on him. Luckily, he forgives and forgets within a few hours and all is right with the world.