Is Your Dog a Jerk When You’re Sick?
I have the flu, and as you know it can be quite a nasty bug. It’s one of those “I don’t even want to change the channel” sorts of illnesses. Anything that requires effort hurts.
I’ve been home for a few days carving out my own indentation on the couch. It’s just Laika and I and she’s thrilled by this arrangement. Me? Not so much.
This morning I was awoken by a Kong being dropped on my face. Yesterday it was a paw swipe.
If she could talk I imagine her saying “It’s 7:00 am – since you’re not going to work I don’t want this day going to waste – it’s time to play!”
Throw the toy via viralnova
My Dog Has the Ability to Entertain Herself
Laika plays with her toys all the time, whether I’m participating or not. I’m amused by it, and I find it to be one of her most endearing qualities. I’ll find her off in another room somewhere, laying on her back and rolling around with one of her stuffed animals.
She likes to play with her blue ball in the kitchen. She can push the ball around the hardwood floor and entertain herself. And it makes the most delightful noise when she drops it over and over again.
I know our dogs love their routines, and I know ours involves lots of play. I do feel bad that she hasn’t gotten much quality play time in for a few days, but my sympathy can only go so far when making ice cubes requires a rest period.
For three days she hasn’t played at all. She’s been nudging me, whining at me, and she keeps dropping that stupid blue ball on me. She knows how to entertain herself, but she’s refusing to do it now – when I’d really appreciate it.
Indiffernet via cheezburger
Is Your Dog a Jerk When You’re Sick?
I know I can’t be alone on this, my dog can’t be the only jerk out there. She yawns when I yawn, she comforts me when I’m upset. Dogs have been found to show empathy towards their owners and they can detect prostate cancer. Where’s the sympathy when I’ve got the flu?
Perhaps dogs have been shown to empathize with crying humans because it’s a sign of appeasement, or they know they might get rewarded. Maybe my dog knows that it’s just the flu; regardless of how I feel today she knows I’ll be better soon.
Does your dog behave well when you’re sick? Do they rest with you or try to comfort you? Or do they do what Laika does and drop a Kong in your face when you’ve been resting too long?
Please throw it via jeremy morgan
Oh no, sorry to hear you’re not well! Great read, Moleque would be behaving as Laika is but I suspect that’s because he’s quite similar in that he needs a lot of exercise. Belinha on the other hand would be ecstatic at the thought of laying in bed for days. Hope you feel better soon!
It’s funny how your perspective changes when you’re under the weather. Until a few days ago I was under the impression Laika has calmed/matured a bunch, but now it’s apparent she’s still quite active. Thanks 🙂
Maybe she thinks a little play time will help you? lol… Hope you are feeling better soon!
I think you’re definitely onto something with that theory, I hadn’t though of it that way.
Aw, I’m sorry you have the flu, yuk! Haley usually hangs out and cuddles with me when I’m sick, but I have a theory about Laika. Sometimes when a healthy dog is trying to make a sick dog better, they nudge them and try to get them moving and up on their feet. Maybe this is what Laika is doing. Maybe it’s her way of showing you that she’s worried about you. I hope you’re feeling better soon…hang in there. 🙂
I bet you’re right; that theory makes a lot of sense. I don’t mind the nudging nearly as much as dropping stuff in my face – that’s not making me feel like playing lol.
Hehehe – some dogs are so unsympathetic. I’ve yet to own a dog that is sympathetic to my not feeling well. But man, when they are sick, they expect all sorts of pampering. 😉
I figured I couldn’t be alone on this.
All those memes are hilarious!
Id say it depends on how sick one is. Just a flu? Come on, little play will make you feel better LOL
Hope you feel better soon! We are pretty good when Mom isnt feeling well, but when she gets home and is tired from work, forget about it! We need a walk, and love, and playtime!
It depends on how long I’m sick! If I’m sick for longer than a few days they will get ansy. Usually they are okay, though!
Sorry you’ve been feeling bad, Jen. I hope you recover quickly.
And yes, my dog is a jerk when I’m sick too. Everything thinks Honey is so sweet. But they’ve never been sick in bed when she starts barking to be let outside just to roll in the snow.
Thank goodness I have the immune system of an Amazon and rarely get sick. Because this whole human-canine bond thing would go out the window if I had to put up with that too often. 🙂
Gosh I hope you feel better. Brown dawgs are pretty good at understanding when we are not feeling well and leaving us alone. Independence is a breed characteristic so they are pretty good about picking up our cues. However if they think you are better then the bugging starts…lol.
hahahahaha! My dog is a jerk every day! BOL!
But I love them!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
I hope you feel better soon btw!!
Feel better soon!!
Ace seems pretty indifferent when I’m sick or sad. He’s not much of a snuggler, and he’s pretty lazy. So mostly, if I’m sick and need a lot of sleep, he just sleeps on the floor next to the couch or next to my bed.
I do wish, sometimes, that he’d try to offer comfort when I’m crying, but he doesn’t really offer much. Sure, he lets me hug him and go to him and give him attention, but he doesn’t go out of his way to give affection to me!
Ha…I am sick too and Jack seems to be particularly more attentive and ‘velcroy’ if that’s possible. Driving me nuts.
Riley loves it when I’m sick – he turns into a total Velcro dog and spends the whole day curled up beside me in bed. Even when I manage to stand up and ask him if he needs to go outside, he refuses to get up; it’s like he wants me to stay in bed instead of be up walking around 🙂 Sounds like Laika is still in the puppy phase and wants to play more often than not! It might be frustrating when you’re sick, but once she gets older and turns into more of a couch potato, I bet you’ll miss the days when she dropped her Kong on your face 😉
atm, i have whooping cough for the sixth time. i’m still walking my dog twice a day because she’s a working-line lab and skipping exercise when it’s not *her* with the medical reason is basically a non-option. she’ll wait for me to have a coughing fit, fequently meaning i’m basically bent double and coughing hard enough that it’ll trigger my gag reflex and i’ll be trying to suppress the urge to throw up, still coughing all the time, and *then* she starts tugging and trying to run about while still on her leash. ‘jerk’ doesn’t begin to describe it.