Claren the comedian

I don't think she did it on purpose, but I will give Claren the benefit of the doubt.

In dog training back when I got her, the trainers told us that dogs are really attuned to their owners' mood and that dogs will know when their owners get depressed. The trainers said the dogs react in two ways: They try to cheer their owners up or they get depressed right along with you. Claren is usually one of the latter.

Today was not a great day to begin with. This morning, I had the energy to breathe, I was not sure if I had any else. I looked at the shower chair and wanted to cry because it was going to be hard to transfer into it. It wasn't and I survived, but it was that kind of day. And it frustrates me that I had four days off to recoup, but Monday wiped all my energy completely away.

I don't think she did it on purpose, because Claren does the same thing most days. When I call her out from under the desk to go home, she comes out, stretches, then rubs her face on the rug, flops on to the floor and squirms around with a silly look on her face.

Tonight, I was running late; I was tired; I just wanted to go home. Claren had other ideas. She flopped on the floor once and again and again. I would wheel toward her and she would pop up, make sure i had stopped and flop down again. I got madder and madder until I just gave in and started laughing.