Attachment Issues

“We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults.
Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment.”
– George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans)

Yes indeed. I mentioned this a couple of posts ago, how watching the canine attachment develop is more difficult than the human attachment. I know what the process is, how the pups will grow here a little while, then get spayed and neutered and vaccinated, and then go to a permanent home where they will grow out of puppyhood and into a stable life as an adult dog.

But they don’t know that. All they know, especially this bunch, is that they were alone by a road, starving, without a mother, and now they are in a house full of good food, affection, play, the attention of other dogs, and a half acre to explore in safety outside. Nights are warm as they pile together on fleece, and each morning they awake to sun, more good food, play…and so the cycle goes each day.

And though with past litters I have always watched the attachment grow slowly, with this bunch I saw a clear shift one day, when suddenly it wasn’t as if they just wanted to be around me, it was as if they needed to. They began snuggling next to my feet whenever I sat down to work or even when I just stood still when I was in the kitchen or on the phone. If they are not playing, they are warming my ankles in a tight little heap. And all through their sleep they make adorable little puppy groaning sounds as they dream or stretch.

I’m not sure what this means. Is it just a stage, part of their emotional development? Is it something in their genetics, the need for an especially close bond with their humans? Will it be that much more difficult for them to leave here next weekend, or will it only be more difficult for me? I don’t know, but it’s part of the unique personality of this litter and I’ll enjoy it for as long as it lasts.