Calm and serene

Dieter is the poster dog for quiet self assurance. In the first puppy class we took him to, the instructors went on and on about how self confident he was. They said: "We're used to seeing German Shepherds that cower, hide under chairs, and growl." Not Dieter--he just sat there and seemed happy to meet new people and puppies. Even as a tiny pup, if something startled him, he might jump just a bit, but you could see him analyzing the situation and then deciding everything was ok. He did that once when his foot caught the edge of a floor vent and it clanged. He jumped back, stopped, gave the vent a long, hard look, and then went up and sniffed it. "It's ok folks. Nothing to see here. Just move along..."

They also taught us in classes to say, in a cheerful and reassuring voice: "What's that?"  They explained that expression, said in an upbeat manner, would go a long way toward reassuring the dog that things were A-OK.

Don't look now but ur roofs is falling.

All of this has helped set the stage for the last three days. We've been having the roof torn off and replaced. I've got to say, I've almost jumped out of my chair several times as the workers dropped a heavy roll of shingles above my head, but Dieter (and, amazingly, even the cats) seemed pretty calm about it all.

That is until today--they were ripping and shoveling and tossing shingles off the roof right above the family
room. That's Dieter's digs. And while the noise didn't seem to faze him, when the shingles started showering down from above, he trotted over to the French doors and appeared to be pretty worried.

So, time to do what I learned in class. As Dieter looked over his shoulder at me, giving me those worried puppy dog eyes, I said in my best perky voice: "What's that? It's ok, they're just fixing our roof." That seemed to do the trick, and he perceptibly calmed down. Now, he didn't completely let down his guard--you never can be too sure about these things, but he did well.

Knowing Dieter, he had his heart set on going out there and helping the roofers. Or at least offer up a suggestion on how to be more efficient.

We're on the home stretch on this roof project. We'll all be glad when it's over. 

You sure this roof situation is ok?