Week 38, Day 5 (Alpha bitch)

I dunno if we're about to go, or if the bod is just doing another dummy run (which of course makes me the dummy).

There were a series of "hmm" events this morning, of which I won't go into except sufficeth to say that all three were listed in the books as "signs labour could be close".

(No the waters did not break.. but you're in the right area)

Wayne worried if he should go off to work, but I reassured him that he was better off annoying the client's trees than hanging about here worrying over me. Besides, Robyn said to listen to my body, and my body was very firmly saying "shut up, roll over, go back to sleep".

So I snuggled down again (who cares if it's 9.30am?), and the next thing, Pood was nosing open the bedroom door and asking to come in. I gave her the command, which normally sees her shuffle off to her bed on the other side of the room, but instead she carefully but determinedly climbed up onto MY bed, and lay hard up against me, spine to spine.

Hmmm! That's not usual behaviour (we trained her off the furniture some months back, and that included the bed).

There she remained until I got out of bed at 11.30 and made my way towards a shower and a hearty breakfast.

Pood's a funny dog. She makes it clear we're part of her pack, and expects us to follow pack rules. As long as we do, she's comfortable, but if we act outside of pack logic, she worries or acts out. Some time back she decided to see who was alpha bitch, ie her or me. When I showed that I was more than capable of playing the alpha bitch (and I really do mean flipping her over on her back, grabbing her throat between my jaws and snarling), she said "Yep, fine. You win. I'm your 2ic and very happy I am to be this!"

So she takes her lead from her alphas and when we ruled that the cats are ahead of her in pack order, she accepted it (grudgingly). Wobble though is below her, and that's fine with him because he's too daft to be otherwise.

Anyhoo, what this brings me to is my concern of whether or not she'd try to put the baby beneath her in the pack. Wayne says no, that she's smart enough to know it's the alpha bitch's "puppy", and as such would consider protecting the baby her sacred mission.

Me... I'm not so sure. Pood's a very strong willed dog, but she does love me. On the other hand, she's insanely jealous if you cuddle any other pack member and don't include her. She's even taken to pushing in for pats and reassurance when she sees me rubbing my belly and talking to the baby!

(Not that I let her get away with this. She has to return to what she was doing, then I give her "her turn" when the other party has had theirs.)

She does seem to know that I'm incubating something - perhaps it's her wonderful nose?

Here's a pic of Pood with the Dreadful Grem, taken just last night. Oh the humanity.. previously the terror of all cats, now so pussywhipped that she has to accept being CLEANED by a bloody cat! Don't tell anyone you saw this..