A third bloom has joined the first two on the anthurium, a shiny, young new bloom. Once again, I picture Nicholai joining his surrogate dog-moms, Kali and Molly, out in Heaven. I don't know this is true - in fact I doubt it - but I like the picture anyway.
We miss our big black bouncer who - we come to find out - was a staunch mitigating force between the pitbull girls. Day before yesterday, Kelley made her play for "Number One Dog" by jumping on Izzy and attempting to bite her face off. We'd seen the little bits of jealousy, the plays for the front seat, or snuggles on a lap, much like a couple of siblings jockeying to be the favorite child.
"Mom likes me best!" they occasionally seemed to say, and we were careful to dole out attention evenly and require some deference from the new kid on the block.
Kelley has been cooling her heels at her auntie's house since her ill-fated attempt at domination. We all adore her - sweet and soft and uber-cuddly. Every evening, she comes upstairs to snuggle with Tim and listen to his bedtime story. But it's going to have to work between a hyperactive hyper-energetic female who has always had an "in-your-face" style - though not a single altercation with another dog in six and a half years - and a feisty, strong, game-on style female who clearly wants to be top dog. Nicholai managed this dynamic for us, and we knew it; I guess we just hoped the girls could and would work out a peaceable truce without him. Apparently, not.
As Timmy said, distraught on Sunday at the thought of losing Kelley, "Why did Nicholai have to die so soon?" Darn it all, I'd love the answer to that one - and a host of others while we're at it.
For now, I notice the anthurium and I think to myself Nicholai's both where he needs to be, and with me. After initially thinking the only solution to the females' rivalry is re-homing Kelley, I've decided to pull a little of the bouncer from his storage spot in my heart. If he's here with me - and I choose to think he is - I'm going to use his sensible dog-logic. I'm going to become the mitigating force between the girl dogs.
When Kelley comes back home, stricter rules will apply. Izzy has top billing - on the couch, the bed, the car. Kelley needs to wait at doorways for me instead of crashing ahead like a locomotive, in fact Kelley and I need to head off to formal obedience training. Izzy has got to reign in her frenetic excitement when she can, and when she can't, we've got to give each dog some space. For a while, I provided them with individual adventure walks. Due to the time-sucking nature of that effort, walks had become combined - seven days a week. And that's not working.
Come on Nicholai, if you're out there somewhere hanging' with St. Francis, lend me a hand. I want a peaceable kingdom.
