On Gilbert

From a photostory by Terra.

Gilbert is a compulsive runaway. If our gate is open and no human is present, he’s out and on the run. There are times he comes back home on his own, usually after a few hours of being out, but there have also been times when he hasn’t made it back home on his own. We’ve had to go collect him. He came to us as a runaway, so I sometimes wonder if when he runs away from our house, he thinks he might be able to find his way back to his original home.

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Cousin Otgoo brought Gilbert to us. She got him from someone in Nomgon soum. That person got him from someone who found him in Ulaanbaatar. They tried to sell him in Nomgon, but no one was interested, so Otgoo was able to get him and brought him to our house. We were in UB for the weekend, and Gilbert was in the yard waiting for us when we got home. We got in late, and I didn’t see him in the dark. Aagii told me to go back outside after we brought in our bags, and there he was; skinny, sad, and confused. He was relieved to be in the house. It was October, and the nights were cold. He had long, thin fur, not much undercoat to speak of, so he was shivering from the cold and anxiety.

His fur was muddy and full of burrs. He sat still in the bathtub, maybe afraid to try to jump out. I shampooed him twice to get him clean. He was grateful to be finished with his bath, and he slept long and hard. He’s been our Gilbert ever since.

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Gilbert home from an escapade.

He’s a purebred Russian spaniel of unknown age. His face is full of grey hairs now. We guessed he was about 6 or 7 when he first came to us, based on his teeth, so he must be 12 or 13 now. I imagine we’ll have a few more years with him. He’s healthy and fit, but he’s got high separation anxiety. Despite his fear of us leaving and never returning, he also has a tendency to run away from home. How does that add up?

I sometimes wonder who his first family was and if they miss him now. He showed up before the Facebook groups full of “lost dogs” emerged. And after all this time, I don’t expect his picture to pop up. He was well housebroken and tuned in to human leadership dynamics. He’s also always been gentle with cats. Whoever they were, they raised a good doggie.

After the tense volatility of having Basar as an adult dog at home, Gilbert is a breeze. He’s never bitten anyone, and he’s incredibly sweet and gentle around new people. It’s always weird to see the two of them interact. Gilbert is intensely possessive of me but terrified of Basar. Basar has never shown him any real aggression, but he lets Gilbert know that when I’m there to shower him with affection, Gilbert needs to make some space.

I’m glad Gilbert found his way to us. He sets a high bar for our future house dogs. I wish I could have known him as a puppy to see if I could have helped him with his anxiety and wanderlust, but maybe that’s just part of his wiring.

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