I don’t remember when Tzipporah started to run out of the room each time I sat down at the computer, maybe sometime in February or March, after that one time when I tried to bring her to my zoom Hebrew class and she knocked my juice onto the keyboard in her desperate attempt to flee. She’d already made it clear by then that she didn’t want to come to Bible study sessions on zoom either (Ellie used to love to sit on my lap and watch the rabbi make faces on the screen), so any sign of the computer moving, or me moving towards the computer, made Tzippy very nervous.
But, more recently, I realized that Tzippy was also leaving the room when I wasn’t sitting at the computer. I’d be on the couch, minding my own business (staring at my phone), and suddenly she had somewhere else to be, often running straight to my bedroom to pee on the exercise mat. Or, apropos of nothing at all, she would leave the living room just to get a drink of water or to sniff something in the hallway or even to pee on the actual wee wee pad. For most of the year and a half that she’d been living with us, she’d refused to leave her bed as long as I was in the living room with her, often waiting hours and hours before daring to pee or to look for her dinner, but suddenly, she was free.
I can’t find any reliable patterns in her new behaviors, though. Sometimes she still sits in her bed and stares at me like I’m a bomb about to explode, and sometimes she casually walks into the hallway for a snack in the middle of Murder, She Wrote. Sometimes she steps out of her bed at random to take a long stretch, before starting her next nap, and sometimes if I even look in her direction she runs for her life. And I really don’t love that she’s going to my room to pee (though at least she’s peeing on the rubber mat instead of on the rug, so it’s easier to clean), but there’s something about this new wandering version of Tzippy that’s fun to watch. It feels like we’re on season two of a really good TV show and even though I’m not sure where the story is going, I’m already fascinated by the plot twists. And, honestly, I can’t wait to see what happens in season three!
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Yeshiva Girl is about a Jewish teenager on Long Island, named Isabel, though her father calls her Jezebel. Her father has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with one of his students, which he denies, but Izzy implicitly believes it’s true. As a result of his problems, her father sends her to a co-ed Orthodox yeshiva for tenth grade, out of the blue, and Izzy and her mother can’t figure out how to prevent it. At Yeshiva, though, Izzy finds that religious people are much more complicated than she had expected. Some, like her father, may use religion as a place to hide, but others search for and find comfort, and community, and even enlightenment. The question is, what will Izzy find?
rachelmankowitz 
Oh dogs. So hard to explain why they do what they do. Sometimes, I think they just like to mess with us. Have a good evening Rachel. Allan
Thank you!
It’s almost as if she is going through canine adolescence.
That would be wonderful!
If only she realized how pretty she is in photos!
She’s much more concerned with how many chicken treats she can get out of me.
Well, that’s the most important thing in life! 😂
Since you said that if this were a Tzippy TV show you’d be looking forward to season 3, I thought she’d need a theme song right?
So here’s a verse and chorus from “Underdog” or “Tzippy Dog”
(you’ll have to google the theme real quick for the reminder of how it goes)
Tzippy Dog
When Tzippy sees computer screens
She quickly flees just like a breeze
Where she finds a Mat and gets to pees
If someone sees she shrugs “Oh please”
Speed of Tzip dog, stealth of ninja
Escaping God class, watch out Sista
Tzippy Dog!
Tzippy Dog!
Tzippy Dog!
Beautiful!!!
Ahhh, so glad ya enjoyed!!! That was definitely a bit of fun! 🙂
She’s keeping you guessing.
Yep.
You two are keeping us in suspense. 🙂 I will be looking forward to season 3. That is an amazing photo of the two of you.
Thank you!
Tzippy is just unpredictable, I guess. I’m glad she’s gotten used to you and that she’s in good health!
Me too! Thank you!
I love that picture of the two of you. So sweet!
Thank you!
Well, she is a cutie pie. I’m sure her next season will be just as exciting as the previous two.
Thank you!
Tzippy says, ‘always keep ’em guessing!’ Mission accomplished, sweet girl.
Ha!
Strange dog behaviors? Let me tell you of my deaf rescue Mauzer…
I thought you might be able to relate.
You have the patience of a saint!
I wish!
If only we knew what went on in their heads! Lyra knows she’s not supposed to trash the bed, but she still does it – and while she’s digging up my sheets, she lets out a bark, just to let me KNOW she’s doing it. You’d think she’d want to keep her naughtiness a secret!
I think she’s celebrating her digging joy, you hearing her is just extra!
😂
Dogs make up their own rules sometimes…………. Maya does when we’re playing, but she’s the only one who knows them!
Wouldn’t it be great if they handed out copies of the rules to the rest of us?
It would be fun, but maybe not so much for them as they like to hold all the major cards/toys!
It can take a long time to develop trust after trauma. That applies both to animals and humans. ❤
You’re absolutely right.
She looks as good as gold in that photo!
Thank you!
Well, Tzippy is living her life, I suppose, and her life with you. Although I haven’t always been good (aware) with the dogs I’ve had, I guess it’s true that there are reasons for dogs’ behavior that might be sometimes close to sentient and certainly emotional. Maybe relational is the word to use. I imagine that she knows you’re there, so you’re kind of an anchor when she wanders. Christopher Robin’s mother used to take walks through the Hundred Acre Wood, and returning home was her reliance on the anchor. I hope you are really well and glad you’re enjoying the antics.
Thank you!
Tzippy continues to entertain me through your lens. I’m looking forward to season three!!!
V
Me too! Thank you!
Is it caused by medical issues (like UTIs or incontinence) or stress or submissive urination? Hope she keeps getting more confident! I was told by another rescue owner that it took 3 years before his dog became confident enough after living on the streets, and I remember my surprise!
We’re keeping an eye on her in case she needs a visit to the doctor to check on things, but for now I’m assuming she has reasons for her behavior that she can’t communicate to me.