If I Could See with My Nose

 

Dog Thoughts

 

My dog Jenny smells coyotes and cats with her superpower nose that can detect animal life through closed windows. It amazes me what she can see with her nose.

I stand at the window staring at trees and grass, and bits of sagging sky through the hills, and see nothing living or breathing. Though the hills may be alive with the sound of music.

Jenny doesn’t hear the sound of music. She smells it with her nose, a magical nose that interprets each scent with scientific accuracy, while I squint to read a street sign in the dark.

I wish I had a nose that can see.

My magical nose would find a Caribbean beach to wade in warm aquamarine sea, the sunlight hugging me, warming my brown skin, wet and salty, but not like taffy. My skin is dry like wisps of windswept sand as the ocean speaks in a way it only can.

The tide rolls in and my toes sink into wet scalloped sand. Above, gossiping gulls scan the beach from atop a thatched roof. They kvetch because they caught air instead of food. The gulls need to take a break from gulling and rest on a fence or light post; their squawks drown out the drone of voices from humans sauteing in the sun.

The gulls stretch their wings and jump into sky, circling the human world below, shielded by baseball caps and straw hats. Humans need protection from the sun and each other. Gulls just need table scraps and then to crap on ornamental humanity.

 

28 Comments If I Could See with My Nose

  1. Dave Patrick

    Hi Lauren

    I love watching my dog Beattie examining things with her nose. The little twitches she makes as she separates the various scents. And how she follows a twig from the bottom to the top.

    Dog’s are the most wonderful creatures on God’s earth!

    Prosperity to all dog lovers.

    davethescribe

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      Hi Dave! Thanks for swinging by.

      What breed is Beattie?

      I’m amazed by a dog’s nose. I love watching the little twitches, too. When I let my dogs (two mutts) inside, they look for the cat long after she’s left the room.

      Yes, “Prosperity to all dog lovers. Dogs are the most wonderful creatures!”

      Reply
        1. Lauren

          Aw! : ) I love labs. One of my mutts is a lab mix. He’s part yellow lab and something smaller. I think a beagle or something. He howls when he’s upset. He once found a bone buried beneath a mountain of snow.

          Reply
  2. injaynesworld

    This is quite a contrast to your vent post. Things must be looking up. Beautiful imagery right down to the crapping on ornamental humanity. LOL! Lovely photo of your Jenny.

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      Thank you. I love that photo of Jenny, too. Actually, I wrote this a while ago. I was trawling through older material because the thought of writing a post exhausted me. I’ve been revising my book, which zaps me of my creativity. I just want to padlock the door to my office and get room service. Of course, neither is possible. I have to leave the house for my day job, which is where I am at the moment. I loved your Easter post. I don’t think I commented yet.

      Reply
  3. ReformingGeek

    So why do dogs smell butts and eat poop?

    Oh, wait. I guess it doesn’t stink to them.

    Cat likes to sit in my lap while I’m on the potty. His little nose twitches. You’d think he’d be offended by the smell.

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      I haven’t figured that one out yet. LOL! Poop must be like caviar to them.

      Maybe his nose twitches because he’s offended by the smell.

      Reply
  4. Rum Punch Drunk

    I’ve always been a lover of dogs and one day hope to own one again as not enough space at the moment. It’s just amazing how they can sense things around us that we can’t see or hear until they come into view. There have been cases of dogs smelling cancers in patients and warning a person before they have fits/seizures, which is just unbelievable. There are guide dogs that do so many different things, and the dogs are a comfort to many who live alone. I love dogs.
    As for those birds, I’ve been crapped on a few times in my life. I wonder why. I have made a promise that if I ever catch one of the birds I’d return the favour, ha ha ha. Enjoyed your post Lauren.

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the post.

      Interesting image of a human crapping on a bird. It would probably kill it.

      A dog’s nose is an evolutionary marvel. I’ve also heard about dogs detecting cancer and seizures. Simply amazing!

      Reply
  5. June O'Hara

    Though the hills may be alive with the sound of music…LOL!

    Apropos (please tell me I spelled that right) of nothing, growing up, we had a dog. He’d put two paws on the windowsill (please tell me that’s one word) and watch the world go by. More than once he farted, then looked toward his butt as if to say, “What the hell was that?”

    I hope you get your tropical vacation. You deserve it.

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      I’m also spelling challenged, but I think you nailed it. A dog smelling its own fart. What a concept! That must do a number on their scent glands. LOL!

      Thank you. I hope the tropical vacation is reality based and not one of my head trips.

      Reply
  6. Phil

    I love dogs and this was such a telling post. Their noses are amazing.

    Then I laughed out loud when you got to the seagullls crapping part.

    Bravo!

    Reply
  7. Nicky

    I wish I had a nose that could see, too. And eyes that could hear might be kind of cool. But I’d have to draw the line at ears that could smell. That would just be weird.

    Reply
  8. Aayna

    There was a time when I used to loathe the dogs, but gradually I fell in love with this amazing creature. Reading this post was certainly a treat, I do admire the amazing smell power which the dog possesses. Even, I wish I possessed the ability to watch out with my nose. Thanks for the share.

    Reply
  9. Jodi

    What if we can hone these skills-not to the extent of a dog-but sharpen them. I don’t spend time on this but it would be so fruitful!

    Reply
    1. Lauren

      LOL! Yes, it would be. But we don’t have the dog nose cells that would enable us to identify a coyote three blocks away. I can barely tell if hamburger meat has gone bad.

      Reply
  10. Fatima

    It’s amazing how nature has gifted these animals such powerful senses and how they make use of it. Dogs are indeed one of the intelligent creatures made by God. Appreciate the way you have put up the thought.

    Reply
  11. meleah rebeccah

    “My magical nose would find a Caribbean beach to wade in warm aquamarine sea, the sunlight hugging me, warming my brown skin, wet and salty, but not like taffy. My skin is dry like wisps of windswept sand as the ocean speaks in a way it only can.”

    Um yes, please!

    Reply

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