Read Our Story

This website reads like a book, illustrated with pictures, videos and little anecdotes. You can read the story from start to finish by clicking the chapters in order, or click anywhere you want to go
directly to a page.
Introduction
 
 
 
 

Chapter 19 – “I’m Thirsty!”

People often commented about how well Gabby and I communicated, and how she understood me.  Sometimes it was verbal, sometimes non-verbal, and sometimes it was visual.  The following is a great example of visual communication.

In the “Gabby with People and Dogs” chapter you saw Gabby interacting with Chloe at my Aunt’s house at Christmastime.  That same evening I was holding Gabby in my lap and my cousin was sitting in a recliner across the room. 
He had a glass of water in his hand, which was close to the floor with his arm draped over the armrest.  You can see an illustration of the position in the picture above.
Gabby looked at him from across the room.  She jumped off my lap, walked over to him, and looked straight at me.  When she saw that I had made eye contact, she raised her paw and WHACK! smacked the glass of water as we looked at each other eye-to-eye.
Everyone in the room laughed.  Message received. 

“Someone is thirsty,” I said, and got up, went to the kitchen and got a bowl of water from my aunt.  I put it in front of Gabby and she drank it right away.  There was no mistaking that message!