Shout Out

Saber, my new good friend, had to go to the vet today. He's kind of sick so I thought I'd use all my doggy powers and wish him well. If you're reading this, wish him well, too. He's a really good boy and when he's my age, he'll be a most excellent dog!

My Father's Day Weekend

I shall admit it...I am an anxious boy. My anxiety stems from the need to have my "pack" within view. If someone leaves or I do not know where they are, I get a bit whiny. Yes, I am ashamed to admit it, but it's my nature and I have yet to figure out how to change such instincts.

The level of my anxiety grows exponentially with every additional family member. With my moms, I can stay pretty calm partly because we have a routine of comings and goings. But this weekend when we traveled to Grandma and Grandpa's house where my Uncle Paul and cousin Lindsey were also visiting, well, I could feel the anxiety well up in my throat.

Where's Grandpa? Where's Grandma? Where's Uncle Paul? Where are my moms? These thoughts raced through my head at all times and when we headed to the beach to go kayaking, well, I thought I'd go into a spasm of fits when Uncle Paul and cousin Lindsey took off down the inlet. Momma Gretchen contemplated going kayaking alone, but my persistent whining made her reconsider.
In addition to my human family, I had the additional responsibility of being with Argo, our boarder for the weekend. Argo's a sweet fellow, but I sensed he was a bit confused about where he was sleeping now, who he was meeting next, and why on earth he had to drive so far to get there. So in addition to watching my "pack" with great intensity, I kept Argo close by lest he freak out by the chaos of family.

He did well, but I know he was thankful for my attentiveness.
I've gotten better over the years about my anxiety, but I think my moms are right -- I need to relax a bit more, really enjoy myself, and know that no matter where I am, my family/pack is not far away.

My View

I love to go to Doris and Steven's house. They have a pool. They have a big garden. They have a dog. They have good food.

So when I was told I'd be going there last night, I was thrilled. Swimming. Chase. Eating. Scratches on my belly. What could be more perfect?

Only there were about 50 people there and I was kept on a leash. What torture!
More torturous, Ben was not on a leash and he kept dropping tennis balls into the pool. MY POOL.

And Bailey was there, Ben's cousin. Bailey wasn't on a leash and he kept inviting me to chase him, only I couldn't because it was a party and I wasn't allowed to PARTY with my friends. It might disturb the human party. Who made up these rules!

Ben found tennis ball after tennis ball and bounced them right in front of me.

Even Ben and Bailey didn't understand why I couldn't play. They sat quietly with questioning looks, but still no go...
I was a good boy. I only complained a little. I did what I was told. And at the end of the evening I went home dry and exhausted not by chase or fetch, but by practicing patience.

Sometimes you just have to be a good dog.

Dang it!

This Summer I Went Swimming: Dog View

It starts like this. Gretchen gets me all warmed up for swimming in the pool. She throws my favorite floatie toy and I practice leaping off the side of the pool into the water. Then she leaves the toy behind and revs me up just like before. "Ready steady!" and she releases me (and herself) for a leap in the pool.
I push off and try to leap out farther than she does and usually I do because I have really strong back legs. She just makes faces.
I make mistakes, though. Like sometimes I jump in front of her. Not a good idea because she lands on me and I go under...like completely under. But that's okay because I bob right back up in my nifty orange life vest.
But Gretchen's learned to watch for me so she doesn't push me under the water. I appreciate it.

When we're all done with jumping and swimming, we hang out in Doris and Steven's backyard with their big dog Ben. Ben likes to hang out on the second floor porch where he pushes his tennis ball through the railings...

And I wait down below for the ball to drop...it's a game we play!

And we had another friend there as well...Jocelyn, Doris and Stephen's 2-month old granddaughter. She just hung out watching the silly dogs...that would be me!

What a good day...what a really good day!

Busy Boy

I've been so busy lately, I haven't had a chance to keep up with this blog. Here's an attempt (photographic) at catching up on this blog, but do check out www.wagsnwords.com for my other Dog Blog. You'll see, I haven't been a lazy boy!

Two new clients: Rufus (left) and Riley
Best Friend, Monty, sleeping on the back porch in the sun that decided to finally show up!Me enjoying a Pup-cicle in the sun...
And that's all I have time for...must get to work. More later, I hope!

Dogs in Mexico

My moms got back yesterday from their vacation. Apparently vacations are something humans do every now and then, but this was the first one they took without me. It was a bit odd since I'm usually ALWAYS with one or both of them almost all the time, but don't fret. I got to spend time with Jessica and her dog, Quillette who are two of my favorite friends.

Even though my moms didn't have ME with them, they were apparently surrounded by canine cousins. They traveled to Mexico (far, far away, they told me) and in Mexico dogs lead a very different life -- or so I've been told. First, very few of them are either attached to humans or have to wear leashes. Instead, they wander the streets eating scraps of food off the dirty roads, lounging on a curb, or sitting in front of the butcher's shop waiting for an act of god.

Next, while they bark a lot, they rarely fight with each other or bite humans. Dogs rest outside their houses and bark at passersby, but their barks are merely warnings letting their families know that "foreigners" are approaching. The photo below is one particular dog who "greeted" my moms as they approached their "casa" or house each evening.

On the beach, where my moms spent most of their time, the dogs run up and down the surf chasing each other, digging in the sand, and splashing in the water. Tourists pet them, some feed them, and others throw balls or sticks into the waves and watch the dogs chase after them. They pee on beach towels, they poop right next to surfboards, and they sleep on any pillow they can find.

This is one particular dog who hung out next to my moms on the beach one day. She slept, they say, for hours, curled up on someone else's beach bag only moving every once in awhile to tuck deeper into the warm sand. Apparently, this dog had quite a wild night and needed lots and lots of sleep!

Third, all dogs spring from the same mother, or so it seems. They all have some kind of pit bull blood line, but unlike the pit bulls in the US, these pit bulls are much more mellow EVEN those who are "fully intact." Few Mexicans spay or neuter their dogs, something my moms find this rather upsetting, but the dog of one of their friends was recently spayed after the birth of a litter of pups. The friend kept one of the puppies who hangs out with her mom and plays wrestling games all the time.

Finally, some dogs are tourists, too. People actually take their dogs to Mexico and you can spot these dogs because they are completely different from all the ways I just listed: 1) They are always attached to humans. 2) They are almost always on a leash. 3) They usually aren't sleeping on the beach. And 4) They aren't pit bulls in any way shape or form. In fact, they look an awful lot like Monty!

Which begs to question -- if other tourists took their dogs on vacation, why didn't I get to go?

I've asked this of my moms and they go on and on about plane rides and dog crates and long hours in dark places. Of course, they didn't take any pictures of that now did they?

It's Been Awhile

These are photos from this past work week. Monty and Gemma being silly...

...I joined in the fun...

And here I am at Seward Park showing Ollie how to jump over logs!

Being a working dog is much harder than it may first appear. There are dogs to walk, balls to chase, and blogs to write. I have two blogs these days -- this one and my wagsnwords blog. My paws are tired from all the writing!

I had a great day today. A morning play date with Ginger to start, but soon we were joined by Desi and Quillette. Quillette and her mom, Jessica are staying with us while Jessica's pack (her parents) come to visit. Last night I got to sleep on the spare bed with Jessica and Quillette. It was very, very nice. I had lots of good dreams and only farted a few times. Perhaps Momma G can take pictures tonight -- of me and Jessica, not the farts =-)

After the play date, we went for a walk and ended up playing more fetch at the big field, which was muddy, muddy, muddy from all the rain. I should have seen it coming, but when we got home, I got a bath. I'm not that fond of baths, but I turned the tables on Momma G by racing to the backyard when they decided to plant the vegetable garden. Nothing like getting dirty again right after bathing!

We all took a nap in the middle of the day and I have to say, that's one of the best parts of Sundays -- the warm, cozy nap with my moms. After the nap, Momma G and I played some new games. I'm taking a class in agility again and they have all these lessons they want us to learn only they aren't really lessons -- their more like games. Plus, I get treats when I do them right!

The first game is learning how to walk on a slab of moving cardboard. Well, it doesn't move, actually, it kind of rocks back and forth and I have to step on it, sit on it, and then lie down on it, which I modestly admit, took me about 5 minutes to learn. The next game took a bit longer. It involved me getting inside this new "house" or hut. It smells suspiciously like a kennel, but treats are scattered all over it and I get even more treats when I go in and lay down. Whatever.

Lastly, we get to play tug. I think this is supposed to be my reward for completing all the lessons. I really don't care what it is because tug is one of my favorite games of all time.

There was rain predicted today and while we've had some, it's pretty beautiful and sunny out there right now so I think we're heading out the door for a walk -- all three of us. How fun is that?

I'll try to do better keeping up with this blog, but make sure to check out my weekly work blog at wagsnwords!