My Job: Part Two

This is my new friend, Ollie. He's a Labradoodle, too, though slightly smaller and slightly darker than me. We hung out today at my new job -- the Dog Dog Walker. Ollie's kind of a goof and he totally looks up to me, and while I sometimes find him a pest, he's growing on me with every walk.

See what I mean...? Kind of a goof.



This is Lucy. She's not a goof at all and she's one of my favorite girlfriends. But Lucy is aloof and obsessed with the game of fetch as this picture so beautifully illustrates. She is saying, for those who cannot read dog lips, "Here's the ball! Did you see the ball?" Lucy never gets tired. She could play fetch for days and never even break into a pant. She's like a machine, too. Chase the ball, catch the ball, bring the ball back to the feet of whoever throws the ball, and look up. Then do it all again and again and again.

I, on the other hand, enjoy a game of fetch, but I also enjoy a game of keep away. This is the game Ollie and I were playing at the tennis courts. He's young so he gets easily distracted. In the middle of chase, he decides to see whose ears can flop the highest and who can get all four paws off the ground at once. He won on both accounts.

Eventually, the games were over and we posed for our final snapshot. Notice though, Lucy is not panting. She wasn't the least bit tired. Ollie and I were very tired and walked slowly back to Ollie's house while Lucy pulled us up the street.


I'm tired tonight. My face feels slightly warm from the sun and the wind, but I read this morning in the newspaper that milk and sunshine every day kept the doctor away. While I don't drink milk, I'm hoping I make up for it in sunshine and exercise.

My job continues again on Thursday. We'll pick up Ollie and Lucy not for a walk, but according to the forecast, we'll take a walk in the rain this time. I wonder if I can write off towels on my income tax?

And I wonder when I'm going to get my first paycheck?

I'm going to have to talk with my boss about that.

A New Job

It appears, with this economic down turn, I must be employed. Another wage earner is needed as my family investments tank. Alas, it's a difficult job, but I have never been one to shirk my pack duties, so I now have a day job. I am a dog walker. I am, rather, a dog dog walker. I am a dog, walking other dogs. I am the toy that all dog clients are allowed to harass, bully, cajole, and irritate.

I do what I can.

Above is a photo of one of our new clients. Look carefully because, if you'll notice, he has a tendency to take flight. Nothing seems to inspire this leaping; it appears to be spontaneous and random. For instance, when this blast of airborne spontaneity hit Ollie (the said client), we were engaging in a rousing came of chase -- he chasing me. Without any provocation from me, he launched himself just as mom was snapping the photograph. Earlier, as we walked around the neighborhood on our leashes, he leaped with abandon sporadically. It was as if his feet were springs and the unknown push of a button sent him soaring. And just as quickly, he'd be walking as if nothing had happened.

Ollie is, like me, a Labradoodle, but he is what's known as a miniature Labradoodle, his poodle side being slightly smaller than my own. Despite his apparent rambunctious dog-a-nality, he is quite good on the leash, walking by my side with a slight bounce to his step and the occasional unprovoked leap of apparent delight.

Contrary to Ollie's leash manners, there is Lucy, the Boston terrier mix who is a walking fashion statement.

This is another lucky portrait of the three of us being relatively calm and patient. Lucy is in the middle in her stylish red coat looking surprisingly calm. Lucy is anything but calm. On our walks, she is out front pulling her leash to its very end. Her ears, erect and large, act as the neighborhood satellite dish catching the sound of squirrels as they brave the leap from bush to tree or tree to lawn. Lucy rarely sleeps. She is busy busy busy and while I feel compelled to help out my family by taking on a new job when needed, Lucy is always looking for work even when there is none to be found. I must be called to service. Lucy volunteers.

At this point, my work is limited to these two clients, but I have a feeling it's about to get busier. Mom is working on her business plan complete with business cards, an official license, fliers, and a strategy to post her availability at every local pet store. She's even talked about placing her business card at the doors of people who she knows have dogs who spend their days alone.

The benefits to me are turning out to be quite nice. I get more walks in a day than ever before. I get to eat more snacks during the day and I get to spend time with my mom out in the smells of the world. Yesterday was my first day on the job and last night I slept mightly. For these younger dogs I must be a good role model and for the older ones, I must temper my exhuberance. This can be exhausting, but I am ready for the challenge.

Anything to help my pack is worth the effort. I do what I can.

Our Latest

We climbed Rattlesnake Mountain again this year, but without Ann. Now that school's started she has to work weekdays. But the weather feels nothing like school starting. It's at least 80 degrees and was at least that on the mountain. I am sitting down in this photo because I am afraid of heights. Monty is not, so he feels much more comfortable looking over ledges.

The hike isn't too hard. It's about 2 miles one way and 4 miles roundtrip. Of course, that's 2 miles up and 2 miles down. We took an hour to go up and about 40 minutes to go down only because we had to stop and visit other dogs and people. The up was hard because it was so warm, but the down promised Rattlesnake Lake and frankly, that's my favorite part!

Monty likes it, too.

When we got home, Gretchen made an iMovie of our day using silly music -- "Summertime" sung by African singer Angelique Kidjo, "Stairway To Heaven" performed by guitarist Rodrigo y Gabriella and finally, "Heavenly Day" by Patti Griffin (who wrote the song on the last day of her beloved dog's life). It's way too big to put on my blog and it was her first real attempt at iMovie on her new computer, but it turned out kind of fun.

The day was heavenly during this summertime September as we climbed the stairway to heaven. Here's how happy I was about it, so happy my face wouldn't stay in the frame.

Monty was happy enough for a full-frontal smile!

Wrestle-mania

It's been warm. Really warm. Like summer in September. Every day we go for a long walk and on special days, we go for a swim in the lake, "we" being me and Monty. When we get home from our excursions, we get a snack just like daycare and then, well then we play.

Hard.

After our play sessions we sleep.

Hard.

I like this extended summer. I like having Monty as my best friend. I like the walks and the swims and playing fetch in the park.

But I really really like wrestling. It must be the poodle side of me.

And I really really like Monty. He's a great pal.

Fitness Camp

While this picture embodies relaxation, it must be known that the relaxation came only after a 90-minute brisk walk, a swim in the lake (well, a lot of swims in the lake as we were playing fetch), and a wild game of chase in a very big field. When I really think about it, it's amazing that our heads are not done, fast asleep.

This is what my mom affectionately calls Doggie Fitness Camp. Now that she works part-time and mostly in the afternoons and evenings, our days have developed a routine of their own. We get up with Ann (my other mom), read the paper and drink hot beverages, and then we head up the street to pick up my workout buddy, Monty.

And we're off. Usually it's a long walk down by the lake, but yesterday the city closed off the lake road and we got to run free (not on leashes) and splash around in the water. Mom threw sticks for us and we swam and swam and swam. Then we headed to the big field where we dried off by chasing each other. Finally, we headed home where we were fed a snack and then laid out in the last of the summer sun on the deck. We were tired, but after our nap, we did another spin around the park before we took Monty home.

Mom went off to work, riding her bike, and my other mom came home, riding her bike (everyone's into fitness around here!). We ate dinner (my other mom and I) and then went for the last walk of the evening with Monty and his mom, Colleen. Later, mom got home from work and we headed off to bed where I slept as soundly as a newborn baby.

My moms keep talking about how my appetite has improved. I used to be a skimpy eater, but now I down my breakfast AND my dinner with gusto. It's no wonder with all the exercise I'm getting.

I'm a lean machine these days, muscular and fit thanks to fitness camp!

On the first day

On the first day my mom didn't teach, she took me for a walk. It was a short one, but it was at the park where all the squirrels tease and chatter at me.

On the first day my mom didn't teach, she cleaned the house. I was banished to the back yard, but my friend Monty was visiting me so I passed the time playing chase with him. Meanwhile, mom went at it -- dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, scrubbing. We were only allowed to come in after she'd placed the rugs back on the floor and then she wiped our feet off since they were wet from the lawn.

On the first day my mom didn't teach, she sat at the computer and wrote. This is good, I think because it is the reason she decided not to teach anymore -- more room for writing.

On the first day my mom didn't teach, she decided to take us both (me and Monty) for a long walk by the lake. We were tired from chasing each other, but we were still game to go. There is sunshine today and from my vast experience as an 18 month old dog, I know the weather will change soon and these long, warm walks will be a thing of the past.

On the first day my mom didn't teach, she packed up all the things that needed to get mailed -- returns, gifts for foreign relatives, bills, etc. She did some laundry and made some pasta sauce. She listened to music and even resolved to go for a swim later in the afternoon. That may or may not happen, but she's thinking about it. She gave cookies she baked yesterday to the neighbor and piled up the paid bills that needed to get filed. She hung up coats that had gathered on the backs of chairs and even took a brief nap, though her original intent was to finish reading her book (that will have to wait until later).

It's a busy day, this first day of not teaching.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Doggie Daycare

Now that my one mom is working part-time, I'm able to invite friends over to the house for play-dates. Of course, the only friend I've invited over is Monty because he lives right up the street and he is often left alone all day one his single-mom goes off to her work. AND, he is my best friend ever.

Our day usually begins with a long walk and sometimes a game of fetch. If the weather is nice, we go swimming in the lake, but lately the weather has been as wet as the lake and so we just end up walking. Yesterday, in fact, it rained so hard we were drenched by the time we got home.

Monty was going to go home after the walk, but I convinced mom to let him stay for the day. She was a bit hesitant at first since even after our long walk, Monty and I had some horsing around to do. Since it was too wet to go outside, we decided to chase each other throughout the house -- up the stairs, back down the stairs, into the living room and back into the kitchen. I guess we got out of hand because mom put me in a time out keeping me away from attacking Monty.

We settled down after that and she gave us a snack. Well, she gave Monty a snack and I got my breakfast. I eat a late breakfast most mornings, but to make Monty feel okay about my eating, she always gives him a little bit of food, too.

Once our bellies were full, we were ready for our nap. Usually, Monty sleeps on the bed in the living room and I sleep by my mom who writes at the computer, but yesterday I decided to curl up with my best friend. Monty's a big fellow, but luckily the bed is big enough to hold both of us. He slept on the bed part and I curled up behind him on the bolster around the bed.

It was so quiet, mom had no idea where we were so she got up from her desk and came to find us. When she saw how cute we were, she got her camera and tried to snap a picture. By that time, we'd picked up our heads to see what she was up to so we weren't as cute as we were when we were sleeping.

We're still cute, though, aren't we? Mom works this afternoon, but I think we get to spend the morning swimming with Monty. The rain has stopped and the sun is out. Life is good.