How Do You Spell Relief?

It’s been a beautiful day though I’ve kind of felt crummy. I’ve been under the weather since Friday evening keeping Gretchen up with my upset tummy every night. I don’t do sick well. I want to go on all the walks. I want to play with all my friends. I want to be outside, especially when outside was as beautiful as today.

But Gretchen has only let me out to play and walk intermittently and finally she got me some medicine from the vet, which we’re both hoping works for me. I can’t take much more of these late night rushes to the backyard, nor can she.

Still, I tried not to let my tummy ache spoil such a beautiful day. I went to school with Gretchen, but slept under her desk for the whole time. I got dropped off at home to eat a bland meal of rice and boiled chicken while she picked up Rosie and Tyson who were both super excited to get out in the sunshine.

Of course, it wasn’t completely sunny during their walk, but the gray clouds were quickly parting while they headed out on their walk. Gretchen promised Tyson another visit to the tennis courts after their adventure their and she always makes good on her promises, so after their walk, to the courts they went.

Tyson waited patiently to play fetch…

…and he waited patiently again for the ball be it in Gretchen’s hand…

…or under her foot…

…while Rosie chased after treats Gretchen tossed around the court or waited patiently by Gretchen’s side in hopes she wouldn’t have to work so hard for those delicious treats…

Unfortunately, Gretchen put her camera away before she realized that by throwing treats for Rosie to chase, made Rosie more interested in chasing after the ball. Apparently, Rosie never chases after the ball, but today she’d race across the courts to the ball just like her brother Tyson…only she didn’t pick it up or bring it back, but maybe someday!

After Rosie and Tyson went home, Gretchen swung by Gemma’s house, leashed her up, and they both headed back here to check on me. I’d eaten most of my breakfast and was happy to see them, but after a short break in the backyard, I was left again. It’s tough being left, but it did feel good to sleep.

Gemma and Gretchen picked up Oshi and Perrito and they headed over to the tennis courts for a romp. Well, Gemma jumped…

…while Perrito pounced…

…while Oshi looked forlornly at Gretchen hoping to head back to the house…

At one point, the little ball Perrito and Gemma were playing with slipped under the fence. Perrito was beside himself worried that he couldn’t reach his ball. But Gemma had an idea…

It didn’t work because Gretchen had to fetch the ball herself, but everyone was impressed with Gemma’s creative thinking!

Eventually it was time to go, though Perrito dug at the backpack to try to get the ball out again, while Oshi rolled in the warm sunshine giving in to the day outside.

And Gemma? She kept trying to convince Gretchen that with a little more effort she knows she could get Perrito stuffed under the fence!

Gemma walked the boys home, picked me up for a short walk back to her house. It felt good to stretch my legs and hopefully get my system moving. I was feeling much better so Gretchen let me play with Saber some and boy, was I happy! Nothing like sunshine to make you feel better.

Gretchen tried to get a blue sky shot of Saber just to have a photographic history of this beautiful day!

Then we went for a walk to the other side, which is a direction we rarely go though it’s a nice walk with beautiful views…only the sun was in our eyes and we refused to look at the camera, much to Gretchen’s frustration.

Still, we’re pretty cute, aren’t we…even though we had to squint!

We walked Saber home after that and then jumped into the car to visit the vet. I’m not a great fan of the vet, but I was in need of some relief so off we went to pick up some doggy pep-to. When we got home, Gretchen fed the large pill to me after she covered it in baby food. I kind of gagged, but I got the medicine down. Hopefully it will help because tomorrow is predicted to be another sunny day! Don’t want to miss that!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

Do I Hear Robins?

Robins are resident birds. They live in our area all year round and often, on our walks, we see them flitting from one branch to the next occasionally giving a chirp or two to announce their presence. But this morning they were actually singing! Loudly.

What does this mean? Well, I fear that it means the groundhog was wrong when he predicted six more weeks of winter. Robins, in these parts, only sing like that when winter is ending and spring is springing. I have mixed feelings about this.

First, when I look longingly to the west and see snow in the Olympics and then look east at the Cascades without much snow at all, I worry that snow may be something I’ll never see again. Gretchen tells me not to worry, but I guess worrying is in my nature.

Next, while warmer weather is nice, warmer weather often brings more rain before it brings no rain (as in summer). We’ve had an awful lot of rain this winter and, according to the weather forecasters, the warmest January on record. I don’t mind the rain, but I seriously mind my raincoat and I fear that days and days of rain may require Gretchen to pull that evil thing out of the closet.

Warm weather is also not good if you’re a dog (or a cat) because it means more fleas. If it doesn’t freeze in the winter, all those dormant eggs hatch and man, fleas are a bummer!

But warm weather has its points. It means swimming in the lake, long hikes in the mountains, hours in the garden, and hanging out in the sun on the back porch. It means light late in the evening and early in the morning and all those flowers blooming and birds chirping.

So, while I want to complain about the lack of snow, the robins are singing in some just as fun (well, almost) as a crisp wintry day. Today those robins chirped sporadically since the sun was out and then it wasn’t, blue skies followed by sprinkles.

Fickle. That’s just about the only word for today’s weather that started with morning teaching session and then a nice long walk with Monty. We ate a hearty brunch after that while Gretchen grabbed the boys next door and went for play date at the tennis courts with a little orange and blue ball. Perrito liked that very much.

Oshi, on the other hand, was worried about rain so he hung out with Gretchen while Perrito raced after the ball on the shiny, wet courts.

After the boys went home, Gretchen picked up Gemma and walked her over to Saber’s house. Man, those two. It’s just exhausting looking at the pictures!

Once they got their jollies out, they went for a long walk up on the ridge and posed with Bellevue behind them. Yes, the mountains are there, too, but you really can’t see the snow 1) because there isn’t much and 2) because Gretchen’s still trying to figure out the camera. (Hint: Read the instruction manual!)

After they went home, Gretchen picked up Monty and me again first for a game of fetch at the little park…

…where Monty almost lost Or’ange in the undergrowth (see him there all worried that Monty will distractedly walk off?)…

…and then the rain came though it was still sunny. Not sure if you can see the little white flecks, but those are photographic defects…it’s rain!

…then we went on a long walk down by the lake whereupon we posed by the water.

Yes, the weather was warm. Gretchen was in a short-sleeved shirt. I love to swim, but I wasn’t quite sure the water would be to my liking. Not Monty!

“Warm weather? Cold water? Dude!!!! It’s time to swim!!!!”

I watched from the shore.

Does that make me a chicken?

Actually, I think I’m just looking forward to tomorrow when Gretchen’s going to take me to a doggie spa. I know, I’m spoiled rotten, but she figures he gets a massage every few weeks and I work probably harder than she does, so I need a little pampering myself. The spa water is supposed to be 98 degrees! I think I might like that more than the cold lake on a warm day.

Stay tuned…I tell you all about it on Monday!

Until then, have a great weekend!

Rubin

Contrasts

Last week, my Aunt Krista in Virginia sent me this photo of her car…

This week, I’m sending her these photos from our walk today…

Quite a contrast, yes? Well, much to my sorrow, winter seems to have passed us by. No cold temperatures, no snow, not even enough ice to scrape off the windshield. All the snow and all the winter we usually have found it’s way to Virginia and we are left with blooming flowers.

Yes, they are beautiful and I shouldn’t complain because today was warm and gorgeous and we had a great time. It started with school, but the kids were on a field trip so I just helped Gretchen grade some papers. Then we picked up Ollie who escorted me home so I could eat my brunch (I’m no longer calling it breakfast) and here even the two of us are a study in contrast.

We’re both Doodles as you can see, but Ollie has got that red, red coat while I am what’s known as an apricot. Ollie’s curls are much tighter, too, kind of like Monty’s, but Ollie’s are much softer.

Ollie is smaller than I am, too, but equally focused on the treats Gretchen has in her pockets. Our tails are pretty much the same and everyone thinks we’re related because of the bounce in our step.

Doodles bounce, if you didn’t know, which I think comes from our poodle ancestry. Ollie’s like me, though, in that he likes to bark and he HATES being away from his people.

Often, when we walk away from Ollie’s house to go out on our adventure, Ollie stops and looks back at his house longingly. He’ll even whimper occasionally, but once we get underway, he gets that bounce back in his step and he’s ready for some fun.

Ollie’s fun came in the form of Gemma today. After I got dropped off at home, Ollie and Gretchen headed over to Gemma’s house. When they arrived, Gemma was sound asleep on her bed and barely heard Gretchen enter the house. Apparently, Gemma’s shots got updated in the morning and those things can really knock it out of you.

But Gemma warmed up once they all got underway and was in fine form as they posed in the sun and both of them eagerly nibbled on treats — their reward for posing!

Gemma walked Ollie home and then Gemma and Gretchen headed to Saber’s house for his first walk of the day. This is when Gemma really woke up. There’s nothing like having a elephant-sized puppy playing with you to wake you up!

Of course, luckily Saber tires out faster than Gemma…

Still, even Gemma was ready for a rest after her walk with Ollie and her romp with Saber…

Saber walked a tired Gemma home  where she flopped right down on her bed, while Saber practiced his “stay” on the porch. He’s such a good dog!

It’s pretty obvious how Gemma and Saber are contrasting — their size, their color, their temperament — but let me tell you, those two know how to whoop it up when it comes to playing. They play hard and the sleep hard that’s for sure.

Next up was Rosie and her contrasts are more subtle. She’s a skittish girl, but luckily the warm, sunny weather livened her up a bit and she’s also gotten used to Gretchen bribing her for a posed shot. Sprinkle a few cookies next to the flowers…

Get Rosie to smell those pretty yellow flowers…

And then snap the photo right when she licks her lips! Nice work everyone! That’s a wrap!

The two of them walked along the ridge and looked off in the distance at the snow-less mountains and the band of rain clouds hanging like warning signs to the south.

Gretchen photographed the flowers I’m sending to my Aunt Krista while Rosie waited patiently.

Perhaps Rosie’s biggest contrast is how she was when Gretchen first starting walking her and what she’s like now. Now Rosie is much more confident. She still gets spooked by sudden movement and gets really agitated if there is a squirrel racing by or a cat lounging on a step (I get that, Rosie!), but she doesn’t go into an altered state like she used to do.

Instead, she stops herself, turns toward Gretchen, and then looks up longingly for a treat.

Who could deny that face?

Gretchen can’t so she feeds her a cookie or two and then gives Rosie a hearty scratch on her hip and a soft kiss on her head.

With only 20 minutes to spare, Gretchen came home to get some lunch after dropping Rosie at her house and then we hustled up to Alice’s. Alice and Rosie have a lot in common. Not just their coloring, but they are both a bit on the jittery side, but over time, Alice has gotten more comfortable with our visits. Now she only woofs once when Gretchen comes into the house to get her and then she wags that long, skinny tail excited to see Gretchen and excited to say hello to me as I wait outside.

Then she gets really excited when we head north to pick up Woobie. The three of us really demonstrate the concept of contrasts!

I’m curly-coated, Woobie has long flowing locks, and Alice is very short-coated. Alice is nervous, Woobie is laid back, and I’m right in the middle — sometimes laid back and some times nervous. And we play very differently too. Woobie likes to just hang out by Gretchen (sometimes)…

I like to play fetch and Alice likes to hog the balls, but I’m nice and let her =-)

After we played a bit, we walked Alice home and then I escorted Woobie back to her house. I love Woobie’s courtyard. Gretchen opens the gate, takes off our leashes and Woobie and I run back and forth, up and down the steps to Woobie’s front door! It’s a lot of steps, let me tell you!

We’re a lot faster than Gretchen so we race up and down and up and down while she huffs and puffs her way up the stairs. And when she gets to the top, we’re there to greet her with wagging tongue and a look of concern, “Are you okay?”

Woobie runs into her house once the door opens and then sits and watches as we leave. She hates it when we leave. I do, too.

I wanted to race up and down and around that courtyard for the rest of the day, but we still had another play session with Saber to complete so off we went back down through the neighborhood to Saber’s house.

Saber was happy to see us and was really ready for some play time at the tennis courts, but when we got there, another dog AND a tennis player were there. Uh oh, but guess what? They (Linda and her dog, Gizmo) invited us in and soon enough, Michael showed up with Desi and we had a whirligig of a time!

As you can see, Gizmo took no time at all getting acquainted and though he was a bit shy with Saber (the racing elephant), he loved (and I mean LOVED) Desi. Desi must have like Gizmo, too because generally Desi doesn’t let another dog get so close to him.

And once I wrested the ball away from Saber (Linda’s ball, I might add), I gave myself a nice rest in the last of the afternoon sun.

Would I have preferred snow? Probably, but today was busy, full, and bright and well, who can complain?

Until Tomorrow!

Rubin

A Weather DADT Policy

In other words, if you don’t ask about the weather, I’m not going to tell!

Instead, the weather is closeted today (ha!) and photographs are few and far between, I’m going to tell you a story about Or’ange (pronounced as if you were French).

Or’ange was a small, roly-poly kid who loved to play with his dog friends whenever they wen to the park to play fetch. When I say he was roly-poly, I literally mean completely round with absolutely no corners or edges on this guy. While that was one distinguishing feature, another was the blue streak in his otherwise orange hair.

Well, one day, while the dogs chased after Or’ange at the park, Monty picked him up by the back of his pants and carried him off. Monty meant no harm, he was just playing, but as Monty often does, he got distracted and dropped Or’ange along the way. When Monty returned to play with all of his other friends at the park, they noticed that Or’ange was no longer with him.

“Hey, Monty,” I asked, “Where’s Or’ange?”

“Huh?” was Monty’s enlightened response. Instantly, we all got worried and scattered to all four corners of the park look for Or’ange.

We called his name, we searched in the bushes, we looked down the hill and up the street. We looked in the most unusual places (up trees) and even created a grid pattern to search the area like they do on CSI. But no Or’ange.

Monty felt horrible and for days and days we walked through the park calling for Or’ange and retracing Monty’s steps.

When we were just about to give up hope, we walked the edges of the park one more time hopelessly whimpering Or’ange’s name. He must be cold and hungry and very scared, we all thought to ourselves when all of the sudden, out of nowhere, Or’ange came rolling down the hill!

“Or’ange, Or’ange,” we all yelled and raced to him. We hugged him again and again and finally asked, “What happened?”

“Well, I got stuck in a gutter. I’m so embarrassed. That’s never happened to me before, but there I was for what seemed like weeks stuck in the drain. I heard you all yelling for me, but every time I yelled back, my voice just carried down to the sewer system and not up to you. I was so scared and so worried that no one would find me that I had to do something.

“So the other day, when it rained, all the old leaves from autumn started moving up and down kind of waving at me. That’s when I got the idea. I could move back and forth, but I couldn’t get enough lift to push me out of the gutter. So these past few days and nights I worked tirelessly to build a ramp out of the gutter using the leaves.”

“That’s brilliant!” Monty exclaimed.

“Yes, I suppose it was, but man, I was desperate. Eventually, with enough rain and enough leaves, I made a perfect ramp out of the gutter and up on to the street. But the next part was the hardest of all. I had to roll super fast and launch myself up the ramp so my momentum carried me out into the street. I’ve been trying for days, but when I heard you all walk by again sounding so sad, I just knew I had to try one last time.”

“And it work!” I shouted.

“Yes,” said Or’ange, kind of proud of himself. “It worked and lucky for me, once onto the street, I could roll downhill to all of you.”

The friends embraced again and I got to carry Or’ange home where he rested with a huge smile on his face.

(Please note that all the photos are from today’s rainy activities! You can only keep things in the closest for so long! More photos from today’s wet activities below:)

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

What? A Groundhog?

The groundhog supposedly saw his shadow today. More winter!

HA! We really haven’t had winter so I’m not certain Phillip (the said groundhog) has a clue about our weather in the Pacific Northwest. Now I know I’ve promised to not talk about the weather so much and while I’ve been good of late, I must regress into bad habits for a minute.

Let’s start with this shadow talisman idea. First, I see my shadow every day and I’m not sure a groundhog has any special soothsaying powers that a Labradoodle doesn’t have, but even if he did, what’s a shadow got to do with winter? I mean, let’s get real folks. When we see our shadow here in Seattle, it’s a good thing. It means all those gray clouds are moving away and maybe, just maybe spring will come early. It certainly doesn’t mean they’ll be more winter, which equals more rain in our area.

Now, if it meant snow, I’d be all over that idea. We haven’t had snow here since last winter and I really miss it. But shadows are no more likely to mean snow than my tail is, so I don’t think Phillip’s shadow predicts anything. Well, maybe it predicts that the sun was at his back. Or maybe it means that he’s way too overfed and needs to get some exercise (are groundhogs really that fat in the wild?).

I also know that the media can make mountains out of molehills or in this instance geysers out of groundhogs, so I decided to take my own informal poll today about shadows. First up, Ollie. “Do you think the groundhog’s shadow is all that special?” I asked him.

Ollie: Well, let’s think about that Rubin. Hey, does Gretchen have a treat in her pocket for me? Wait, let me run around for a second. Okay…uh, what was the question?

Then I asked Gemma.

Gemma: Groundhog, did you say groundhog? You know what, I think I saw one of those in my backyard last night. Man oh man did I want to catch that thing but it crawled up in a tree and I have no idea how to climb a tree. Do you know how to catch a groundhog, Rubin? I know how to catch a ball, but groundhogs are wily rascals and I need to catch me one.  Any tips?

As you can see, they were in a word, shadow-struck in their own way. So I had Gretchen ask Rosie.

Rosie: Yep, I have a shadow. Everything has shadows. Sometimes shadows scare me, but when I realize it’s my own shadow, I kind of have to laugh at myself and look at Gretchen for a reassuring treat. Maybe the groundhog is scared of his shadow like I am and he just needs some food to comfort him?

Rosie is wise, I think. Maybe to get Phillip out of his hole they coax him with yummies and I for one know that being coaxed with yummies throws the whole prediction of behavior way off!

At first, when I thought of asking Saber I decided against it. He’s pretty young, you know, and I’m not sure he’s ready for such a philosophical question at such a young age, but then, after we walked around through the parks and posed on the warm bench…

…I decided I’d ask him. “Hey, Saber, my young friend, do you think the groundhog can really predict the length of a season by looking at his shadow?”

By this time, we were at the tennis courts, and this was Saber’s response…

…yep, he slammed into me again and again and again all the while saying, “Shadow Boxer strikes again!”

Later, though, he had this response…

Saber: Rubin every day is a good day, shadows or no shadows. There’s plenty of food, lots of treats, all sorts of loving hands to rub our bellies, warm beds to sleep on, toys coming out our ears, and good, good friends to slam into. Who cares if all that happens in winter or summer or…what are the other ones called? Sprung? Fallen? Whatever. Life is good.

The more I thought about, the more I realized Saber is right. Life is good and while I have the utmost respect for Phillip and the job he’s called upon to do, every season offers me something different, but all those different things are amazing and wonderful — shadows or no shadows!

Good luck, Phillip. I hope they free you from this futile ritual soon!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

Hey, Where Did January Go?

Don’t blink. I mean seriously, don’t blink. February is a short month and if you blink, you’ll be sure to miss it. I didn’t blink in January, but it feels like it zipped by faster than Perrito chasing after me! Not sure how that happened, but when I got up this morning, Gretchen said, “Happy February!” and I looked at her and said, “Hey, where did January go?”

She just laughed at me, but then reminded me, “But February is a great month, Rubin. It’s your birthday month!”

Oh yeah! How could I forget? I was born at the end of February so I have a ways to go, but when the 28th rolls around, I’m going to celebrate my third birthday with a wild party! I’ll be sure Gretchen takes pictures to document the occasion.

But until then, well, there is work to be done even in February!

It started at school where all the students wore their pajamas today. It’s Spirit Week and that means every day has a different theme. Pajama Day on a Monday was perfect. Everyone was kind of laid back and quiet, which is a perfect way to start a new week of a new month, don’t you think?

Gretchen dropped me off at home, which was good because I was both hungry and tired. We had a busy weekend, especially on Sunday when I got to go play at my favorite off-leash park  in the morning (see first photo) and then play with all my good friends in the evening. It was good to eat my breakfast this morning and then curl up in my bed while Gretchen walked Rosie and Tyson.

They got to walk for a bit, but then they headed over to the tennis courts because Tyson kept nudging the ball in Gretchen’s backpack saying, “Do we, huh? Do we, do we, do we get to play?” Eventually she gave in and the three of them played and posed!

Tyson even tried to figure out how to pick up two tennis balls in his mouth…

…and Rosie danced around a tennis ball like a goof, wanting to play with it, but not quite certain!

They headed home with Tyson still nudging the tennis balls in the backpack saying, “Let’s do it again, okay, okay, okay?” Gretchen promised that she’d take them next Monday since it’s only Tyson who likes to fetch and Rosie just likes to run around after him.

Gretchen picked up Gemma on her way over to the boys’ house — Oshi and Perrito. The three of them can be a handful on the leash, but with a bit of finesse, Gretchen lead them all up the street for a visit to school because she’d forgotten something there. Everyone waited outside while she popped into the classroom to retrieve her forgotten item!

Then they wiggled and tangled their leashes on their way down through the other side of the neighborhood. Oshi and Perrito were happy to be home, while Gemma came over to fetch me. We walked her home and then I walked over with Gretchen to pick up Saber.

Boy, I tell you, that guy gains about 5 pounds every weekend. It may not look like he’s getting bigger, but when he’s slamming his body next to yours, you notice! All the places where we like to play off-leash were busy today, so we went for a walk and to the secret trail where we got to be off-leash for a little bit. I wasn’t into playing chase though Saber kept nudging me to do so. I was still tired so we just sniffed and smelled. Well, I did. Saber ran up and down the trail saying, “Come on, Rubin, play with me!”

I must be getting older. A year ago, I’d have taken the bait, but not today. Today I’m still tired from January (as in yesterday). “I need to conserve my energy for February,” I told Saber. He didn’t seem to mind. He played by himself pretty well. I guess he’s getting older, too.

When I got home from work, I curled up under the desk while Gretchen paid some bills, answered some emails, and ate her lunch. Good thing Mondays aren’t too busy. It’s given me time to recover from January’s end and pace myself for what I’m sure will be a speedy February!

Until Tomorrow,

Rubin

A Friday in Poem

Fridays come but once a week

The end of something, though not its peak

While Mondays are slow to go and to start

Fridays take extra effort and more heart

Our feet are tired and our legs are sore

And the weekend is something we long for

But first the Friday must we traverse

And though it’s hard, it could be worse

There could be no Saturday so we could sleep in

Or long, slow Sunday where we wash our sins

While Friday’s hard, I’m glad for the day

And ours was quite nice, it went this way:

First was Monty all bouncy with glee

He knew he was walking over to see me

Then Oshi and Perrito joined our group

We all walked around until we pooped

We smiled and smelled and posed on a rock

Pleased there was no rain, oh what a shock

The boys looked good in their fancy new dos

And on our walk, they sure did cruise

But home they went to a warm retreat

While Monty and I were served something to eat

Gretchen walked Rosie down through the park

And she sniffed and she smelled, but she never did bark

She wagged her tail at each smell she found

But it’s so little it doesn’t quite go round

It wiggles a bit and sticks right out

Making her look like she’s got some clout

She scrunched up her face after a tasty snack

And trotted along on their way back

Once in the house her belly was scratched

While treats were left for her to snatch

Gemma was next and yes, in a hurrry

She raced to Saber’s with his coat of gray furry

They walked and they cuddled at the end of their tethers

And talked about love, and not about the weather

The courts where they played were busy indeed

Where two people rode a rolling flat-like steed

Well that’s what I’d call it though skateboard’s the name

And for Gemma, good grief, oh what a game

She chased those boards but kept her distance

Not trusting the wheels, not for an instant

Saber chased Gemma because he could not understand

Her fixation so great, her focus so grand

“Play with me,” he cried in the drops of rain

But Gemma was gone like a mighty fast train

She raced and she raced around in a circle

That she didn’t get dizzy is sure quite a miracle

Saber raced too but he didn’t know why

Though he had fun slobbering up Gemma’s red thigh

They went for a walk up on the ridge

And through the gardens, across the bridge

They posed together after a stop at the fountain

While staring at the distant snow covered mountains

Then back to their homes they each did go

While Monty and I waited to go

And go we went once Gretchen returned

To the small little park where we each took a turn

Chasing the ball and bringing it back

Then dropping the ball in return for a snack

We huffed and we puffed our way back home

Where I sat down and wrote this poem

Friday, you see, is quite fun to end

And I’m very thankful I have all these friends.

Have a great weekend!

Rubin

An Education

Being a Dog Teacher (escorting Gretchen to her classroom each day), I have learned a great deal from our students. I know, I know, teachers say that all the time, but in my case, it’s quite true. Today I learned this.

Student One: Why do dogs lick themselves like that? (I happened to be licking myself in what humans consider to be a private area.)

Student Two: Because they don’t make doggie toilet paper!

Brilliant, yes? They don’t make doggie toilet paper and though that’s not really the reason I lick myself, I thought it was a brilliant and thoughtful response.

But I’ve learned far more than this. Mostly what I’ve learned is that there are a million different types of students and each of the requires a certain kind of education. Like dogs, children are all unique and what works for one may not always work for the other.

That makes my job as a Dog Teacher particularly difficult and though I’m still young, I’m trying my best to master the art of education.

These thoughts swirled in my head today and for fun, I decided to picture our dog clients (and my friends) as students in our classroom.

First up was Ollie. If Ollie were a human student he would be the kind of nerdy kid who likes to play with Legos and knows the circumference of the tallest tree in the world, weird stuff like that. His favorite subject would be science and he’d get giddy if he got to run his own experiment with Bunsen burners and bubbling chemicals.

Oh, and he’d be the kid who can’t stay in his seat. He’d squirm and twist all day long, popping up every few minutes to sharpen his pencil or get a drink of water. He’d fidget with paper clips and sit on his knees, but he’d do it all with this winning smile that would melt the heart of even the meanest of teachers.

Gemma, on the other hand, would be the kid who always poked you when you were trying to work. “Hey,” she’d say and then ask you endless questions like, “When’s recess? What’s for lunch? You wanna play with me?” Gemma would be the student who never heard the instructions the first time and had to ask for the teacher to repeat them or even worse, ignore the instructions altogether and then halfway through the class ask, “What are we supposed to do?”

Gemma would be the kid who was loved by some and annoyed by others. She’d have her favorite friends (like Saber), but she wouldn’t ignore those who weren’t her friends. Instead, she’d try to get under their last nerve and with great persistence , tease them until she got a rise out of them.

Whereas Ollie would be the science geek, Gemma would excel at theater, the star of the play, and president of the Drama Club. She’d win awards for her acting skills and her willingness to sacrifice her body for her art.

Saber would be the hunky football player though prone to spats of klutziness. He’d be a linebacker who always wore his jersey even when it wasn’t game day. When he moved through the hallways, everyone would step aside, but that wouldn’t stop him from saying hello to everyone by giving them a slightly too rough of a punch in the arm.

While teachers might at first stereotype him as the dumb jock, he’d wow them with his adroit math skills and his love of history. While handsome and athletic, he’d wear glasses when he studied and send Valentine’s to everyone in class. Of course, everyone would know he was sweet on Gemma though his friends would caution against dating an older (and wilder) upper classmate. Still, he’d have a hard time controlling his feelings for her and faithfully attend every play she performed in.

Rosie would be the shy, studious girl with her nose in a book and a fear of taking risks (though today she climbed through the tractor to get the treats…way to go Rosie!).

The most misunderstood, Rosie would appear to despise the world, but then melt under the loving attention of those who took the time to know her.

Her favorite subject would be psychology. Though she wouldn’t be the girl to always have her hand up in class with the right answer, when called upon she’d correctly answer any question posed as well as provide detailed examples to explain her thinking.

Alice would be friends with Rosie, if they’d only emerge from their shy selves long enough to actually meet. Like Rosie, Alice would enjoy a good book, but would rather spend her time sniffing out the correct answer on complicated calculus problems. A rather short temper, Alice would struggle during recess and often might find herself in the principal’s office, but because of her intelligence, she’s learned to avoid these confrontations by steering clear of trouble (or growling at it if it threatens to come near).

Alice would also be a risk taker. Case in point, she got distracted by a bee today and wanted to eat it. Now that’s daring!

Woobie, on the other hand, would be very popular, not just because of her long, flowing locks, but also because of her genuinely sincere and friendly personality. While not overly effusive, Woobie would be a leader among her peers, not in a bold and brash manner, but in more of a subtle and refined way.

Woobie would be good at all subjects though she’d never boast about her success or her winning SAT score. Humble and secure with herself, she’d know when to play and when to be quiet, when to offer a smile and when to just sit back and observe. And though she has all the potential in the world to be a doctor or a lawyer or a CEO, she’d choose to become a teacher unconcerned with money and fame.

Oh, and let me not forget Henry (because we ran into him today at the tennis courts). He’d be the newest kid in the class, but also the youngest having skipped a couple of grades because he was so smart. In short order, he’d be considered the class mascot and take the oath of his office quite seriously.

Me? Well, when I was first adopted, my moms were told that I’d be the kid with my hand always up in the air, the one who thought he knew the answer, but may in fact not. I’d be the class clown, they were told, and would need firm boundaries to rein in my overly enthusiastic tendencies.

Knowing this is perhaps why my moms give me lots and lots of exercise and have channeled my energy into writing. They knew I’d need to find many ways to express myself as well as a cadre of friends to keep my entertained.

Now, if we were all in the same classroom together, I’d feel sorry for the teacher, but luckily we’re all sort of home schooled and allowed to go on many wondrous field trips so that no one teacher has to endure us all at the same time!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

PS — More photos from today below!

Better You Than Me!

I heard rumblings yesterday evening about the groomer. Even though I was tired from agility class, my ears perked up immediately. I looked at myself in the mirror and mumbled, “I don’t need no stinking haircut!”

But it wasn’t me they were talking about. It was Oshi, Perrito, and Blackie. Whew!

That’s why we drove the car to school today, too, so Gretchen could pick up the boys and escort them to the groomer without crimping our schedule. So while I didn’t have to visit Liliana (said groomer), I did have to share the car with 3 small dogs. Jeez!

It’s a good thing I’m such a nice fellow. I mean, I like my space and generally don’t like sharing it with others, especially the car, but hey, they were heading to the groomer so I needed to be nice!

Once they got dropped off, we headed back home but only for a blink of a second. Monty was waiting for us at his house so we hiked up there, picked him up, and went for a nice long walk. Gretchen didn’t take many pictures of us today, which was fine with me, but we don’t have evidence of our walk. Too bad because it was kind of foggy and everything around us looked really cool.

When we got home, Gretchen fed us and herself before she raced off to pick up Rosie — an addition to our schedule. Rosie got to walk in the fog, too, but slowly it started to lift. While it just looks like white lights behind her in these photos, it’s actually fog enshrouding Mt. Rainier. Gretchen says it was kind of surreal — the Mountain looked like it was floating on the clouds.

But it was so white, everything just gets drowned out in the background. Oh well, at least Rosie is cute!

By the time Rosie made her way home, the fog lifted, which made Gemma and Saber very happy. They got to play for a bit at the small field — Gemma chasing Saber who fetched the ball…

…and then Gemma chasing Saber who gave up the ball for a stick…

…and then Saber chasing Gemma who stole the stick, but he stole it right back…

…and finally smiling because they like each other so much!

After their small romp they walked up the hill and down the hill where Gretchen made an attempt to pose them with the fog-lifted cityscape in the background. Saber was a good boy, but Gemma struggled staying in one place.

Gemma got dropped off first, then Saber and that’s when Gretchen’s phone rang. The boys at the groomer were ready.

Did I say whew?  Well let me say it again… Whew! Better you than me!

She hiked back up the hill, picked up the newly cleaned and shaven pups and then walked two of them home. Oh, with a stop along the way for the “after” photo!

Oshi and Perrito were happy to race into their house and even though Blackie wanted to go inside their house, too, he came to our house to pick Monty and me up for a walk. We escorted Blackie home and visited for a short minute with his very happy mom. Blackie seemed as happy about his new hairdo as his mom. Did I say whew?

That’s when Monty and I got to go the little field and play fetch! Yahoo!

Again, no photos because well, it was too much fun playing fetch to worry about the right shot. Of course, the fog moved back in so by the time we finished and headed out on a walk, the sun was gone again. Still, there was a glow in the air. Can you see it?

We’ve been resting since we got home though Monty reminded me I needed to write my blog. What a good friend! Of course then he asked, “Do you think we’ll have to go to the groomer soon?”

Dog, I hope not, but every day holds a new surprise, doesn’t it?

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

Staying Focused

When Gretchen and I are in agility class, Sandra (the instructor) is often heard yelling, “Get you hand out of your pockets!” Since I don’t have pockets, this is obviously an instruction for Gretchen who keeps dog treats in her pockets always. Always!

If Gretchen reaches into her pockets too soon to pull out a reward for me, I lose my focus. Since I’m such a smart dog, I know what a hand in a pocket means and I stop dead in my tracks waiting to be rewarded. This isn’t good if I’m on the top of the A frame (a wooden structure shaped like an “A” that i must run up, then down, and then stop at the bottom and wait for the next instruction). If Gretchen’s hand goes into her pocket, I’m sure to stop a the top of the A frame and well, that defeats the purpose of being a fast and obedient dog on the agility course.

But I’m not the only one focused on Gretchen’s pockets. Ollie, our first walk of the day, always sniffs at Gretchen’s pockets when we first arrived. He knows that goodness flows from those pockets and he stares at them with as much attention as his wiggly self can muster.

Gemma, on the other hand, knows all about the pockets, but if something else is more interesting – a squirrel, another dog, god forbid a cat — she loses any focus she’d mustered for the pockets. But when she focuses on the pockets, she focuses as only a terrier can do.

As you can see, these two got to walk together today. I was at home NOT eating my breakfast while these two checked out the foggy view of the city.

The fog cleared, though, revealing a nice day. Not completely cloud free, but still, no rain and lots of blue skies.  Ollie and Gemma had every intention of playing at the tennis courts, but they were being used so instead, they hiked up the hill and visited Dog Mania (pet store) for a bit and then walked along the ridge back to Ollie’s house where Ollie received a treat from one of those anointed pockets he so diligently watches!

Gemma then made her way back to her house, but her eyes and nose were more fixed on squirrels than pockets.

Rosie was up next and for some reason, the pocket of joy are a sign for Rosie to get a bit worried. This is a new phenomenon, so Gretchen’s to changing the treat pocket and working on giving Rosie treats with her right hand instead of the left. And she’s also put them on top of things and encouraging Rosie to climb up to get them. It’s working. Even when another dog walks by, it’s working. Of course, the dog who walked by was Quillette with Jessica and let me tell you, Quillette knows how to focus on a pocket! She was little miffed she couldn’t come visit Gretchen, but Rosie’s shy that way, so Quillette had to begrudgingly make her way home.

After Rosie came Saber. Since Saber is so young, he’s still learning about the pockets of hope and love. And he’s still learning about focus.

Today he was solely focused on stealing my ball. It’s his new trick, but I’m patient. I know he’ll eventually drop it and when he does, that ball is mine!

Still, when he’s good and tired he completely understands what happens next when Gretchen puts her hand in her pocket! Even from far away!

Tonight is another agility class. I missed last week because Gretchen wasn’t feeling well, but today she’ll be in top form, I’m sure. So top, I hope, that Sandra won’t have to remind her to reward me AFTER I do the course, not during. Darn it!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin