March 17, 2009

Praying for Wind on St. Paddy’s Day

Red dogs can jump!
Red dogs can jump!

When you live in the Pacific Northwest like I do you do a lot of praying for wind. Wind keeps those heavy rainclouds at bay not allowing them to hover over our fair city and dump their wetness upon us.  It rained like the devil this morning and then came the steady breeze blowing away the clouds and making way for a cold, crisp blue.  We saw our chance and headed out to pick up our three clients for the day.

First up, Monty. This isn’t his usual day, but his mom needed to switch so he got to go with us as we fetched both Lucy and Ollie.  He was very happy about that because he has a thing for Lucy. And I think Lucy has a thing for him though she’s much more elusive in her feelings.

Generally four dogs is Gretchen’s limit and she prefers to walk three at a time, but with the weather threatening floods, she decided to pack us all in at once. Lo and behold, the weather held and as I write, it’s still holding.

But now I must explain this first photo. For months Gretchen’s been trying to capture Ollie’s leaping ability. She’s often got a shot of him just about to jump or on his way down, but today she scored the pinnacle of his abilities. Well actually, he was a tad bit higher than this, but it’s pretty astounding, isn’t it?  That boy can jump and he does it all the time. ALL THE TIME! So much so it’s hard to keep him in the frame…

again and again

and again more jumping

still jumping okay, I'll jump too

Not much you can do, but join him!

Lucy, as she is want, played fetch with Monty.  While he isn’t as obsessive, I think he was trying to impress Lucy.

see my ball?More than one time today, Monty would lose sight of his ball and Lucy would herd the two tennis balls right next to her. Monty would look around and Lucy would worry herself silly over which ball to have thrown.

which one?At one point she dropped her ball and it rolled underneath me.

That didn’t stop her though, she dove right for it and could care less about my legs almost stepping on her.

Obsessed =Lucy…

oops...
Uh, my ball is under your legs there, Rubin.
Don't mind me...I'll be done in a minute.
Don't mind me...I'll be done in a minute.

Once she got her ball, she was off and running!

finally

Visitors stopped by, too. Oso (hope I spelled your name right) and his family — Nicole and Jillian.  Jillian’s a dog-kid and giggled at the sight of all of us playing in the wet sun. Oso stood by her side to make sure we didn’t hurt her.

Look at those silly dogs
Look at those silly dogs
She belongs to me, just in case you were wondering.
She belongs to me, just in case you were wondering.

We all found Oso pretty fascinating. Monty and Ollie liked him the most. I was more interested in playing, as was Lucy!

You're a big fella, aren't ya?
You're a big fella, aren't ya?
Wow, you are a big guy!
Wow, you are a big guy!

It was so nice after all that rain this morning, we had fun just hanging out together.

Hey, I can see my reflection. Can you?
Hey, I can see my reflection. Can you?

Of course, Lucy wanted to play and I joined in for a few more rounds of fetch. That girl NEVER gets tired.

Gotta fetch, gotta fetch, gotta fetch...
Gotta fetch, gotta fetch, gotta fetch...

Even at the end of our fun, when Gretchen gives us a treat, Lucy was torn between playing fetch or wolfing down the snack.  She shoved the ball into Gretchen’s lap while she got the treats just to keep an eye on it.

I'm going to watch the ball while you fetch the treats.
I'm going to watch the ball while you fetch the treats. Did someone say fetch?
I mean a close eye on my ball!
I mean a close eye on my ball!
I've got a ball, too. Isn't that groovy?
I've got a ball, too. Isn't that groovy?

Of course, Ollie was still bouncing away even at the end of the play date.

The sun is still shining, surprisingly, and Gretchen claims that once she’s done making  chili and the cornbread, we’ll go out again.  I shouldn’t complain. Monty and I got some of the ground chicken in our meals today, but I sure hope the rain doesn’t return before she’s done.

Happy Leaping (like those little green men I’ve been reading about!)

Rubin

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