April 9, 2009
All At Once
Busy days generally have us walking six dogs a day, but generally those dogs are scattered throughout the day. I’m allowed to come home, get a fresh drink of water, and rest up before we head out for the next dog or two.
Today, however, we did it all at once — three dogs and me all at the same time. It’s not like we haven’t done this before, but this was the first time we had this combination of dogs — Lucy, Ollie, Gemma, and me. It was leash-mania for awhile, but once we got all tired out, the walk home was a bit less stressful. I was an exceptionally good boy, though, and didn’t pull or cross over even once!
Before the walks started, though, I had to go to the vet. Don’t worry, I’m fine, though going to the vet is a lot like going to the groomer — there are things I like (the treats high atop the list) and there are things I hate (the combing, the thermometer up my you know what). Today I got a vaccination up the nose and I’ve now added that to the list of things I hate about the vet. Lucky for me, though, I got lots and lots of treats. Gemma came with me, too, and that helped calm my nerves. She seems to LOVE the vet. Perhaps they haven’t poked and prodded her as they have me.
Then we drove to pick up Lucy and Ollie and headed to the tennis courts since they’d just mowed the park lawn and Lucy suffers from allergies. At the courts, Ollie practiced his flying skills!
It’s kind of like a physics equation: Ollie times happiness divided by friends equals altitude.
When we first arrive at the tennis courts, Ollie doesn’t do much. He just follows Gretchen around as she circles the court trying to get good photographs of our activities. And then, before you know it, he takes off running and everyone (well, everyone except “I’m playing fetch” Lucy) chases after him.
Gemma likes to chase him the most, but I like it too and Ollie adds that to his equation of happiness!
Gretchen works hard to get the photographs, but not everything goes her way.
For instance, there is Lucy who muddles up every clean equation with her persistence with the ball. Generally, Lucy only wants to play with her tennis ball. I, on the other hand, prefer my orange and blue ball. I prefer it so much that Gretchen went out and bought more of them so I could never be without my orange and blue ball.
Lucy has never shown any interest in anything other than a tennis ball, but today she begged at Gretchen’s backpack for something other than a yellow ball.
Guess what she got?
In fact, she was so thrilled to have an orange and blue ball she shoved it continuously 
in front of the camera forcing Gretchen to miss many a wonderful photograph for the blur of Lucy’s new ball.
But that didn’t stop us from playing nor did it stop Gretchen from taking photographs.
Nor did it stop, dare I say, Ms. Gemma and her incessant need to chew on me. Usually she goes for my ears…can you see how she’s bent me over backwards with her teeth firmly in my ear?
But today she found pleasure in my tail…
And got very frustrated when she couldn’t lock her jaws on some part of my body!
But Ollie tries to soothe me after such Gemma tussles and gives me sweet kisses on my boo-boos!
Gemma runs around after that feigning innocence, but we all know (and I have punctures as proof) the torture of her teeth!
We end the play session (an exceptionally long one today) with treats. Try as Gretchen might, she can’t get all four of us in a picture at once. Despite the docile pictures of Ollie waiting for a treat, every time Gretchen backs up to include us all in the frame, Ollie scoots forward and then springs up as high as he can in order to get the treats from Gretchen’s hand.
And don’t let Gemma fool you either. She may look all pretty and patient, but she’s a sly one that Irish terrier and has a habit of leaping up right when the treat comes toward her.
Lucy? She takes her treat, eats it and then heads for the ball that has rolled away.
The sun is out this minute and I think we’re headed out for one more walk before we drive to my agility class! What fun!
Have a great Thursday!
Rubin
