Wags n’ Words

Heads or Tales?

It was really, really warm today. So warm, in fact, that I’m pretty exhausted.  I debated spinning the tale of our adventures today, but instead, I think it’s going to be head shots — that is, a pictoral run through of my work today. We took lots and lots of photographs today, so with minimal description, let tell you about our work.

First, as the picture to the left portrays, we started off our day with Rufus and Riley. You can’t actually see them in this photograph though their tails and ears are right behind mine. We picked them up earlier than expected, but that was Gretchen’s plan — walk the dogs before the day got really, really hot.

So here we are at 9 in the morning and it’s already 70 degrees! Whew!

It didn’t take long for all of us to get hot. While I keep moving when I’m hot, Rufus and Riley decided smelling was much more their speed, so this morning, they did a lot of smelling. Okay, I’ll admit, I joined them!

Here’s our adventure in photographs…

After our time with the boys, we headed back home, parked the car and walked up the street to get Monty. He was very happy to see us. He was even more happy when we stopped by to pick up Lucy. The two of them pranced up the street together like lovers in Paris.  Jeez, they are goofy. We actually ended up walking back to the house so Gretchen could drop off Monty and me (for a wee rest) while she took Lucy out with the boys next door — Oshi and Perrito.  Before they left, we had some fun in the backyard first.

Soon after, Gretchen and Lucy headed out with Oshi and Perrito. The boys were happy to see her, but they were a little overwhelmed by the heat. They headed over to the field so Lucy could get her daily fix of fetch. Perrito played with her a little, but after a few chases down the field, he was bushed. Oshi was bushed from the start and just hung out in the shade while Lucy did what Lucy does best.

Next up, Gerta. Lucy came home and hung out with Monty and me while Gretchen fetched Gerta. Even before they started though, Gerta was already tired from the heat.

I guess we all complained about the heat today and never once gave a moment’s thought to how hot Gretchen must have been. She certainly got red in the face and sweated a lot, though!

Maybe that’s why, after walking Gerta, she came back to the house to pick us up with cooler ideas in mind. She took Lucy back to her mom and then Monty and I retrieved Teabiscuit.  She was happy to see me, but still a little leary of Monty. He didn’t take it personally and when we headed toward the lake, none of us worried about anything anymore!

After we dropped Teabiscuit back at her house, we rested back at my house while Gretchen ran some errands. When she returned, I expected a quiet afternoon hanging out on the back porch, but instead, Monty and I were given a very special treat! We got to go swimming at Doris and Steven’s house!!!! Glorious!

Before I show those pictures, let me just say that Monty is still healing from his pulled leg muscle. While going swimming at Doris and Steven’s is always great fun, it was also a therapeutic trip as well. We both had to wear our lifevests and Gretchen, because the pool is unheated, wore her wet suit.  She played physical swimming therapist to Monty, while I showed off my prowess in the pool!

As you can see, the day ended on a very fun note. I got to leap into the pool again and again while Monty swam around with Gretchen. It was glorious, I tell you, glorious!

And that, my friends, are the heads and tales of our Friday.

Have a great weekend!

Rubin

Dog-a-nalities

I’ll be the first to admit, no two dogs are alike. While people have “person” alities, we have “dog” analities. Or something like that. Take, for instance, how different dogs approach the same situation.

Today is a perfect example. We started the day with Ollie, which is a normal Thursday beginning, but we headed off on a field trip — something not so normal. Despite Gretchen getting lost, I figured out where we were going right away and I laid down in the car trying not to get too excited.

Ollie had no clue where we were headed, but he sat nervously behind Gretchen’s seat drooling and panting on her shoulder in anticipation. When we arrived at Luther Burbank Park and headed to the off-leash area, Ollie bounced the whole way. Still, he hadn’t a clue where we were headed. He just knew it was different and new and therefore exciting. And when he got to the special destination? What did he do? He raced around like a wild man releasing all his pent up excitement.

What did I do? Race for the water, of course, because any chance I have to go for a swim is a chance I gladly take.  Ollie, he’s not much of a swimmer, but he certainly cheered me on from the shore!

The park was fairly empty. When we got there we were greeted by about three dogs. One was very loud, but very fun because she liked to chase me. Her name was Abby. The other dog was very shy. Her name was Milkshake. She chased us, too, but Abby and I were really going at it!

Look us peel out!  It was so much fun. And then everyone else joined in and that is like the best beginning of any day any dog could have.

It was great because in between all the running around, we could cool ourselves off in the lake. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves! Different dogs, different dog-a-nalities!

Whew!  That was exciting, wasn’t it?  Well remember, that was just the beginning. Next up were Rufus and Riley though Gretchen made me go home and rest a bit while she took the boys out in the sun!

Now, talk about dog-a-nalities!  These two show theirs off the second Gretchen leashes them up. They get very excited, race up the stairs to the front door, and immediately put

their noses either to the ground or in the air (where Gretchen has the treats!).

Whereas Ollie takes off running when he gets to a park, these two do the opposite. It’s all heads down and noses working for these fellas. They can work a park, I’m tellling you. Gretchen tells me they spent about 15

minutes today sniffing every inch of the grass. Since the day was so warm (76 degrees!) she let them relax in the park a bit before they continued walking.  I bet the boys were very happy to work their noses as much as they worked their short legs.

Here’s their photo spread of the day and their dog-a-nalities!

After the boys smelled their walk away, Gretchen came back and got me so I could go with her to walk Gerta. I like Gerta. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, but now I know she’s just happy to see me! It was really warm by the time we went for our walk with Gerta, so we spent some time at the park lounging in the shade. Gerta really knows how to lounge!

Her dog-a-nality is kind of clownish really. She loves to roll around in the cool grass and when Gretchen tells us to sit and stay, she’ll sit, but she’s not so sure about the stay! Okay, in this picture I’m sitting and staying, but let me tell you, it was really hard since there was a squirrel racing up a nearby tree.  Luckily, Gerta didn’t see it. She only saw the treats in Gretchen’s hand!

Despite Gerta’s crooked teeth and wonky bent legs, she’s really quite a charmer, don’t you think?

Next up, Teabiscuit!  I’ve missed little Biscuit of later (after we spent the weekend together) and apparently she missed us, too. She wiggled when she saw us and actually came up to me to tap her nose to mine. Now that’s progress!

We walked down through Madrona Woods where Gretchen made us pose together. Can you see that Biscuit is smiling?

Okay, so maybe she isn’t exactly smiling, but she’s a lot more comfortable with me than she used to be. I, on the other hand, am kind of tired in this last shot and a little annoyed that it was taking us so long to get to the lake. It was hot!  I needed to cool off and so did Teabiscuit! She finally pleaded with Gretchen to let us go swimming and Gretchen, after a short scratch at the neck, agreed.

That Teabiscuit is quite the swimmer!

She didn’t let the waves or the cold water dissuade her at all. She just bobbed along like a cork at sea. It was great fun to watch. Once we were all cooled off, we walked back up the hill (and let me tell you, it’s a hill with hundreds of stairs to climb!) and Gretchen tried to pose us on a bluff with Mt. Rainier in the distance. Unfortunately, you can’t see the mountain, but we look awfully cute, don’t we?

No two dogs are alike, I tell you. Ollie is pure excitement. Everything is an adventure for that little boy. Rufus is a serious goof and Riley is a happy curmudgeon (if that’s possible). Gerta is a puppy in a guard dog suit and Teabiscuit is a brave seafarer in a tiny body.

And me? Well, I’ll leave that up to you!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

Going With the Flow

I’m a fella who likes routine. I get up early, rest until work begins, and then work — diligently and with dedication. Work today started with Monty, but he is still recovering from a leg injury that has slowed him down. My routine with Monty is all about romping and playing, but for the past few weeks, we have had to veer from our routine. Now we just walk and while it’s fun to hang out with Monty, I do so miss the playful times.

But I’m learning to go with the flow. This may seem like an easy task, but for me, it’s a challenge. Today, though, I got a great deal of practice.

After our walk, we left Monty at our house and Gretchen and I headed out to pick up Rufus and Riley. On the way there, Gretchen informed me that our last walk with the two boys would be Saturday and that they would no longer be part of our routine.

I’m kind of sad about this. I’ve grown to like the short-legged fellows with the curious noses. They’ve encouraged me to sniff more and to take my time when on walks. Like today, for instance, they were all noses to the ground with very little energy for walking. This was frustrating a bit for Gretchen, but I reminded her that going with the flow appeared to be the order of the day.

She smiled at me, but still did everything in her power to exercise Rufus and Riley.

From my perspective, this looked kind of funny. Once safely away from any traffic, Gretchen drops our leashes and lets us roam freely only the boys don’t roam far. I would if given half a chance, but Gretchen keeps me nearby so I don’t get into any trouble.

The only trouble the boys get into is being transfixed by their noses. They could stand for hours in one place just smelling. At first it annoyed me, but I’m learning to go with the flow and have adjusted my attitude. Now when they pull off the path to take a whiff, I join them.  I’m not really sure why it’s so exciting, but I’m trying to expand my horizons and for that I have Rufus and Riley to thank.

I do think they were endowed with better noses than my own. I mean, just look at Rufus’ snout. And those ears! They pick up so many scents he must just go crazy basking in their smells.

Riley, on the other hand, not only enjoys a good sniff, but he is the master of finding something interesting and then rolling it with abandon. I like to roll around, too, but I roll for fun. Riley rolls with a purpose.

Finally, after much delay, Gretchen got the boys to follow her up the grassy hill for a run. It took a great deal of encouragement on both our parts!

Let’s just say — the boys are cute and good sniffers, but they are none too fast on their feet!

When we drove back home, Gretchen decided to let Monty rest while we walked Oshi and Perrito.  They were very happy to see us and both of them raced up the road on our way to the park across the way. There I got to play some fetch. Perrito likes it when I play fetch.

First he chases me and then he stalks me, trying to cut me off at the pass…

Yes, this presented with another opportunity to go with the flow.

And I did quite well.

Oshi could learn to go with the flow. He likes routine far more than I. He walks, he does his business, and then he’s all about going home. See how he’s literally at the end of his leash pulling us back to the house?

Eventually the heat of the day made both Oshi and Perrito give up. Perrito took a load off…

and Oshi decided to roll in the cool of the shade…

Both boys were happy, though, when we continued on with our walk. How do I know? They both smiled!

You’re not gonna believe what came next. I couldn’t believe it when it happened and this is when I realized I would blog about going with the flow because what else can one do when one is forced to have a bath! Can you see the humiliation on my face? Monty witnessed it all and I must tell you, that is the most embarrassing part of it all — my friend watching my humiliation! But he was understanding since he just had a bath the day before. He’s such a good friend!

We thought our day was done. Gretchen pulled out a special treat for us and that marked the end of a productive work day. Since it was warm, she grabbed two marrow bones from the freezer and Monty and I laid out back in the shade and enjoyed the delicacy. I know, it’s hard to see the bones because the grass is so long, but trust me, they are there.

Perhaps this is a better look…

A perfect end to an ever-changing day, right? Well, it wasn’t over yet. There was a bit of confusion about who would walk Gerta and when the call came, we realized we had more work to do. Actually, Monty had more work to do since I’d had a pretty big day already. So Gretchen and Monty loaded into the car and raced to rescue Gerta who was THRILLED to see not only Gretchen, but Monty!

They went for an extra long walk since Gerta had to wait so long for hers, but it was warm so Gretchen stopped at a shady park (as in cool shady not drug-trafficking shady) whereupon Gerta rolled around while Monty looked on.  Monty only rolls when he’s super hot!

Gerta was grateful for the walk and Gretchen was happy she was available.

Then it truly was the end of our busy day and frankly, I’m happy it’s over. Going with the flow is exhausting!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

The Power of Treats

Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan, says that he can rehabilitate damaged dogs by introducing them to his pack of 30 dogs. That’s all well and good, but I say you can have more power if you have treats in your pocket. Well, at least it works for the packs we walk. The only way Gretchen can get a photo of all of us all at once is when she pulls out the treats.

See how well it works for Ollie, Lucy, and me?

It really works on Lucy most of all because if Gretchen didn’t have treats she’d be stuck trying to get Lucy to hold still.

Lucy never holds still, but then again, Ollie rarely does either. I’m the only one trained to stay still.

I mean, look at us! Even Riley and Rufus lift their noses from their constant sniffing to get even the tiniest snippet of a treat from Gretchen’s magic pocket.

I guess I’m a pretty lucky dog because I get treats all the time. Well, not all the time. I have to be a good dog — I have to walk by her side without pulling, I have to sit at busy intersections and wait for her okay to move ahead, I have to give up the ball after I’ve fetched it, I have to do so many things that none of the other dogs have to do to earn a mere morsel from her pocket, but hey, I’m trying to be a good role model.

While the power of the pack might help rehabilitate dogs, the power of Gretchen’s magic pocket treats can get even the most stubborn, obsessive, and goofy dogs to pay attention. I mean, even though Riley has his ears on backwards, he’s seriously focused, wouldn’t you say?

We spent the day, as you can tell with Ollie and Lucy first and then Rufus and Riley. Here’s how it all went down…

Lucy played fetch…are you surprised? Me neither.

And while it looks as if I laid around all morning, I actually played fetch as well…

Just not as much as Lucy. In fact, for every ball Gretchen threw for me, she threw five more for Lucy. That’s how tireless she is.

Right after this shot, Lucy ripped the ball out of the chuck-it and jumped onto Gretchen while shoving the ball into Gretchen’s hip. Tireless I tell you, tireless.

Ollie doesn’t play fetch. Ollie hovers until, for some unknown reason, he takes off running.

Then he stops just as suddenly as he started and does something else crazy like roll around in the grass.

Or decide that the ball is not exciting, but the chuck-it sure is fun to chew on!

Or just hanging out with me…

If Gretchen had a wider angle lens, you’d see Lucy in these pictures, too. She’s at Gretchen’s feet focused on you know what! Okay, I can get a bit focused, too!

After our game at the little field, we took Ollie and Lucy back home and then drove to meet up with Rufus and Riley. Though the skies weren’t as blue today and the wind was threatening to bring in rain, it was still really warm and when it’s warm, it’s hard to get the boys moving. Gretchen said it’s like dragging bags of flour trying to get those boys down the road so she’ resorted to, you guessed it, TREATS!

Once she gets them focused on the treats, she runs backwards down the trail and we all follow after…yep, me too because she had some extra yummy treats today!

See, those boys are happy and tired…they had to run to earn any treats from Gretchen’s pocket and you should see how those stubby legs can move when the treats are that yummy!

Okay, it doesn’t work all the time. Sometimes their noses are overpowered by things they find in the grass.

But these boys don’t move to fast and once Gretchen yells out “TREATS!” their noses refocus on the hand that feeds them!

While the boys are entertained by their noses, I spend my time scratching my back on the rough cement trail. Awe, that feels nice!

I tell ya, there’s nothing better than a nice back scratching, playing with friends, and some good old treats from the magic pocket. Don’t ya think Rufus and Riley?

I’ve just had the last of my dinner that I ate in parts tonight. I think my belly was a bit full from all the snacks I had today.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

Long Walks, Sweet Goodbyes, and Shade

This morning we took a very long walk all the way back to Teabiscuit’s house. It was time for her to go home and since the morning was beautiful, we loaded up her things — her bed and food and toys — and walked up the hill to her house. I’m not sure who was more excited to see whom. Teabiscuit wiggled and barked and the family giggled and smiled. Everyone was happy and that means I’ve done a really good job playing host for the weekend.  I shall miss my little Teabiscuit!

Because our walk was so long this morning, Gretchen left me at home to rest while she went on another walk with the silly boys on the other hill.  They were excited to see her though they stopped at the car to see if I’d be joining them. A tad bit disappointed, they shook off their sadness and headed out into the sunshine. While their walk can be on the trail the whole time, Gretchen likes to take them up onto the grassy hills where she jogs ahead and the boys gallop along behind her…well, most of the time.

Maybe because I wasn’t there, the boys had a harder time moving forward. Riley, pictured above, wanted to do nothing more than roll in the cool grass and roll he did. Feet to heaven, as Gretchen later explained it to me. Rufus doesn’t roll at least not during the time we’ve spent with him, but he was sure interested in Riley rolling.  It almost looks as if they are dancing. I think dancing would have been preferrable to rolling because at least with dancing Gretchen could keep them moving forward.

But what’s a dog walker to do?  I wasn’t there to inspire them, so Gretchen had to pull out the treats to keep the train moving. Even then progress was slow, but I told her later that it’s really warm out for dogs, especially dogs so low to the ground, and even I would have had a hard time keeping up with our normal pace.

Still, I think Gretchen wishes she’d taken me along.

Then again, maybe the photographs of treat-hungry pups wouldn’t have turned out so well if I’d been there as a motivational distraction!

But this has to be my favorite picture of joy in motion…

While the walks generally take place on the trail and in the grass, Gretchen decided to explore the neighborhood a bit more. They boys seemed to really appreciate a change of scenery.

After looping through the neighborhood, the boys were mighty tired so Gretchen sat down with them in the lawn and rubbed their bellies.  Rufus, the Basset Hound, enjoyed that, but mostly he enjoyed just resting.  Gretchen wanted to get a photograph of Rufus’ ankles because they are pretty funny.

See how they bend? I think this is common in the breed, as are the gi-normous feet and ears, but they certainly add character to a dog who already has a ton of it…character, that is.

Riley’s character is in his smile. At the beginning of the walk, he’s not so smiley, but once Gretchen puts treats in her pockets and Riley gets a good whiff, then he busts out into smiles.

He follows Gretchen everywhere and when she stops, he jumps up on her demanding a goodie. Rufus isn’t as bold. He just sniffs the ground or sits quietly or, something Gretchen tried to catch, shakes his big old ears.

She almost got the shot, but not quite…Riley’s ear kind of got in the way of Rufus’ ear. If Riley hadn’t of been there, you would have seen Rufus’ right ear flayling in the air!

Still, she got some fun shots of Rufus and of the boys together today.

I’ve never really thought of this before, but most of the dogs we walk — not all, mind you, but most — are boys like me.  I wonder why that is?

Next up were the neighbor boys — Oshi and Perrito.  I got to go on this walk and we wandered through the neighborhood where we visited with another neighbor dog named Nippy. He’s a Dachsund and every time we see him, he rolls over and pees. It’s like a German fountain! Gretchen had her hands full with three leashes at the time so unfortunately, no photographs.

By the time we made it to the park, everyone, including me, was too hot to do anything but rest in the shade. Some rest in weird positions!

That’s Oshi. He’s alway ready for some rest. Perrito, though generally a big time explorer on our walks, found some shade of his own.

And then Oshi did what Oshi always does…he rolled and rolled and rolled and then popped up like something had just possessed him…

Perrito watched on in amazement…and a bit impatiently. I wanted to continue on with the walk so he could sniff and frolic some more!

Oshi just looks at Perrito as if to say, “Cool your jets, sonny!”

Where am I during all of this? Lying in the shade with my favorite ball in my mouth rolling around in the grass.  Gretchen didn’t get a photograph of me today. “We have thousands of photos of you, buddy.  Let’s save the space on the computer for our clients.”

Well, if you must…

The afternoon included a nice nap and now, after I finish the Dog Blog, we’re going to finish cleaning the house, tie up some grape vines, make some cilantro pesto, start dinner (a savory bread pudding with mushrooms and fresh herbs), and relax a bit more on this holiday Monday.

It hasn’t felt much like a holiday, though I did enjoy the sleep over with Teabiscuit and having my other mom around when we went on our adventures.

Tomorrow, though, it’s back to serious work. Our schedule is full and unfortunately, the weather doesn’t look as promising, but then again, you never know until tomorrow comes.

Enjoy your life and don’t forget to roll around in the shadey grass. It will do wonders for your mood!

All the best,

Rubin

Dog Days of Summer

I always know summer is really here (though I know it’s not quite official) when the pool gets filled! And guess what? This was the weekend!  Woo-hoo!!!

I love to swim, but maybe more than that, I really love water so any time I can play it, I get pretty excited.  My favorite thing to do is dig in the water. It may sound silly, but it splashes the water all up on my belly and on warm days nothing feels better.

Sometimes I get carried away and Gretchen catches me in those wild moments. I snap out of it, but I’m always a little surpised when I realize what I’ve been doing!

Though it looks like I’m playing, on this Sunday I’m actually working. I’m showing our houseguest how to play in the pool. She caught on really fast and though she doesn’t play with the same abandon, she still had fun!

I needed to cool off today because I went for a warm walk in the morning with Teasbiscuit and then another walk with Rufus and Riley. They were super hot, too, but they don’t have a pool at their house so we made sure to take it easy on our walk so they didn’t get overheated.

If given a choice, Rufus and Riley would rather sniff than walk…let me tell you! Their noses are always to the ground.

But we make the boys walk and in the end, they really like the exercise. Of course, Riley will do anything not to walk like find something silly to roll in…

I got to play fetch, which even in the sun is very fun!

The boys rested while I played…

…but then they realized that Gretchen had taken off her backpack and that the goldmine of treats lived inside. Wow, they have great noses!

Sometimes Gretchen gives me treats while I’m playing fetch and occasionally I drop them on the ground, overexcited about fetching the ball. Guess who found them?

Then it was my turn to rest…while Rufus continued the treat search.

Pretty soon the boys realized that there were no more treats on the ground and that all of them were in Gretchen’s pocket. Guess what they did?

They make me laugh so hard I just have to roll around…

Of course, after all the laughter and fetching and begging and sniffing, it’s time to go home. Going home takes awhile with these guys. They stop often and sniff one last time or just plain stop and look cute.

Busy weekend and it’s still not over since Monday we’ll be working, but not many others will. Oh well. Such is the life of a dog dog walker!

Until then,

Rubin

A Working Weekend

Generally, weekends are a time of rest for us. We sleep in, we take a leisurely walk, and we cook up some bacon! That’s my favorite part, the bacon.  Throughout the weekend, we finish odd jobs like clean the house, mow the lawn, and eat leftovers.  Sometimes we go visiting and sometimes we take an extra-special long trip to the lake or the park or, when the weather gets nice, head up into the mountains.

But not this weekend. Even though humans consider this a holiday weekend, it’s not a holiday for me, which means it’s not a holiday for Gretchen either.  Our responsibilities have extended into the weekend with the boarding of Teabiscuit and the walking obligation of Rufus and Riley. All of their human families are out of town and while Rufus and Riley have their grandmother to watch after them during the day and night, they need extra exercise to keep them happy.

Teabiscuit only has us so she’s spending the whole time at our house taking part in the routines of the weekend, though we have yet to have had any bacon. Perhaps tomorrow.

We still have errands to run, though, and so Teabiscuit went along with us. Our first stop was in Fremont a small, funky neighborhood north of our home.

And when I say funky, I mean funky.  It’s a neighborhood of angled streets, tattooed people, and a bronze statue of Lenin who is, apparently, very important in history. How he’s important to Fremont history I have yet to figure out, but suffice it to say, any place with a giant bronze statue of a Russian leader has to be a bit funky, don’t you think?

When I was younger, I took classes in Fremont and every evening we’d drive by that Lenin statue. It’s huge, by the way, and so whenever I saw it from the car, I’d bark like crazy. “Who’s that enormous, dark figure looming over our car?” We didn’t walk by Lenin today so who knows if I’d have the same reaction I did when I was a pup.

Teabiscuit thought Freemont was not only funky, but a bit loud. We walked through the neighborhood in search of a pet store that apparently isn’t there anymore. Too bad. Pet stores are always worth visiting in my opinion.  While it may look like Teabiscuit is standing in the middle of a busy intersection in this photograph, she’s not. Nor am I. We were safely on the sidewalk when Gretchen took this photo of the middle of Freemont.  Hard to tell, but this is a pretty famous intersection of Freemont.

But more famous than this intersection is the troll who lives under the bridge. That’s where we were originally headed, but our progress was detained by a tourist bus who had stopped to visit the troll.  We went on with our walk around Freemont and then circled back to see if the tourist bus was gone, which is was, and so Gretchen posed us in front of the said Troll who, if you can tell, is crushing a Volkswagen in his left hand.  Hmmm, if the troll can crush a VW why are we standing so close?

I decided it was best not to ask questions because I didn’t want Teabiscuit to think we are in any danger. She’s been growing to trust me more and the last thing I wanted to do was shake the foundation of that trust.  So I remained calm and courageous hoping she’d feel my brave energy and wait while Gretchen snapped the photo.  She did, but both of us were glad to get a move on!

Our next stop was to pick up Rufus and Riley. Ann (my other mom) got to come with us for while we don’t have the three-day weekend off, she does.  Rufus and Riley were ecstatic to see us — all four of us!  We headed down the trail for our walk with Rufus and Riley under Gretchen’s control and Teabiscuit and me safely under Ann’s watchful eye. I wanted to show Ann the tall grass where we like to play so we hiked north (toward bear country) and sniffed a leisure path along the way.

Everyone seems to like the tall grass though for Teabiscuit it was a bit overwhelming…can you even see her? Good thing she’s black and white!

Rufus and Riley just plow through the grass sniffing out who knows what as they go…and always with a smile!

Then Ann decided to get a photo of Gretchen and me at work. She set us in the tall grass and Gretchen tried to wrangle us all into position…without much luck…

Eventually, everyone gave up but even getting back on the paved trail turned out to be a tangle of leashes and dogs. Good thing Gretchen was having fun!

Hey, where’s ‘Biscuit? Oh, there she is!

Anyone see Riley?

Wait…whose tail is that?

Oh well. We all made it back to the house somehow and everyone was ready for a nap, including Teabiscuit and me, but first we had to drive to our house.  We got a snack and then Ann, who is feeling a bit under the weather, decided to take a nap. We joined her, some more closely than others.

Well, I didn’t sleep.  I stayed watchful to make certain they were safe. Apparently it worked because soon after this shot, Teabiscuit was safely sound asleep. Ann, too.

More work is scheduled for tomorrow so tune in for the account of our further adventures. Until then…

Rubin

Expect the Unexpected (Or Accept the Unexpected…Either Way…You are NOT in control!)

“You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

My life is fairly predictable. I get up, take care of my morning business, wait patiently for my breakfast, which sometimes I eat and sometimes I don’t, go for a walk and then begin work. For me work, as many of you know, involves walking and playing with dogs. Not a bad gig, but sometimes things don’t go as planned.

Take today, for instance. Our first walk was with Lucy promptly at 9 this morning, but Lucy wasn’t there. Since our day was packed full, we didn’t have any time to wait and though we felt bad, we had to get a move on and miss our time with Lucy (Sorry Lucy!). That wasn’t expected.

Next up was Monty and as we headed out for a walk, who did we run into?

Gemma!  That’s right. Not so little Gemma was out on a walk with her dad and we met up to play a little fetch at the field. Gemma was happy to see us and likewise, we were thrilled to have a chance to play fetch. Monty, who is still recovering, was only able to play a little fetch, but I got to run to my heart’s content and Gemma ran right alongside me as she always does. That was unexpected!

Oh, and that’s not me in the picture to the left. That’s another (unexpected) dog whose name escapes me at the moment (it’s been that kind of day!).  He was a nice guy though he kept trying to get fresh with me, which I didn’t like very much, but Gretchen kept the ball flying and the other dog had a hard time keeping up.

Gemma didn’t!

In her typical Gemma style she flew after me again and again, biting at my ears and my tail — anything she could get a hold of — and pestered me as much as she could.

She also pestered the other dogs, but not as much as she likes to pester me.

Monty got put on a leash after about 5 throws of the ball, but Gemma and I kept playing until both of us got really really warm and sought the shade for some needed cooling off.

Unexpected romp and rest with unexpected friends…new and old!

Okay, maybe it wasn’t all unexpected. We did participate in some of the same routines we normally do, like walking Rufus and Riley though I suppose they never expected Gretchen to make them to pose for a 3-dog portrait.  As you can tell, it didn’t go as expected!

Gretchen worked really hard to get us all into position.  I was put into a sit/stay. Rufus sat obediently, but Riley wanted nothing to do with sitting. He’s all nose, remember, and so smelling everything around him was more important than being a good dog.

Rufus held his pose until Gretchen backed away and squatted down to take the picture.  Rufus saw this as an invitation to check her pockets because sometimes that’s where she keeps the treats.

Not this time, but he had hope.

Can’t you just see the hope in his eyes?

Meanwhile, Riley decided I smelled pretty good and only because I was in a sit/stay did I let him get a good whiff!

We walked along the trail today (the opposite direction from yesterday’s bear sighting) and Gretchen let us run through the tall grass.  For some it’s taller than others…

Rufus can keep up with me for only so long and then he falls behind…

Riley, on the other hand, choses to stay behind…or should I say beside.  He’s taken a liking to me and that was a bit unexpected, too!

We got pretty hot pretty quickly and slowly (ever-s0-slowly) we made our way back to their house where they received some treats before we left. Next up? Well, unexpectedly Gretchen took me back to the house. I thought for sure I would walk with Oshi and Perrito (I usually do) but she felt I’d had a long week and already some good exercise so she took me home to hang out with Monty. But most unexpected of all, we got fed some lunch a tad bit early and that is always a welcome treat!

Gretchen took Oshi and Perrito out to the field across the way.  She let them drag their leashes across the playing fields and for Perrito, this was an unexpected delight. He apparently romped with great relish!

Oshi ran a bit, but mostly he rolled around in the grass.  Now that was expected!

Gretchen sat down in the sun and watched as the boys did their thing — Perrito chasing shadows and Oshi hanging loose…

And then, unexpectedly (which I suppose you expected) Perrito decided rolling in the grass and getting rubbed on the belly was a lot more fun than romping. He flopped right down next to Gretchen and had at it!

Gerta was next and she was a tad bit disappointed that only Gretchen came for her walk today. She expected to see me or perhaps Monty, but instead, just Gretchen. She got over it pretty quickly, though!

Gerta decided that rolling in the grass and getting rubbed on her belly was a great idea as well and gave lots of smiles to prove it!

They were both (Gretchen and Gerta) disappointed to know that they couldn’t play golf. Somehow, I think they expected they could get a round or two in before the walk ended, but all signs pointed to deflating this expectation…

So they continued on their walk and Gretchen unexpectedly stopped at the Bamboo House for a photo. The Bamboo House is our name for the house on the corner with thousands of bamboo plants around it. I mean thousands in every shape, size, and color. This photo doesn’t do the house justice, but it was an unexpected respite in the shade for Gerta!

Then something truly unexpected happened. Monty and I waited patiently at home for Gretchen’s return when who should walk in the door with her? Teabiscuit!

She hung out with us in the backyard for awhile, but I had no knowledge of why. Usually we go get her, but when the door opened, there she was on the doorstep happy to see us…well, almost happy. She’s a bit unsure of Monty, but she made great strides this afternoon letting Monty do what Monty loves to do the most — sniff things!

Usually Teabiscuit curls her lips when Monty gets this close, but today she unexpectedly waited for him to be done with it and then they hung out on the deck together. Now who would have expected that?!

I hung out with them (well, I’m actually watching a plane overhead) and then we all went for a walk. That’s when the unexpected day ended in an unexpected way.

First, we took Monty home so he could continue resting and healing his sore leg.Then we headed back to our house when Gretchen got in the car with Teabiscuit to take her home when only 15 minutes later, she returned with Teabiscuit still in the car.

Guess who’s spending the weekend with us?

Eleanor Roosevelt was right — you have to accept whatever comes your way. I’ve accepted our weekend guest with courage, if I do say so myself. And Teabiscuit can rest assured that I’ll give our time together the best that I can give.

I mean, what’s a dog to do? I’m clearly not in control here!

Have a great weekend!

Rubin (with Teabiscuit close by!)

The Ears Have It!

There wasn’t any wind today, but our ears took flight anyway. I’m not sure why that was, but as you’ll notice in today’s post, ears are a-flying!

Today was not as busy as yesterday nor as busy as tomorrow promises to be, but still, I worked hard for my food. First up, Mr. Ears himself — Ollie. He was, as usual, thrilled to see us and bounced down the hill with great joy that the sun was out and we were headed for a playdate at the little field.

We played chase, fetched balls, and yes, let our ears flop in the nonexistent breeze.

While my ears are expressive, Ollies really know how to speak a whole different language. Well, his ears and his smile, that is.

As you can see in the background, I rested in the shade while Ollie showed off his bouncy, expressive ears. It was warm today and while I love to play fetch, I have to rest every now and then to catch my breath and cool off a bit.

Gretchen tells me it’s going to get warmer. I can’t remember last summer, but today was perfect. I can’t imagine it being any warmer.

But that’s beside the point. I was telling you about ears and since Ollie was first up, let me show you some more of this guy’s ears.

I even tried to get my ears to do what his ears can do, but it took a lot of effort on my part and frankly, it was too warm to try too hard.

Of course then, after we’d taken Ollie back home, we drove to Rufus and Riley and if you don’t notice their ears, I’m not sure you’re really paying attention.

I mean, just look at those babies. They are almost as long as my legs and certainly bigger than my head. Oh, this is Rufus by the way. He’s a good fellow and Gretchen tells me his ears come in really handy (eary?) because they help him pick up scents. Okay, makes sense (different kind of sense/scents…god, human language!), but I didn’t get to really see him in action until today.

Quick story: We’re walking along the Chief Sealth Trail heading north when over the ridge ride 3 police officers on motorcycles. One says, as he passes, “There’s been a bear spotted around here,” and then he smiles. I can’t tell if it’s a “yeah right” kind of smile in disbelief or “watch out” kind of smile in be wary (I couldn’t see his ears under his helmet), but regardless, we pretty much stay on the path until Gretchen hauls us up on this hill to get a photograph and what do we see?

Nope, not the bear, but a place in the grass where someone has been lying down. Someone big. Rufus puts his ears to work right quick and sniffs around like something really important is happening. I do the same and Riley, who himself has some pretty significant ears does the same.

Was it a bear? How would I know, I’ve never met a bear, but later, when we pass the police guys again, Gretchen tells them about the spot on the hill.  We were safe, she told us, because no bear is going to hang around while three loud motorcycles drive by.

It turned out that she was right, but for a moment I was a bit uncertain of her judgment.

Meanwhile, ears were aloft…yesterday it was Rufus. Today, Riley!

We headed back to the house after our adventures in bear land and both Rufus and Riley walked slowly. It really started to warm up so it was no surprise that when we got back to their house, they went straight for the water bowl!

Next, we drove up to Gerta’s house where she greeted us with a happy smile and an excited tail wag. We walked north through the neighborhood. Gerta wore her backpack loaded down with lentils and dog food and I walked beside her.  When I first met Gerta, she wanted to play right away. It takes me awhile to warm up to another dog, so I’ve never been as excited to frolic as she has. Yesterday, she wanted to play when she first saw me, but once again I put her off.

We walked through the neighborhood, side by side, and Gretchen let us rest (it was warm, remember) in front of a beautiful vegetable garden. While our ears may not be as expressive as Rufus’ or Riley’s, if you know anything about dogs, you can tell that our ears are saying we are content and happy and comfortable with each other.

Right after this picture was taken, two women walked by and Gerta got all gushy. The women were very happy to meet us, but nothing could match Gerta’s excitement.

Gerta rolled right over (even though she had on that backpack) and let the woman rub her belly. It was pretty funny because Gerta was kind of stuck once she swung the backpack onto the ground. But she didn’t mind nor did the woman and the two of them “cuddled” for awhile as we looked on.

And then it happened. I just felt an overwhelming need to play with Gerta.  This doesn’t happen often with me, but the sun was out, the feelings were warm all around me, and well, something about Gerta’s ears just prompted me to give her a little playful shove.

And she responded. The only one of us who wasn’t ready for the game was Gretchen who stood trying to hold two leashes, her camera, and maintain her ground against two strong dogs. She did it, though, and even managed to snap a couple of photos.

What do our ears say here?  PARTY TIME!

It took Gretchen a moment to pull us back in line, but in the back of her mind, I know she was trying to figure out how to get us to a fenced in field where we could really play and romp and chase and solidfy our growing friendship.

Gerta would like that. So would I.

You can tell how much we’d like that by our ears.

After we dropped Gerta off, Gretchen took me home. This was a good thing because I was pretty tired and I needed a rest before my agility class late in the afternoon.

Gretchen headed out to pick up Teabiscuit who prefers having Gretchen all to herself.

Teabiscuit is like all dogs (though I don’t think she feels this way) because her ears are windows into her moods as well. Gretchen says she really likes to play fetch and when she’s ready, she lifts up those ears as if to say, “Yes, yes, yes. Throw the ball!”

Look at those ears!  She lifts them up and down depending on her mood.  She is a shy dog and anyone can tell when her shyness kicks in. Her ears fold back against her head and her tail (also an expressive appendage) tucks underneath her body.

When happy, like right before playing fetch, her ears jump up and puff out. Her tail does the same thing and with a prance, she races after the ball or trots alongside Gretchen full of confidence and pride.

It was warm yesterday (something I know I’ve already mentioned) and this limits the amount of fetch as well as the vigor with which we walk. Teabiscuit, though small, gets warm as well and Gretchen took breaks in their time together to cuddle in the shade. Teabiscuit likes to cuddle. She asks for these cuddle sessions with her ears. Can you see how they are different in expression than the previous photo? They are softer and more pleading (as are her eyes) and Gretchen knows that this is a request for a little loving.

So they sat in the shade for a moment, cooled off, and cuddled up.  Hard for Gretchen to get a photograph of that, but you can picture it, can’t you?

Gretchen always carries treats with her and every dog we walk knows that. Some (those with more acute noses) find them as fast as lightning while others just wait until they are offered. Teabiscuit is the latter, but is more than willing to work for the treats.

What do her ears say? Well yes, her ears tell a story, but in this shot her ears aren’t the only thing talking!

I ended the day with another agility class where I practiced stopping on a dime (well, actually on a cookie), playing on a teeter-totter, and weaving myself through poles. Okay, I know how to do all of this stuff, but I got to practice and if you could have seen my ears, you would know how happy I was/am!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

How Can One Tell When A Basset Hound Is Peeing?

We have two new clients for the next 10 days. They are Rufus, a youthful Basset Hound, and Riley, an older Beagle. I met them today and we went for a walk.

Let me rephrase that. We went for a sniff. These two guys are all about their noses. They pulled us in every direction as we moseyed down a new trail (well, new to me) and stuck their noses deep into the grass for what seemed like hours.

I get the importance of smelling, but wow, these guys are champs at it!  Combined with their low-to-the-ground stature, pulling us this way and that turned out to be the game of the day.  Finally, Gretchen figured out to use the treats she carries to urge them on and that worked like a charm. In fact, once she pulled out the treats, all the noses were focused on her. It was kind of funny.

Rufus was the most persistent, though once Riley figured out that Gretchen held the treats in her hand, well, he became equally persistent.

Well, once they figured it all out, they kept a close eye on Gretchen. A very close eye.

Walking down the path then became a game of moving a few feet and checking in with Gretchen to see if we’d gone far enough to merit a treat.

I tried to tell them that if they expected the treats, they’d never get one so the trick was to ignore her, keep walking forward, and the treats would rain from heaven.

They didn’t listen.

Guys, you gotta listen to me. Walk right by my side and you’ll see. Like pennies from heaven.

And just as I told them, the treats rained down.  After that, Rufus and Riley were thrilled to walk with us and so we wandered off the trail and up onto the grassy knoll just as the sun came through the clouds.

Oh, what’s the answer to today’s question? A Basset Hound is peeing when he stops in the tall grass, pauses, and tilts his nose a bit higher than normal. The leg might lifts, but you’d be hard pressed to see it.  Look for the nose. That seems to be the hound way.
Next up, Oshi and Perrito. Though I should tell you that Monty and I had a nice long walk first thing in the morning, but Monty’s story will come later.  Just wait.

We’ve been playing at the little field of late and Perrito asked specifically if we could go there today. Last night we had some nasty, nasty weather — thunder, lightning, rain like you wouldn’t believe — and Perrito was ready to stretch his legs in the sun.  Of course, he doesn’t really stretch his legs until I run and then he chases after me like he’s trying to herd me into a corner. When I first take off after a ball, I have to watch my step because Perrito is usually underneath me.

Perrito was particularly happy today because he finally got clearance from the doctor to run free without the helmet on his head.

Oshi didn’t seem to care one way or the other.  He was just happy to be outside with us. Well actually, he’s happiest when he’s peeing and then kicking up his feet to let everyone know how much he likes to pee.

While we were playing, Nell’s mom came by. Nell is an older black lab who can’t go on the long walks like she used to, but her mom still goes and so we got to visit with her a bit. She’s very nice.

After we played awhile, I hung out in the shade with Oshi. He likes the shade. I just like when there IS shade!

And Perrito posed for the camera…

I was pretty tired after all my exercise, so Gretchen let me rest at home while she took Monty to meet Gerta. Monty loves the girls. I mean, he LOVES the girls, but Gretchen learned something new about Monty today.  He loves small girls.  Gerta is anything but small!

Don’t get me wrong. Apparently Monty and Gerta got along just fine, but Monty didn’t do his little happy dance like he does when he meets small girl dogs.  He kept his distance from Gerta, though she did everything she could think of to get close to him.

Of course, it was warm by the time they went walking, so maybe Monty was just tired. He needs to see these photos because in my opinion, they make a nice couple.

Gretchen said it was a bit of a struggle walking both of them. While Gerta is pretty good on the leash, sometimes she gets an idea in her head that the old lady up ahead or the man on the cell phone is a long lost friend and she pulls mightily. Monty, on the other hand is all over the place — a circular wanderer prancing at the end of his leash.  But even when he gets a bug-a-boo, he can pull too and the combination was a challenge at times for Gretchen today.  “If only I had a sled,” she told me.

By the time Gerta got back home, she was mighty happy to have had a visit from both Gretchen and Monty.

And by the time Monty got home and we both got lunch (well, Monty got lunch and I finally ate my breakfast!). We were both happy and tired and spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on the porch in the sun.  Did I tell you about that thunderstorm last night?  Well, if not, suffice it to say, the sunshine was a warm (yes warm!) welcome!

Though it may sound like this was the end of our day, it actually wasn’t. It was the end of a work day, but later in the afternoon we got one more walk with our friends Jessica and Quillette. No pictures — we were off the clock — but I’ve had a full day and I am ready for a nice, long nap so I shall save that story for another time!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin