Retreat

I’ve just been diagnosed with carpal tunnel in my front paws.

“How come?” I asked the vet.

“Too much time on the computer,” she explained.

“How can I make it better?”

“Take time off,” she encouraged.

Time off? Now there’s a concept. Gretchen and I discussed it and decided I needed a vacation. She bought me tickets to a Canine Zen Meditation Retreat where I will be treated like a king (about time!). Daily massages, exercise in a pool, Doga practice every morning, healthy food, off-leash walks, and quiet hours in nature all by myself. Sounds like just the ticket!

I know you’ll miss me, but for the next two weeks, this blog will be silent while my paws recover and my chakras are aligned.

Soon,

Rubin

It’s all relative(s)…

This is my human cousin, Olivia. She is visiting us from Phoenix. It was 95 degrees here today and Olivia thought it wasn’t that hot. Is she crazy? I’m hot, but thankfully, after we walked Oshi and Perrito in yesterday’s morning heat, I got to go swimming. Olivia got to go, too, but she thought the pool was too cold. What?

Oshi and Perrito were the only dogs we had to walk today and for that, I am very thankful. When it’s this hot, my paws burn on the pavement and all I want to do is dive into the pool and cool off.  How can Olivia not be hot?

It’s all relative, I suppose.

I’m too hot to write. Off to lie in my kiddie pool!

Stay cool!

Rubin

Pool Party!

In the heat of this afternoon, there’s not much to do but blog and hang out by the pool. That’s not how the day started. We got up rather early to beat the heat and met up with Ginger and her dad, Richard. Ginger’s had a tough go of it lately. She got bit at the dog park, had to go to the vet who put her under in order to give her 5 stitches, and now she’s struggling with some old lady problems that I won’t write about here out of respect for her. The worst part is that in her recovery, she’s not supposed to run off leash or go swimming.

The hottest week of the year and Ginger must languish in the heat without a dip in the lake. Bummer.

But we let her run a bit at the tennis courts while Gemma and I played pin the ear on the labradoodle.

I’m not sure why she has such a fascination with my ears other than that they are soft and silky after my trip to the spaw. But even when they are scruffy and dirty she’s all over them!

It was a good thing we played hard this morning. After running with Ginger, we ran into Monty and ran around with him as well. That really stirred up our appetites and after a fulfilling breakfast, Gemma and I crashed.

Gemma crashed so hard, she snored like a truck driver. Woke me right up. Must be the extra long terrier snout. She can get some volume out of that thing! Snoring and nesting are her two favorite bedtime habits. Every night she must spin a thousand circles on her bed getting it just right before she falls fast asleep. It goes on for 10 minutes sometimes and once she’s out, her locomotive snoring rattles the windows. Who knew such a small dog could live so large?

Ann and Gretchen woke us up this afternoon fearing we’d be devils by this evening if we didn’t get any exercise so outside we went while Gretchen refilled the kid’s pool. And then she fetched Oshi and Perrito who played in the pool for a nano-second while Gemma and I played keep away from each other.

Oshi sought refuge on the lounge chair with Ann and eventually Perrito joined them.

It’s way hot now. I’m getting off this computer and going back into the pool!

Later, ya’ll!

Rubin

Lapping It Up

Dude! It’s Friday!

Yeah, Monty, I know. I’m really happy because I’m tired this week.

You should be tired, buddy. You have Gemma 24 hours a day. She’s a handful.

More like an earful. She’s always grabbing my ears and I don’t know what to do.

Have you tried growling at her?

A thousand times a day.

How about a paw smack down. That worked for me with you.

What? You had to smack me down?

Daily, dude, daily.

How come I don’t remember that?

Selective memory. You were the biggest pest known to dog.

I don’t believe it.

Believe it, dude. Believe it!

So I guess I should have more patience with Gemma?

I suppose that would be the most polite thing you could do.

Okay, I’ll work on it.

That’s a good idea. Hey, I wanted to say thanks for the walk this morning and this afternoon.

You’re welcome, buddy. Did you have fun?

Yeah, the walk was fun, but I really like coming back to your house for a drink of fresh water and a romp in the yard.

You know how to romp, that’s for sure!

Don’t look to me! You and Gemma started it.

But you were quick to join in.

I suppose I like to play as much as you do.

But that water sure tasted good after we played. Yum!

Gemma sure is persistent, though.

Like a mosquito, she is, but eventually she settled down.

And eventually she even fell asleep.

Oh, but she fought it for a long time, didn’t she?

And you had to walk Oshi and Perrito a lot today.

Yeah, their parents are away so we have to take them out about three times a day. But you helped a lot.

So did Ann.

We had a good time today, didn’t we.

Yep! And soon it will be the weekend and we can sleep in and eat fattening foods.

Not me, I’m watching my boyish figure.

You’ve always been kind of finicky haven’t you?

I like to think of it as selective.

Selective memory, selective eater…I guess I should be happy you selected me as a friend.

Forever and always, dude!

Same here, buddy. Sleep well.

And sweet dreams to you, too.

CAMP RUBIN

Rubin went to the spa this morning and when he left he said, “Gemma, you take care of the blog today.”

“Who me?”

“Yes. You’re getting older, you can handle it.”

Oh my. My paws barely reach the keyboard, but how could I pass up the chance?

When I saw you, my family, pack your bags, I was very, very worried. “What about me?” I thought, but when you put me in the car and we drove to Rubin’s house, I  was so excited to be going to CAMP RUBIN I couldn’t contain myself. Since I’ve been here, we’ve played, we’ve walked, we’ve splashed in the kiddie pool, we’ve had snacks, we’ve visited friends, we’ve chewed on things, and we’ve even gotten massages. This is the best camp ever!

But I guess I should do what Rubin asked of me. Here’s what happened today.

All of us — Rubin, his moms, and me — walked to Blackie’s house. Blackie is a little guy who lives at the end of the street. He needed a haircut (as you can see) and so it was our job to take him there.  He walked slowly (he’s older), but Rubin and I led the way up the hill to Dog Mania — one of my favorite places. Rubin wasn’t too happy, but he patted me on the shoulder and said, “The business is in your hands, Gemster. You can do it.” And off he went to get a pedicure, shampoo, and cut.

Ann, Gretchen, and I walked along the ridge and after a time, I knew exactly where we were going. Ollie’s house! This camp just gets better and better.

Ollie was thrilled to see me though a bit befuddled (I learned that word from Rubin…he says sometimes I befuddle him). “Where’s Rubin?” Ollie asked.

“At the spaw,” I told him.

“Oh,” he said and off we went, prancing down the street back towards Rubin’s house where we played and played and played.

A moment to rest…

Because Rubin was away, Gretchen let Ollie stay an extra long time and after our crazy romp time, we went for a long walk back to Ollie’s house. Boy was I tired after that so Gretchen let me sleep while she worked and sleep I did.  Whew. Camp is tiring!

When I got up, we got in the car and went to the pet store down the street. Yum, yum, yum.  I got some treats and I played with the shop dog, Neko — rolling around on the floor and chasing each other into the back room. It was so cool. No one seemed to mind and Neko thought it was pretty special.

After we got back from the store, Ann, Gretchen, and I walked back up the hill to fetch Blackie and Rubin who were both happy to see us. Only they smelled kind of funny and boy did they look different! Both of them were very frisky so we stopped at the tennis courts and played fetch and chase. Blackie thought that was way cool. He loves Camp Rubin, too!

We dropped Blackie off, had some dinner and then rested while Ann and Gretchen visited with a friend. Later, Jessica came by with Quillette and another doggie friend of theirs, Wally, a HUGE black lab who loves to play fetch. All of us — 4 dogs and 3 people — went to the little field and played fetch. There were so many dogs for me to chase I didn’t know which way to turn. First I chased Rubin, then Wally, and I even chased Quillette though she doesn’t run nearly as much as the others.

You can imagine, by the time we got home I was a pretty tuckered out little girl except I wasn’t. I needed to write this blog so I took the last of my energy, put my paws on the keyboard and had at it!

I told Gretchen I was having a hard time settling down. She told me she’d give me a massage when I finish here. Oh goodie. She gives the best massages. She gave me one last night and wow, one minute I was buzzing with energy and the next, I was sound asleep.

So, if you don’t mind. I’m going to finish up here and get ready for my before-bed-massage. The luxuries at Camp Rubin are endless!

Love you both and miss you, but don’t worry, I’m one happy camper!

Gemma

A Time To Rest

You may think my job as a dog walker is a fun-filled adventure of non-stop play. Most of the time it is, but Gretchen, being the responsible business woman and pet companion that she is knows the importance of a good rest both for herself and for her clients.

But rest isn’t always easy to find. Take now, for instance. For the past half hour, Gretchen’s been trying to get Gemma to settle down not only so I can finish my blog, but also so Gemma gets some rest after our long walk and serious romp in the backyard. Gemma didn’t like the idea one bit and barked in her kennel, whined on my bed, and then finally, finally settled down to sleep.

Whew.

It’s been a long day and thankfully not nearly as hot as all the days leading up to this one. This day started out cloudy and cool, a perfect time for Monty and me to head out on a long morning walk with Gretchen and Ann. Gretchen didn’t bring her camera because she thought we’d like some privacy while we played. I appreciated that, but she did bring along her camera when she took Oshi and Perrito out for a long walk to the park where they unexpectedly ran into Samson. What fun!

Samson is almost 10 years old and he likes very much to play with his bright yellow softball. He also enjoyed the cooler temperatures as did Oshi and Perrito.

Oshi, as is his want, hung out in the shade while Perrito practiced playing fetch. They both watched Samson intently – Oshi, to make certain Samson didn’t come too close and Perrito to see the technique of grabbing a large ball in a smaller mouth.

Samson is very good at playing fetch and gave Perrito some pointers. And then he rolled around in the grass, itching his hairy back and smiling like the very happy dog that he is!

Perrito learned a lot from Samson. Oshi, on the other hand, was unimpressed, but everyone had a good time and happily walked home, content and exhausted.

When Gretchen returned, Monty and I got lunch and then rested while she worked on her long list of tasks. I watch her make that list, scratch stuff off of it and then add more to it. I don’t think she’ll ever get through it at the rate she’s going, but she seems to need a list to keep her moving forward so who am I to point out the list’s futility?

And just when Gretchen was reviewing her list again, Andrew showed up with Gemma and all of her luggage.

Luggage? What? She’s staying with us? Good thing I rested up!

Without hesitation, Monty, Gemma, and I were leashed up and taken on a long walk. Ann went with us and we headed for the shade of Frink Park where Gretchen struggled to get photos of something other than our back ends!

By this time, it was quite a bit warmer than the morning so we walked along the lake and then headed back to the house where Gretchen filled up the pool.

Ahhhhhh!

While Monty drank from the hose and Gretchen cooled off his chest, Gemma and I waited for our turn to get in.

And then we went at it with Gemma imitating almost everything I did!

The thing about getting wet is that it refreshes you so much, you just have to start playing again and play we did. Gemma and I started it and then Monty leapt (and I mean leapt) right in!

After about 5 minutes, Gretchen snagged Monty, leashed him up and made him rest on the porch while Gemma and I continued playing. (Monty is older and needs more rest than we do…well, certainly more than Gemma!)

While Gretchen, Monty, and Ann sat on the porch and Gemma and I wore ourselves out in the yard, a hummingbird visited our lucifer plant. Gretchen did her best to capture the moment, but those little birds are fast! Still, I think she did a pretty good job. The little bird is in the center of both photographs. Look carefully, that blur is the blur of rapid moving wings.

Gemma has remained asleep during the whole time I’ve been blogging. Of course, now I need a rest so hopefully once I publish today’s piece she’ll let me rest up a little too.

Doubt it, but one can always hope.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

Ollie By Golly!

As I type, my paws curled over the keyboard, the temperature outside is rising. 82 degrees now, but they say by late afternoon, we could reach 90 degrees. That’s hot. I even read the other day that Seattle is drier this year than Phoenix and Tucson. While I’ve never been to either place, I have heard them referred to as a “desert” and having been born in a high desert, I remember the heat and the dryness as if it were yesterday.

We walked early this morning and then paid a short visit with Wilson and his mom, dropping off photographs since we won’t be walking him again until next month.  Then we walked north, through the schoolyard and past the grocery store to fetch Ollie who was, as usual, thrilled to see us.

He must be hot under all that hair, but Ollie is, if anything, a man of the moment, unpreturbed by heat, humidity, and my persistent urgings to play.

Gretchen walked us along the Mt. Baker ridge, sticking to the shadiest side of the streets in hopes that we would stay cool and our feet wouldn’t burn on the hot pavement.

She’s so considerate.

Of course, then we stopped by Dog Mania where we visited with the owners, chatted about the heat, and Gretchen scheduled a dreaded hair appointment for me. I love the folks at Dog Mania, but I am not very fond of getting my hair done. Ollie thought it sounded like fun and he wagged his tail and smiled his cute smile while I cowered in the corner.

But the deed is done, and Thursday morning I go to the spa whether I like it or not.

After our visit to Dog Mania, we walked down to the tennis courts and lo and behold, no one was there. Probably because it’s so hot, but not so hot that we couldn’t play a bit and pose for pictures in the shade.

But as you can tell from our hanging tongues, it was hot and that’s when Ollie begged Gretchen to take us back to our house so we could play in the kiddie pool…only Ollie wasn’t much into the pool. I was interested in it…very interested.

Ollie hung out in the shade. Gretchen dunked him in a couple of times, but he just wanted to cool off under the trees.

I tried to engage him in some romping, and eventually he engaged, but he was reluctant fearing he’d overheat.

We’d play a little, I’d dive back in the pool (Ollie refused), and then I’d race back to Ollie hoping he’d play some more.

Ollie humored me for awhile, but then I even got hot and tired and that’s when Gretchen decided we should take Ollie home. So back up the street we hiked, slowly so as not to overheat, and in the shade so our paws stayed cool. Once I finish this blog, I plan on napping because, as my good friend Ollie By Gollie said today, “It’s too hot to do much of anything, don’t ya think?”

Hopefully we’ll go swimming again before night falls.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

The Tales Never End

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — we are all different. Even Oshi and Perrito, who you might think are brothers at first blush, are very, very different thought they used to look alike. They don’t look that alike anymore after their grooming date last week. You can tell from the front end and from the back as well.

It’s not only their looks that are different. They are very different in their personalities as well. When we picked them up today, Perrito climbed all over Gretchen urging her to hurry up and get the leash attached.  Oshi hung back and waited patiently. Once on the walk, Perrito races up ahead weaving a pee path from one bush to the next. Oshi walks by my side and sidles up to a bush every now and then.

When we get to the park, Perrito hangs out with me and Oshi hangs out with Gretchen.

While Oshi and Gretchen watch, Perrito and I play fetch, check out the interesting smells in the grass, and rest in the shade. Oshi doesn’t move.

It’s enough to make your ears flip!

I know it looks like I had an easy day and perhaps I did, but after my raucous weekend on the river (where Gretchen forgot her camera…thank dog!), slow was good. Really good. I think we tired out the boys, though. The heat and humidity of this summer day had some effect, I’m certain, but so did the walk and the romp at the park.  Tomorrow isn’t very full either, but that’s a good thing, too. Of course, ask me again tomorrow and I’ll let you know for sure.

Until then,

Rubin

Sparkles, Sprinklers, and Finding Shade

Summer is heating up. At almost 90 degrees, today required water and shade in any way we could find it and find it we did.

The morning began with a walk to the lake with my Friday morning best friends — Quillette and Monty. I thought we’d head straight down to the water, but no, Gretchen had a different idea.

“We want get our long walk in early,” she said, “because it’s only going to get hotter, so let’s walk down through Frink Park and then end up at the lake, okay?”

What am I going to do? Rip off my leash and race to the lake?

I think not, but I’ll give her credit. Walking through the shade of the park was  nice and by the time we did get to the lake, we were ready for a nice dip in the sparkling water!

Quillette even went after a ball. She never does that!

But mostly we just wet our bodies for the long walk back up the hill to my house.

Once at the house, we hung out in the backyard while Gretchen took Oshi and Perrito out on a walk to the park. The boys are looking good in their new hairdos, don’t ya think?

In fact, they were looking so handsome, they even attracted a buddy!  This is Mac and he’s a bulldog…if you couldn’t tell!

Perrito thought Mac was pretty cool. The feeling was mutual!

They both enjoyed playing fetch…

Even Oshi showed an interest in Mac, though not as much interest as Perrito did!

But it was getting hot, so after a short while, Mac went on his way and Oshi and Perrito rested in the shade until it was time to walk back home. Looking good, fellas!

After she dropped off the boys, Gretchen headed over to Gemma’s house for a walk, but by that time it was mighty hot. Gemma begged for something cool and refreshing!

And then she saw something glorious!

It’s rare that the park sprinklers would be on in the middle of the day, but the maintenance guy was there checking them out. Lucky for Gemma!

And then she came to our house where we were all trying to stay cool in the slim shade of the stone wall!

Well, except Quillette who is a sun dog if there ever was one. And Gemma, being the puppy that she still is, tried to find some mischief. We knew this because of her very alert tail posturing!

Gemma found her mischief by backing herself up against me again and again. This is how she invites me to play. I gave in eventually, but Monty did his best to get out of her way! Eventually though, even Gemma got hot and just relaxed in the shade. That’s the kind of day it was!

We’re taking off early this afternoon to pile in the car and go to the river.  I love going to the river though I hear it’s hotter on the other side of the mountains than it is on this side. I can’t imagine! At least I can just hang out in the river, fast and chilly — just how I like it!

Until next week!

Rubin

This Is Hard Work, People!

When people find out I’m a dog dog walker their first reaction is usually, “That must be fun for you, buddy?” only they aren’t looking at me. They’re looking at Gretchen as if she’s doing all the work here.

Well, I have news for you. She’s not.

Sure, she puts in 4-10 miles a day of walking and has to handle all the leashes, the camera, and the messy business, but I’m the one who has to walk beside a dog who only wants to pull on my ears or another one who can think of nothing better than to slam her bottom against me again and again.

And I’m the one who must play with our clients whether I want to or not.

Take today for an example. First up, Wilson. He’s 9 months old (approximately), about 70 pounds of uncontrolled puppyness, and obsessed with having something in his mouth at all times.  If Gretchen doesn’t give him a ball, he goes for his leash. If he can’t get his leash, he goes for mine. And if he can’t get my leash, he goes for my head. Yes, he can carry my head in his mouth if Gretchen ever let him. Thankfully, she doesn’t. Still, playing with Wilson is a lot of work.

Luckily, the constant bumping of the walk to the lake ended once Wilson saw the water. That boy loves the water as much as he loves the ball and once unleashed, he climbs right in and waits for a ball to be thrown.

I’m a bit more hesitant. Something about the shock of that cold water hitting my belly slows me down a bit, but once I’m in, I’m in and can hold my own in the play department.

It was a perfect morning for a swim. The day was already warm, but not as warm as it is now and so no one was at the beach. Gretchen threw the ball again and again and we chased after it and swam back in with abandon…

We even tried to imitate the Canada geese as they swam by…now that’s hard work, don’t ya think?

Of course, the swimming wasn’t the half of my work. We had to take Wilson back home and once that boy is out of the water, he’s a wild one. He slams into me again and again as we make our way back up the hill and through the tunnel and the only way Gretchen can calm him down is to give him a ball. He carries it proudly, but he’s not super good at holding onto it, so she limits when he can have the ball. For instance, no intersections. You can imagine why.

Wilson was tired once we got home. He flopped himself down in front of the fan, while Gretchen reset the alarm and we headed out the door. He held the orange ball in his mouth and mumbled a goodbye.

I was tired, too, so Gretchen took me home before she retrieved Gemma. They went for a short walk, but it was so warm by then, she brought Gemma by to see me. Now while Wilson is work, Gemma is labor intensive. As a terrier, she never gives up. NEVER. Unlike Wilson, you can’t distract her with a ball or a swim. She wants ME and so, as a business owner, I must submit.

We started our play time with a game of tug. Gemma likes tug and while I usually struggle with sharing my tug toy, I was a very good boy today. But remember, Gemma is a “never” kind of dog — she never gives up, in other words, so the battle for the tug toy is just that, a battle.

And let me tell you, we can work that battle for all it’s worth!

Eventually, believe it or not, Gemma got tired.

Don’t think a tired Gemma is any less work.

She’s not.

She has this habit of using her bottom to invite me to play. She backs into me again and again. Even when I’m trying to rest in the shade, she wiggles her behind against me, thumping me so hard I leave my feet.

Oh, and don’t forget that devilish look on her face. “Come on,” she says, “I’m not tired. Let’s keep playing!”

And so we wrestle. Not as strenuous as tug or chase, but trust me, it can wear a dog out to wrestle with Gemma!

Gemma got really tired after that and wandered over to the swimming pool where I like to cool off as well, but Gemma was so hot and tired, she hogged the whole thing.

I finally got a breather!

Sure, there were only two dogs today, but as you can see, every moment I earn my keep.  Thankfully, I can rest now until later this afternoon when I head out for agility class. Now that’s fun!

Okay, my work is fun, too. But it is work, people, so remember that next time you see me on the street and stop to tell me how much fun I’m having!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin