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