Wags n’ Words

Dog Walking & Pet Care – Seattle, WA

Monthly Archives: January 2010

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January 15, 2010

January 15, 2010 4:42 pm / Leave a Comment /

What Can You Say?

If you had a chance to be outside at all today, you’ll know that this was not a day for photographs. We’re lucky, you could say, to still be standing as the day’s rain threatened to wash us downstream. And though my poodle hairdo is now as curly as I’ll get out, I’m just thankful to be inside the house warm and finally dry.

Because we couldn’t take any photos of our work, we decided to interview our clients today about their opinions of the inclemency. The photos below are from previous outings, but the quotes are from today’s slog through the sogginess of this endless rain…brief and to the point!

"This rain has ruined my ears! They don't stand up like they're supposed to!"

"I wouldn't mind this weather if I were bald!"

"You've got to be kidding me! I'm a cat, I tell you. I don't do rain! Take me home, now!"

"Hey, there's a puddle the size of a lake. Let's go swimming!"

"Puddles? Did you say puddles? I LOVE PUDDLES!"

"The treats are dry, right?"

"You don't have the red raincoat behind your back do you?"

Here’s to a drier weekend. Here’s to warm naps preferably by a fire. Here’s to dry ground, dry fur, dry tennis balls, dry skies. Here’s to no more inclement weather. My paws are crossed. Cross yours, too!

Until Monday,

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Monty, Oshi, Perrito, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News / Tagged: , , , ,

January 14, 2010

January 14, 2010 6:33 pm / Leave a Comment /

Loops

I realized today that much of our walking is really a series of loops. Take today, for example. I woke, as I always do, and was invited up on the human bed where I lounged for a long time — so long, in fact, that I was whisked away straight from bed to school. We walked the six blocks that we always walked and once at school, I looped around the classroom following Gretchen or sliding under the tables to receive pets and rubs from the students.

Once class was over, we walked over to Ollie’s house and this is when the really loop began. On days when we walk Gemma and Ollie both, we pick up Ollie, walk along the ridge to Gemma’s house, stop at the tennis courts, loop up to our house where I get dropped for a meal, Gemma walks Ollie back up to his house completing the circle, and then Gemma gets walked back to her house. That’s like one and half rotations — big rotations — completed, but there’s more, much more.

The next stop is at Rosie’s house. Since Rosie is only walked for a half hour, it’s hard to do any long, extended walks and so Gretchen tends to focus on four different loops — to provide Rosie some variety. One loop heads up to the ridge and takes a turn around Bradner Gardens; another meanders through the two parks — Sam Smith and Judkins — and circles by the elementary school; the third goes along the ridge the other way and sometimes loops through Frink Park; and the last one is a new addition where they wander through the parks again, but then meander through our neighborhood exposing Rosie to some new sights and smells. Today, they chose option one hoping to find a spot out of the rain for a photo-op. The ended up taking the photo in the rain. As you can see, Rosie made faces trying to show Gretchen how annoying all this rain feels!

It was almost impossible to take photos in anything but the rain. It’s been a steady stream all day and is still coming down as I type. The next loop substantiates that point beautifully. Gretchen dropped off Rosie, walked the block and half to Saber’s house who then walked over to our house where I joined them on a walk up to Woobie’s house. This is a loop we rarely do — generally only once a week when we walk Woobie — and involves a decision once Woobie is leashed up: Do we head east to walk the long loop back to Saber’s house or west and down through Judkins Park?

Well, since we were all drenched by the time we got to Woobie’s house and since Woobie’s long coat is like sponge strings hanging all the way to the ground, mopping up all the water that’s fallen for the past month. Woobie and I are very different from Saber in that way — where he is like an otter able to repel and shed water with his rain-resistant coat, Woobie and absorb the water and must shake it off as we walk. Therefore, we weren’t thrilled to be doing any loop nor were we thrilled when Gretchen made us wait while she took a photo.

It’s hard to tell, but the rain is really coming down and Woobie and I can only think of some place dry while Saber, fresh from his snip snip surgery, can only think about running in the big open field behind Gretchen. And I thought his surgery would slow him down! Not in the least. He seems bigger than ever, he smells kind of antiseptic, and his voice is a tab bit higher, but other than that, he hasn’t skipped a beat — he just wants to play!

But no playing today for Saber as he’s still technically in recovery, so he was a bit disappointed when walked by the tennis courts and didn’t stop to play. Gretchen said she heard a distinct harrumph when he laid down in his kennel, peeved that walking is all we did.

Woobie and I headed back to our house where we got toweled vigorously and then given a few treats to warm us up. Woobie, who normally doesn’t eat treats, was happy to have a few morsels after her rubbed down and since Woobie ate, I couldn’t refuse my snack either.

Of course, I was surprised when Gretchen loaded Woobie up in the car and I got left behind, but I suppose we were all tired of the rain and Gretchen (and Woobie) were happy to finish the last loop in the car.

So, there are circles upon circles in our day, but thankfully, I never feel as if I’m chasing my tail, though at times, I can be rather loopy!

Until tomorrow…may the circles be unbroken!

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Ollie, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News / Tagged: , , , ,

January 13, 2010

January 13, 2010 4:29 pm / Leave a Comment /

Whew!

I’m sitting at the computer letting go of a big sigh of relief. Right now the rain is pouring down, flooding the back porch with gargantuan drops of rain. The windows are smeared in waterfalls just like the kind I’ve experienced when the car goes through the car wash. There’s rhythmic music on the roof and an accompanying melodic song playing in the drain pipes just outside the office window.

And here I sit, dry and warm and perfectly content that I did not have to wear my raincoat. Whew!

The students Gretchen and I work with — the human ones we teach early in the morning (and yes, I consider myself a teacher since they probably learn as much from me as they do from Gretchen) — are studying all the Words of the Day they’ve been studying for the past term. One of the words is “respite” and today felt like the perfect respite from all the rain of late. Of course, it’s raining now, but we’re pretty much done with our walks, which all occurred before the clouds moved in and starting dumping. Whew!

Our dog walking day started with Monty. He’s still here — sleeping on the big bed in the living room — and we’re waiting for a break in the clouds to go out one last time before he goes home. But earlier, we went for a nice walk up on the ridge where we uncomfortably sat on the grated park overlooking the city. And yes, that’s blue sky in the background, far off to the west, but blue sky nonetheless.

We were fed lunch after that, which makes Monty very happy, and then left to digest while Gretchen picked up a spunky Rosie. They too, walked up on the ridge and while I’ll tolerate sitting on the grate (though uncomfortably as you can tell from the previous photo) Rosie refuses to get within three feet of the grate so Gretchen is left to attempt a cityscape photo without much success.

In fact, the only success she really has is getting Rosie to look up when she’s begging for a treat. Rosie is very good at that. But later, on their walk along the ridge, Gretchen did get a photo of the lakeside where off in the distance, under that big bright light, are the sun-reflected clouds covering Mt. Rainier.

So, to the east and to the west, the weather looked hopeful. Of course most of our icky weather comes from the Southwest and all day long, Gretchen watched the gray clouds gather and push toward the city. After she dropped off Rosie, she picked up an equally spunky Gemma and the two of them headed next door to pick up Oshi and Perrito. The clouds were ominous now (another Word of the Day), but Gretchen figured she had about an hour before she’d have to pull out her raincoat.

The three dogs walked with Gretchen over to Judkins Park where Gretchen tried to capture the last of the blue sky while Gemma hung close to Perrito and Oshi gave his sad eyes saying, “Eh, Gretchen…you might want to look behind you. There’s rain a-coming!”

They got their walk in, though and still, no rain. Whew! After Oshi and Perrito went home, Gemma and Gretchen picked Monty and me up so we could stretch our legs before it got too wet outside. Over to the tennis courts we headed where Monty and I played fetch, and Gemma played Pester the Big Dogs — a game she’s really good at!

Her favorite thing to do is get between me and my ball, but I’ve learned to be really, really patient. Eventually, she moves from my path and I’m able to snatch it up again. Whew!

Monty’s favorite thing is, of course, to play on the bench. Gretchen says she finds the back end of Monty’s bench games as much fun as his front end. I just like it best when he plays with me!

We walked Gemma home and just as we headed out on our own walk, the rain started to pitter-patter on the already wet sidewalk. Nothing’s had much of a chance to dry out these days and now the puddles will just keep getting bigger, the mud yuckier, and ground soggier. For now, though, Monty and I are happy to be exercised and dry. I think I’ll go join him for a nap, though I know we’ll most likely go out one more time. I just hope it’s not raining!

Whew!

Until Tomorrow,

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Monty, Oshi, Perrito, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Tail Waggin' News / Tagged: , , , ,

January 12, 2010

January 12, 2010 3:20 pm / Leave a Comment /

Picture Yourself…

I had a dream last night… a dream that I was…

…swimming in the lake on a warm day, walking in the mountains where no clouds blocked my view, lying on the back porch basking in the sun, running through the park naked and free (sans raincoat), playing fetch with my friends and flopping on the cool pavement in a heated exhaustion…

When I woke, I could hear the rain on the roof and it was all I could do not to moan and groan loudly. But I refrained and restrained myself, got up out of bed, and waited for Gretchen to pull out the red raincoat. I had to wear it as we walked to school, but while at school, the rain stopped and the raincoat got stuffed in the backpack. I can think of other places I’d like to stuff it, but in the backpack suited me just fine this morning.

Our first appointment of the day was with Ollie. Even though the rain had stopped, Ollie wore my old raincoat because Gretchen feared, as did I, that the rain would return. It did, but not until we got to Gemma’s house so that Ollie could see his girlfriend.

We walked to the tennis courts for a bit of romp and the more we played, the more the rain increased. No one seemed to mind and while I kept waiting for the emergence of the raincoat, it stayed stuffed in the backpack while we played. Whew!

Eventually, Gretchen decided to take us for a walk and we headed through the park and back to our house where I got left so I could eat my breakfast. Gemma walked Ollie home after that, rubbing him down once they got there because Ollie likes to lie on the couch while his family is away. Gemma headed with Gretchen across the ridge and then back to her house where she, too, got a rub down though by this time, the rain had stopped and, believe it or not, the sun came out.

Darn it! I was still at home resting after my meal while Gretchen walked Rosie who was lucky enough to walk without a raincoat on. The sun shone brightly on her walk so Gretchen posed her against the bright sky attempting to capture Rosie’s stoic profile (since her profile is all she ever really offers)…

…except when there is a treat to be had!

By the time the got back to Rosie’s house, though, the clouds were moving in and though there wasn’t any rain yet, in just a few blocks of walking the rain returned. Of course! It was time for Gretchen to pick me up and head over to Alice’s house.

Still, the raincoat stayed in the backpack and halfway to Alice’s house, the rain stopped. How fickle is that?

Alice and I walked up passed school again where the students were at their lunchtime recess. They wanted us to come visit, but Gretchen decided it was best to keep walking so up to the ridge we went, making our way south back to those tennis courts. Walking along the ridge let us check out the approaching weather and with fingers (and paws) crossed, we thought we could get a good game of fetch in before the next clouds opened up!

By the time we’d finished playing, though, the rain approached…slowly at first and then with a sudden burst right when we got Alice into the house. Whew!

Gretchen and I walked home in the rain — both of us without raincoats. I got rubbed down and Gretchen changed into some dry clothes before she settled down for some lunch and I stared at some cookies she put in front of me.

I fell asleep under the desk while Gretchen continued to work on her taxes and pay some bills and memories of summer sun filled my dreams again. Despite the rain, we’ll be off to agility class soon and that will certainly brighten my spirits — even though it’s at night and even though we’re in a covered arena.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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Posted in: Alice, Gemma, Ollie, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Tail Waggin' News / Tagged: , , , ,

January 11, 2010

January 11, 2010 6:17 pm / Leave a Comment /

A Little Bit Grumpy

When it rains like this, I get a little bit grumpy. All of the sudden, my world feels like a bunch of “I can’ts” all lined up in a row and I just can’t seem to overcome them (see! There it is again…another “can’t!”).

I can’t use any photos on my blog, for instance, because Gretchen doesn’t want to expose her camera to the elements and today there were elements like you wouldn’t believe.

I can’t look Gretchen in the eye because she’s either covered up with the hood from her raincoat or her glasses are all steamed up from the rain.

I can’t play at the tennis courts because it’s too slippery and I might hurt myself and I can’t play at the little field because it’s too muddy AND slippery.

I can’t get away from wearing my raincoat and that feels horrible, and I can’t…

Rubes…wait a sec…you’re kind of negative tonight.

I know, Gretchen. I’m sorry, it’s just that I really liked the warm weather and glimpses of sunshine we had this weekend and it really bummed me out that it rained like crazy today.

I know. It kind of bummed me out too, but people won’t want to read your blog if it’s all grumpy and whiny.

Well, I’m just being honest.

But aren’t there good things we could share with our guests?

Hmmmm…

You know, like when Rosie sneezed and Tyson barked at her.

I wasn’t there. I was drying off from my morning walk to school and back home again.

Okay, well at school, when I gave out the She-roes assignment, the students got all excited and wanted to include you — the Super Dog — in their story. Remember?

Yeah, that was pretty cute. They really like me.

Yep, and sometimes they bring you treats.

Not today…but sometimes they surprise me…

And then you got the extra special food I made for you at lunch.

Now that was mighty tasty. What was in that?

Chicken and cheddar cheese and carrots and apples and oatmeal.

Who would have thought that could taste so good?

And after I walked Rosie and Tyson…

…and dried them off…

…yes, everyone got lots of drying off today…but after I walked them, I came back and got you and we both laughed as we walked Oshi and Perrito…

They were funny. Oshi normally doesn’t like to walk in the rain, but Perrito was kind of annoyed by it too.

He wanted to come faster than Oshi did!

And after we dried them off, we got to walk and play with Saber.

See, you enjoyed Saber today didn’t you?

Yes, he’s growing up to be such a nice young man. I hope his surgery goes well tomorrow.

I’m sure it will.

Is that why we went for a long walk by the lake today because we won’t see him for a couple of days?

Partly, but also because, as you mentioned, there weren’t many places to play today that weren’t goopy or muddy or knee deep puddles.

And how come you didn’t let us swim this afternoon?

Do you really think you would have wanted to?

Well, Saber wanted to and we were already really wet.

True, but I think you would’ve gotten really cold if you’d jumped in the lake.

Saber wouldn’t have been cold, he’s got like an otter-coat!

Great description! But I think he liked the long walk just the same. See, it wasn’t such a bad day was it, Mr. Grumpy?

Not too bad, but I sure hope it’s not this wet tomorrow.

I hate to break it to ya…

No, no, no…my ears are covered! I can’t hear you!

Then I’ll sign off for you…until tomorrow,

Rubin (I still can’t hear you!)



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Posted in: Oshi, Perrito, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News, Tyson / Tagged: , , , ,

January 8, 2010

January 8, 2010 4:46 pm / Leave a Comment /

Who’s Right?

If you keep up with the dog world at all, you might know that there’s quite a conflict between trainers on exactly HOW to train your dog. Gretchen tells me it’s the same in human education as everyone tries to figure out which teaching methods produce the best results. Gretchen also rolls her eyes when she says this and then follows up by saying, “As if all kids are the same!”

This can also be said about dogs. We’re not all the same and while we all come from the evolutionary branch of the canine tree, each of us has our own unique dog-a-nalities. Gretchen and I have been doing a lot of reading lately about the different dog training camps trying to see if there is some middle ground. In other words, what are our beliefs about dogs?

Well, I’ve been thinking about this all a lot and this is what I think:

We need exercise. All the trainers (and psychologists) say this, and therefore, it feels like a great place to find some common ground. Dog people from Barbara Woodhouse to Cesar Millan to Victoria Stillwell don’t dispute this point and I, for one, am glad. Exercise is so important and while it might look like I’m lobbying for more business (which I’m not), I’m proud to be a part of offering dogs exercise during the day.

But our clients’ walks with us should not be the only exercise they get (and I’m not maintaining that they are), but we often pass houses and yards where dogs are tied up, locked up, our howling from the front windows and it makes us very sad. They rarely get out, if at all, and I know how sad and frustrated they are especially when they watch us walk by all bouncy and happy.

We believe a dog should get a walk in the morning (at least 45 minutes in length) and if they can’t have a walk in the middle of the day, a good hour walk in the evening. If they do get a walk in the middle of the day, they should get a minimum of another half hour in the evening. They should also have opportunities to play — romp, chase, play tug, fetch or swim — because “unstructured” exercise is as important as a structured walk.

In addition, dogs should be challenged. We’re really smart and our minds need to be exercised as much as our bodies. At our house, we play “find it” where Gretchen hides my toy or a treat and my job is to wait patiently until she tells me “go” and then I hunt for the toy or the treat using my nose. We play hide and seek, too, and my favorite game of all is when we play fetch on the stairs. Gretchen throws the ball up the stairs, I wait at the bottom, and when she says, “okay” I race up the stairs and try to get the ball before it makes it back down to Gretchen.

We need work! This might seem like a silly item since we aren’t exactly the breadwinners of the house (well, I kind of am, but Gretchen deposits the checks!). We need to feel valued and work is a great way to make us feel good about ourselves. Obviously, my work is walking other dogs, but I also must work for my food (sit and wait until given permission), work at being patient when someone comes to the door (something I’m not very good at!), and work at staying close to Gretchen while we ski in the mountains.

These may not seem like real jobs to you, but I take them very seriously. Some dogs carry backpacks, some dogs pull carts, some dogs herd sheep, and some dogs (like me) take agility classes, which is a very fun form of work.

Dogs need boundaries! I don’t care what language you use to achieve this, but dogs need to know what they can and cannot do. If left to our own devices, we’ll rip up stuff, digs holes in the backyard, and pee on things that should not be peed on. Remember, we didn’t create houses to live in. Humans did and you have rules about how to behave in those houses. Teach us. Train us. Enroll in obedience classes — not just the introductory one, but classes all the way up to advanced classes so we can really be challenged and educated.  We’ll all be happier. You’ll be happier.

Dogs need love. Yes, we like to be cuddled and cooed over. Yes, we like to be rubbed on our bellies and behind our ears. Yes, we like to be given treats and to hear humans say, “You’re such a good dog!” but we also need to be fed good food, fresh water, and kept out of harms way. Love means exercising us — physically and mentally — and not just putting us in the backyard to explore all alone. Love means letting us hang out with others — both human and canine — because we are social animals. In the wild, we live in packs for a reason and though you can take us out of the pack, you can’t take the pack out of us. Dogs need to be bathed and groomed as well as get regular check ups at the doctor’s office (even if we don’t like it very much). Love is letting us be a part of your family, but not letting us take control of the family. Dogs need adventures. Take us places. Introduce us to new experiences and new situations. Get out in the world and take us along with you. You’ll be surprised how many people will smile at you just because your dog is with you!

For now, that’s what I think. I’m going to continue reading and continue to find common ground and if there are more thoughts that come to mind, I’ll share them with you, but this seems like enough for awhile.

Yes, all the photos are from today’s walks. It rained a lot in the morning so we didn’t take as many photographs as we normally do, but you can see we had lots of adventure and exercise with lots of great dogs who I’m proud to call my friends!

Have a great weekend,

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Monty, Oshi, Perrito, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News, Woobie

January 7, 2010

January 7, 2010 6:34 pm / Leave a Comment /

What We Know

Dogs are very smart. You may already know this, but truly, we are intelligent, clever, and some days, downright brilliant.

For instance, I know when it’s time to leave the house because there is always a jangle of keys. If Gretchen goes to the treat cupboard first, and then I hear the keys, I know I’m not going with her.

I know the sound of our car alarm. When it beeps, I know I’m about to jump in and go for a car trip. If I’m already in the car, waiting for my moms to return and I hear the beep, I know they are about to come get me.

I know the difference between a stranger at the door and a friend, the difference between a cat racing in front of me and a squirrel, and exactly where on the fence the squirrel or cat or sometimes the crow like to sit and taunt me. I know when we’re about to go on a trip and plant myself squarely in the middle of all the luggage so they won’t forget me and I know the road to my Grandparents’ house, my Uncle’s house, and the agility arena because I sit up and whine a little was we approach.

But I’m not the only smart dog. Many of the dogs we walk are as brilliant (or close to it) as I am. Take Ollie, for instance. When we pick him up for our walk, as we did today, he knows we’re most likely going to pick up another dog along the way. He knows exactly which dog he WANTS to pick up since he has a very big crush on Gemma. So if we head toward her house and DON’T stop, he gets really upset and starts whining and bouncing at the end of the leash, pulling us toward Gemma’s house.

Gemma is really smart, too. She knows that if she nudges Ollie with her nose, he’ll take off running and Gemma is all about the chase. She also knows that if she stands between me and my ball, I’ll have to run by her and therefore she can chase me. She knows where Saber lives because she has a crush on him (don’t tell Ollie) and often pulls us in that direction when we head to the park.

Rosie, Gretchen tells me, is highly intelligent. She is slow to trust humans because she’d been treated badly in the past. Not now, of course. Now she has the bestest lovingest home (as she describes it to Gretchen). As Rosie grows to trust Gretchen more and more, she’s more and more comfortable, which means, as it did today, that she’s ready to show her clownish, silly side more often.

Rosie learns quickly and today’s game illustrates how intelligent she is. Gretchen put a long line on Rosie and then threw treats in different directions. Rosie chased after and then quickly learned that if she came when Gretchen called another treat would be waiting for her. Rosie also knows that when she shakes her head, she gets covered in slobber and to Rosie, that’s the best thing ever!

Alice now knows that when Gretchen comes through the door, there’s no reason to bark. She is not a threat; Gretchen is a friend. Alice also knows that her flexi-leash is really, really long and so when we go to Frink Park, she can race up and down the trails with me…

…or wait for me on the trail, while I get ready to pounce from the bushes.

Alice, like me, knows that the best chicken bones in all the world can be found on Jackson street and so, just like me, she walks with her nose to the ground hoping to hit a chicken bone gold mine!

Saber, though he is young, knows quite a bit for his age. He knows that sometimes we come to his house twice a day and others, like today, just once. He knows to wait in his kennel until Gretchen calls him out, to sit quietly while she puts on his leash, and wait at the door before going out. He also knows that usually, though not always, there will be a dog waiting on the porch or in the car port with whom he can play and if there isn’t a friend there, he’ll get a really fun walk with Gretchen who feeds him lots of treats to reinforce his “heal” at her side.

He also knows that, despite my vocalizations, I’m just playing and really want him to butt his head into me as we race around the tennis courts. And though he steals my ball every once in awhile, he’s smart enough to know that I don’t really mind very much at all.

Just a little, but not too much. =-)

He also knows that there are more treats waiting after each posed shot.

I know lots and lots more, but the best thing I know is that I have the best job in the world!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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Posted in: Alice, Gemma, Ollie, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News / Tagged: , , , ,

January 6, 2010

January 6, 2010 6:40 pm / Leave a Comment /

Stir it Up!

Today Gretchen wishes she’d switched out lenses. Especially at the end of the day when she made a decision she had to pay for later. If she’d had her telephoto lens on her camera, the photo above would provide more details like the crazed look on Monty’s face as he did figure eights in a very muddy puddle. It would have shown a thrilled Saber watching the crazed Monty and then, as Saber is wont to do, imitating Monty down to the last curve in the figure eight.

But she didn’t have her telephoto lens and so we are left with scant evidence of the wild times of Mr. Stinky. Yep, that’s Monty’s nickname — Mr. Stinky — and after his wild escapades with the puddle, he stunk to high heaven. So did Saber, though not as badly as Monty.

How did we end up at the dog park with the puddles? Well, that’s a long story, which happened at the end of our work day, so I shall explain later. (How’s that for a teaser?)

My day started with sleeping in. Yes, I was pretty tired after yesterday’s agility class on top of my work day, so Gretchen let me stay home while she went to her morning teaching job. When she got home, though, I was ready to rumble and since she had Monty in tow, rumble was definitely on the agenda!

And who better to rumble with than our little protege, Saber. Monty and I have decided to teach young Saber a thing or two and let me tell you, that rascal is a quick study.

We decided to play at the tennis courts because we were all feeling energetic. Monty played on the bench (as he’s prone to do) while Saber and I wrestled and chased, chased and wrestled.

Saber, curious as to Monty’s ways, went over to check out the lure of the bench and in the process, stole the ball Monty was playing with.

Luckily, Gretchen carries three of them so once we all got a ball in our mouths, we frisked around like wild beasts!

Then Gretchen decided to to pose the three amigos together, only Monty decided to be inappropriate.

“Saber,” he said, “I hear a little snip snip is scheduled for Friday?”

“Snip snip?” Saber questioned.

“Well, son,” Monty continued, “Your soon to be a man and when that happens, the humans decide to alter you a bit.”

“Alter me?” Saber was afraid and decided avoidance was the best bet. He looked the other way.

Please note: I am doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing — posing for the camera!

“Alright, Monty,” Gretchen interrupted, “That’s enough.” And then she re-posed us and shot the photo as quickly as she could.

Only Monty, always the clown, decided he had to primp!

“Wait, wait,” he said to Gretchen, “I need to get my hair just right.

Jeez.

We went for a walk then and the whole way, Saber kept trying to get me to explain what “snip snip” and “alter” meant. I didn’t have the heart to tell him. He’ll know soon enough, I suppose.

We dropped Saber back at home and then Gretchen fed Monty and me while she went off to walk Rosie. They hiked their way up to Bradner Gardens where Gretchen got Rosie to pose on the salmon bench. Rosie couldn’t believe the salmon were real. “They don’t smell like salmon,” Rosie observed, “but they look like salmon.”

“They’re carved into wood,” Gretchen explained.

“What will they think of next?”

Gretchen’s also been playing a new game with Rosie. Rosie, like me, is shy about people petting her head so Gretchen puts her hand above Rosie’s head, without touching it, and holds a treat under her hand and just in front of Rosie’s nose. When Rosie moves forward to take the treat, Gretchen pets her head. Apparently they played the game so much on their walk, Rosie started to ask to play some more. I wonder if Gretchen is going to play that game with me someday?

Rosie went home happy and tired and Gretchen headed over to Gemma’s house. Gemma’s family is remodeling their bathroom and Gemma is none too pleased about workmen in her house while she’s gated off in the kitchen. So when Gretchen showed up, Gemma was on full burners, raring to go.

They headed over to Oshi and Perrito’s house and the three of them walked through the neighborhood and then begged to go to the tennis courts. It appears everyone had extra energy today — even Oshi!

Gemma and Perrito play a modified fetch. Gretchen throws the ball, the two dogs chase after it, Gemma grabs it, carries it halfway back, and then drops it…much to Perrito’s enjoyment!

Gemma walked the boys back home, stopped by to pick up me and Monty, then we walked Gemma home where she raced to the kitchen to receive her treat. Hopefully, she slept soundly after her walk and romp and left the workers to hammer away in peace!

Monty and I then got a special treat. Gretchen took us to the little field to play fetch. “Maybe if you’re tired out, you won’t be so rambunctious with Saber when we pick him up.”

Maybe.

Since we have a ton of photos of Monty and me playing fetch, Gretchen kept her camera in the bag and just threw the balls over and over again. Luxurious!

We were pretty tired when we picked up Saber, though he was thrilled to have us back and had apparently forgotten all about the snip, snip, snip. So we went for a walk and on our walk we passed by the dog park stopping along the way for a photo though Saber got kind of bored!

Normally, we don’t play in the dog park for two main reasons. First, it’s usually really muddy and second, there are often lots and lots of dogs there and it gets pretty crazy.

But when we walked by, lo and behold, the park was both empty and relatively dry, so down the hill we went, excited for a chance to romp with each other yet again.

This is when Monty went into hyper-drive. Remember, he’s 7 years old. He’s a big guy, too, though now I think Saber weighs more than Monty does, but still, he’s big. Generally Monty is pretty sedate and has taught me a thing or two about relaxing. And even after all the fetching previously to our dog park visit, Monty came alive and went crazy racing through the park doing figure eight after figure eight.

And then he found the puddle. Perhaps the only puddle in the park, but a puddle nonetheless.

Monty is generally a really good listener, but get him around water and his ears turn off. Gretchen only got one photo of Monty going berserk in the puddle because Saber, who wants to be like Monty more than anything (everyone does) decided to copy everything Monty did. The last words I heard from Gretchen were, “Oh no,” and she threw her camera down on the bench and raced to the puddle to pull Monty out.

He was one muddy, happy guy!

We took Saber home, but only after Gretchen gave him a serious rub down with the towel in her backpack and the towel Saber’s parents left out for him. Still, Gretchen owes Saber a bath after today’s escapades and she’s hoping to give him one soon!  Maybe after his snip snip snip when the sutures heal up!

As for Monty, he did get a bath when we got home and then escorted back to his house so he couldn’t get into any more trouble.

I, for once, was a good boy and only my feet got muddy so instead of a whole bath, I got my feet washed, which is getting off pretty easy if you ask me.

Who knows what tomorrow holds, eh? Good thing Monty isn’t on the schedule because he really knows how to stir it up!

Until then,

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Monty, Oshi, Perrito, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News / Tagged: , , , ,

January 5, 2010

January 5, 2010 4:16 pm / Leave a Comment /

Drizzle-Light

Humans are obsessed with dieting. Gretchen always says that if someone fed her twice a day and took her out for walks, she’d be slim and trim like me, but unfortunately, while she gets a lot of walking in, it’s the feeding two times a day where she stumbles.

Today we had drizzle again, but in honor of all those diet commercials filling the TV, I’ll call it drizzle-light. Yes, we got wet. No, I didn’t have to wear my raincoat (!), but it was wet…at least in the morning.

When it’s wet like this, my hair gets really curly. Gretchen’s does, too, but most of the time, she wears a hat to keep the rain off her glasses. I’m happy she doesn’t make me wear a hat, but because I don’t, I’m pretty curly-headed these days. Despite the drizzle-light, though, we had a fun day.

For Gretchen it started with a doctor’s appointment while I stayed home and ate…drum roll please…my breakfast. That’s right. I didn’t wait until lunch to eat my meal. What a good boy I am. And then it was off to pick up Ollie and then Saber, the ever-growing puppy.

Because of the drizzle, Ollie got to wear my old red coat. He likes it, if you can imagine, as it keeps him warm while he bounces down the street the happiest doodle I know! Saber was happy to see us, though was a bit upset that we just went for a walk and NOT for a romp (that would come later). Ollie didn’t seem to mind…as long as there are treats, he’ll do anything! Like pose on the boulder for our photograph.

Which reminds me…Gretchen has made a New Year’s Resolution. After deleting over 5000 photographs from last year and saving her favorites on disc, she is resolved to not take too many photographs this year. This means, as you can see, that photographic representations of the day are limited, though I have a suspicious feeling that once the weather gets nice and the camera isn’t in danger of getting soaked, she’ll forget all about that resolution.

After our walk with Ollie and Saber, Gretchen dropped me off at home so she could walk Rosie. They headed up over the ridge and down through Frink Park. The first time Gretchen took Rosie there, she was a bit timid about wandering down the dark trail and into the forest, but today Rosie was very relaxed and quite excited to smell the wet ground and pose by a mossy tree.

Rosie got wiped down when she got home and then Gretchen swung by Gemma’s house to pick up the excited terrier. They went for a walk and then came by the house to pick me up. Gemma was full of energy so we headed to the tennis courts for a good romp before we headed out on another walk.

Our walk landed us, once again, at the boulder where Gemma practiced waiting before she jumped down and begged for a treat! Good job, Gemma!

We dropped Gemma off and then headed over to Saber’s house again. That’s when we had a curious mystery to solve. After we’d walked Saber in the morning, we’d left him with a Kong (a big rubbery toy stuffed with a treat) so he could gnaw on it while we were away. Well, when we got back to his house in the afternoon, not only was the treat gone, but the Kong was too. No sign of it whatsoever.

“You didn’t eat the Kong, did you, Saber?” Gretchen asked, but Saber just smiled his happy puppy smile and ran his big head into my bottom, trying to get me to play with him. Gretchen felt his belly, looked around the kennel and the house, and even looked in the sink in case someone had put it in there when they came home for lunch, but did they come home for lunch?

Well, if Saber had eaten the Kong, he showed no evidence of a big, rubbery thing in his belly. In fact, he was full of beans more than rubber as we headed over to the tennis courts to burn off some of his excess energy before our walk.

But then, who showed up, but Samson…

And then Milo…big dogs, I tell ya!

Samson kept trying to mount me while Milo tried to catch me. I was more interested in being chased than I was in being mounted and luckily, I’m very fast so neither Samson nor Milo could catch me! (Chaste and chased? Hmmmmm…curious!).

Milo, because he’s so big, doesn’t run too fast…this is his top speed!

Saber was thrilled with the extra playmates and they did their best to wear him out.

It was certainly enough to make our walk calm and relaxed! But what about that Kong? Where did it go?

Well, by the time we got home, there was an email from Saber’s Dad explaining that he did, in fact, come home for lunch and since Saber had nibbled part of his Kong, he took it out of the kennel. Whew, on one hand since Saber had NOT eaten the Kong, but he did nibble part of it off so eating the Kong is definitely something he attempted.

Puppies. What are you going to do with them?

My day is not yet over, though. I’m off to agility class tonight, the first of the New Year. I’ve been away for two weeks and I’m really ready to get out there back on the course! I’ll let you know how it goes. Thankfully, though, it’s stopped drizzling making the 40 minute drive south a lot more pleasant. Also, I’m trying to convince Gretchen that she could lose the weight she’s resolved to lose by doing agility with me — not just running along side of me giving me directions, but actually jumping the jumps, climbing the boards, weaving through the poles, and diving through the chutes.

She just smiles at me when I suggest things like this. “What?” I say, “It’s how I stay so fit and trim!”

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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January 4, 2010

January 4, 2010 6:53 pm / Leave a Comment /

Drizzle

There is something about the word drizzle that’s so fitting. Especially when you live in the Pacific Northwest as I do. Today, for instance, it drizzled all day and don’t for a moment think that means we didn’t get wet.

We got wet. Mighty wet.

Oh, and muddy, but muddy isn’t nearly as cool a word as drizzle.

Now, while the picture of me to the right seems all ethereal and mystical, it’s only because Gretchen’s camera got wet…and steamy…but you can clearly see that I am a wet and muddy dog.

And happy, too because there’s nothing I like better than getting wet and muddy.

Especially after a bath, which is what I was given on Saturday, but what’s Gretchen going to do? Keep me from having fun?

I think not.

So back to drizzle since it is a word that begs for further explanation.

In the Pacific Northwest, drizzle is a light rain, but it is consistent and steady. When we’re walking in drizzle we often get wetter than we do when we’re walking in rain. I think this has to do with the amount of rain drops per cubic centimeter blanketing us, as it were, in a misty drizzle. And when it drizzles all day long, there’s not much one can do to avoid getting wet.

I could, I suppose, wear my raincoat, which is exactly what I was forced to do this morning on our walk to school. Rosie and Tyson had to wear theirs, too, when they went on their walk after I was dropped back home to eat my breakfast. Apparently, Tyson doesn’t like his coat anymore than I do, but he doesn’t throw a conniption fit when it’s put on him. I’ll have to show him how someday!

Gretchen walked them in a mighty drizzle and by the time she got home to me, she was dripping wet, but very happy. You see, Gretchen bought herself a new raincoat. I can’t imagine liking a raincoat, but Gretchen loves her. It got, of course, a big test today and according to her, it performed as advertised — it didn’t leak, it didn’t sweat on the inside, and it kept her completely dry all day long.

There were only two things she was worried about with the coat. First, it’s neon green. Not a flattering color, but in this gray light, she could tell that people noticed her more. That’s a good thing since at least once a week we almost get run over by inattentive drivers.

Second, the pockets are at the chest, along the zipper. While they’re big pockets, she thought they’d be impractical. Gretchen stuffs her pockets with all kinds of things like dog bags, her cell phone, treats, and keys to name just a few. She worried that pockets up higher wouldn’t hold all she needed them to hold and they wouldn’t be easily accessible. Boy, was she ever wrong.

When we walked Gemma, she explained to both of us just how happy she was with both the color of her coat AND the location of the pockets. “I don’t have to fumble around at my hips,” she said, “trying to reach around the hip belt of my backpack to find the zipper to my pockets. They’re right here,” she pointed to the two pocket zippers, “and zip zip they open just like that.”

“And stuff doesn’t fall out of them,” Gemma added.

“How astute,” I said, complimenting Gemma who by then was busily playing with MY ball!

But the best part of the new raincoat is that Gretchen was dry even when we walked Oshi and Perrito who were not, I might add, very dry at all. Me either.

We all got dried off, of course, and Oshi and Perrito were happy to join their Dad in the warm house after our wet scampter through the parks. I was not done with work and while I was happy I didn’t have a raincoat on, I was kind of itching at my leash to romp.

Who better to romp with than Saber. He’s always game for a good run and tumble in the rain so when we picked him up, Gretchen promised we’d head to the trail for an off-leash adventure.

Of course, by this time Gretchen’s camera was kind of steamy so many of the photos didn’t really turn out partly because of the rain, but also because Saber and I played chase and we are too fast for the camera!

At one point, Gretchen tried to get us to pose, but while moving Saber into position, she slipped in the mud. I tried not to laugh, but it’s just like her to get her new, neon green raincoat dirty on the first day! Luckily, the new coat has another wonderful attribute — it cleans up really well!

We dropped Saber off at his house after a super-duper rub down with the towel (sorry for the dirty towel Saber’s Mom and Dad!) and I was ready to head home myself since the drizzle had soaked me to the bone. I wasn’t complaining, but I new the warm house would feel good after a day in the rain.

More drizzle is predicted for tomorrow. I’m not sure how I feel about that partly because I fear that Gretchen will force me to wear my raincoat every time we go out, but we had so much fun today I’m trying to stay optimistic about the drizzle forecast.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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