Under the Knife

Gretchen says that when dogs get older they sometimes get fatty tumors on their bodies. Quillette (who is ten years old) has a few and Ginger who is almost eleven has them as well. Gretchen said that Chester, their previous dog, had them as well and though he didn’t have them removed, it’s not uncommon, when they get big for the surgeon to go in and take them out.

She told me all of this because Gretchen is herself an old dog. Not as old as Quillette or Ginger, and not even as old as Chester was (he lived to be 14), but still, she’s old enough to have a fatty tumor on her back that is going to be surgically removed tomorrow. Gretchen also told me all of this because she needed to explain why I’ll be called upon to hang up my dog dog walking leash and pick up my nurses uniform for the next few days.

Yes, I’ve been called upon to be of assistance while Gretchen recuperates from her surgery. So today was our last day of dog walking for the week and what a spectacular day it was. 71 degrees, blue skies, and a nice breeze. Perfect for the work we do.

My work started at school where I once again milked all the sympathy I could get having my sore foot still stuck in the black booty. Unfortunately, the students weren’t as sympathetic as they were yesterday and so I just slept under the desk while Gretchen helped the students with their poems.

Our first walk of the day was with Monty. We walked through the parks and up on the hill a bit, but both of us got worn out by the heat. We haven’t gotten used to it yet, but I know we’ll develop our tolerance if the warm days continue. Gretchen saved the Monty pictures until later because we wanted to get back home so we could have our brunch. Yum yum, I’m sure liking my new homemade dog food. If you want the recipe, you can find it here! It’s mighty tasty and has done wonders for my tummy!

Monty and I rested after our scrumptious meal while Gretchen walked Rosie. Rosie is trying to get used to the heat as well, so while they walked for their usual 30 minutes, it was slow going partly because Rosie felt the need to smell every nook and cranny and also because Rosie wanted to admire the many flowers in bloom on such a gorgeous day.

Next up was Gemma who picked up the pace quite a bit. Always excited to see Gretchen she gets even more excited if no other dogs are with her. That means they have to go traveling to pick up a few friends for Gemma to harass (I mean, play with!) and the first two were Oshi and Perrito.

They too headed through the park and since no one was at the playground, they posed for their pictures in front of flowers as well though these flowers weren’t really blooming.

And then Gemma, in her hurry to get a move on, slipped through the bench…

…and eventually wormed her way out and immediately, without the slightest hesitation, climbed up on the play structure.  She even crossed the rocky, wavy bridge! See, I told you she was a go-getter. Not a fearful bone in her body!

Oshi and Perrito watched in amazement from the bench!

After the terrier gymnastics, Oshi and Perrito went home and then Gemma and Gretchen headed over to Saber’s house. Once again Saber was put on a long line and the two lovebirds frolicked in the green grass of spring. Gretchen says she could make a movie of these two and call it “Splen-dog in the Grass!” Get it?

Saber walked a tired Gemma home and then headed back to our house to pick up Monty and me. We’d planned a nice long walk up through Frink Park but on the way there we saw the students out at the park on their recess. Well, we just HAD to stop for a puppy love fest…can you see the three of us in there? Hint: Monty’s in the middle!!!

We all soaked it up and happily went on our way taking Saber back to his house so that Monty and I could have some fun playing fetch. No photos of that because, well, because we just wanted to play. No need to document that again!

So tomorrow the old dog in the house (Gretchen) goes under the knife. She thanks all of you for your well wishes and wonderful treats. Knowing Gretchen, cabin fever will strike soon and we’ll be back on the dog walking duty before you know it. Meanwhile, I need to find my nurse’s outfit. Hope it still fits. I’ve put on a few pounds with my homemade food!

Until Monday…have a great weekend,

Rubin