And they think I’m loud!

It’s true. I like to bark. Not all the time, but sometimes. Like when the crows are perching on the fence or when the squirrels race across the trellis or when strangers come to the door. Gretchen says it’s the poodle in me and I guess it is, but I like to think it’s because I’m guarding my property. Still, when it happens at 6 in the morning or even at 7, some people aren’t so pleased.

But I’d like to point out I’m not the only noise maker in the neighborhood. Take, for instance, the chickens that live behind us. Now that the sun is up pretty early, those chickens start right in laying eggs. When they get ready to push one out, they make a lot of noise. It wakes me from a deep sleep and I look over at Gretchen very worried that something (a raccoon or coyote) might be getting one of the chickens. She reassures me that the gals are just laying an egg. Wow. That must be some egg!

And then there are the crows. Every year they build nests in the big maple trees that line the street on which we live. When the babies get big enough to perch on a branch they can make quite a ruckus calling for their parent or screaming about the distance down to the ground.

And then there’s the dog across the street and the one behind us. They each have their own distinctive barks and they aren’t exactly quiet in the mornings. And what about the garbage trucks on Friday mornings? The boom-boom cars that travel up the street at too fast a speed late at night? Or the planes that fly overhead? My three barks once a week can’t really compare to the cacophony of sound this city produces, so I don’t think the neighbors should really complain about me.

Besides, I’m gone most of the day especially when the day was like this one. I looked at the schedule this morning and my jaw dropped. First because there were 9 dogs on the schedule. There’s rarely ever 9 dogs on our schedule, but mostly my jaw dropped when I read “Four Boys to the Groomer.”

“Which four boys?” I asked myself and then I looked closely at the schedule. There were names conspicuously absent — Monty, Oshi, and Perrito. That made three boys and something told me that I was the fourth.

I hate it when I’m right! So up the hill we went, four shaggy boys!

Okay, so it’s not that bad. I really like Liliana and her brother Claudio. They never put me in a kennel, I get to run around with the other dogs while I wait for my turn, and in this late June heat it feels kind of nice to have a short haircut. Still, I missed out on all the dogs today…well, not all, but most.

After Gretchen dropped us off, she picked up Rosie who was already complaining about the heat! Still, she had enough energy to play some cookie fetch before they headed out on a slow walk (slowly only because Rosie was hot!).

Gretchen says that figuring out which dogs to walk when is kind of like solving a Rubik’s Cube. While she walked Rosie (who she likes to walk in the morning because Rosie gets overheated quickly), Gretchen worked the puzzle in her mind. I usually help her with this, but since she was on her own today, she had to figure it out by herself. And that’s just what she did.

Next came Gemma and together they walked up to Woobie’s house, then down through the park where both of them hung their tongues in what I like to call a dog sweat.

They picked up Saber before dropping Gemma back at her house and then Saber and Woobie piled into the car (which Gretchen left at Rosie’s house). Confused yet? You can see the cube moving, can’t you? Anyway, down the road they drove to pick up Ollie who, as always, was delighted to be with his friends though Gretchen told me that he missed me and kept looking back over his shoulder on the first part of the walk wondering where I was!

I was getting clipped and snipped and pruned and plucked! But after Ollie went home and then Woobie and finally Saber, Gretchen came to pick us up, though not all four of us — just Monty and me. We looked fine in our red bandannas and that’s when Gretchen told us she had a surprise — we were going to Paige’s house!

Monty was excited to meet Paige and when they met, I was surprised at how shy they were. It was most likely because we were greeting each other in the hottest part of the day, but I also think they were both a little smitten. I have to admit Paige is so attractive that I blush when I’m around her so I kind of expected Monty to have the same reaction. Instead, he sniffed and then turned away. “She’s cute,” said Monty, “but I think she likes you best, Rubin, so we’ll just be friends okay?”

Wow, did that make me blush even more! In fact, I was so embarrassed I didn’t even have a quick comeback!

On the walk, though, I could tell Paige and Monty really liked each other because they’d imitate what the other was doing all the time. Still, when it was time to pose for our photo, Paige flopped down right by me. Can you see how much I’m blushing? And no, it’s not from the heat of the day or a reflection off my red bandanna!

I know going to the groomer makes me tired, but I imagine Gretchen is worn out as well having to walk 9 dogs by herself so I’m going to finish up this blog, go QUIETLY lie by her tired feet, and see if she needs anything.

I am a good dog, aren’t I? I know exactly when to be quiet.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin