Monthly Archives: September 2010

September 30, 2010

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Thursday’s Slumber

Hey, Rubin.

Rubin. Can you hear me? Hey buddy, are you still sleeping?

Ruuuuu-binnnnnn!

Huh, (yawn, stretch, yawn) yes? Did you want something Gretchen?

Yeah, bud, you haven’t written today’s blog yet.

I haven’t. Are you sure?

Yeah, I just checked. You didn’t write anything.

No pictures? No words? No tails?

Sorry, buddy. I know you’re tired tonight. Maybe we could wait until the morning.

No, I’m awake now, but give me a minute, will ya. I need to think of something to write about.

Long Paws…

Uh, Rubin?

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Oh, boy. Maybe I should have a go at this…

Did you say something?

Oh good. You’re awake. I thought you’d fallen back to sleep and that I was going to have to write for you.

Step away from the computer, Gretchen. Give me that keyboard. I can handle this.

Sure thing, Rubes. I just didn’t want to disturb your slumber.

Well, consider it disturbed. Now where was I?

Trying to figure out what you wanted to write about.

Oh yeah. What day is it?

It’s Thursday, the last day of September.

Already? Wow. Why does it feel like Friday in the beginning of September?

Maybe because you’re tired.

Aren’t you tired?

Yes, but I didn’t have to spend the day at the groomer.

Oh right, that was today. I was wondering what that smell was.

What smell?

You know, the smell that smells like flowers and soap and a little bit like wet dog?

I think you smell great.

You have to think that. You paid for it all, but did you notice my nails? They really trimmed up my nails.

Yes, the did a nice job. I asked them to pay close attention to your nails.

Well, thank you. I kind of like them this way. Now, where was I?

You were trying to think about something to write about for today.

But I didn’t really work today at least, not until the afternoon. Most of the day I was at the groomer and you were walking dogs.

That’s true. I took you and Monty to the groomer and then picked up Woobie and headed south to walk with Ollie at Seward Park.

Whoa! You went to Seward Park? Without me?

Sorry, buddy, it’s just that Ollie lives so close and it was kind of a nice day and I thought the two of them would enjoy a walk around the park.

Did they?

Yes, but they really missed you. They kept asking, “Where’s Rubin again?”

Did you tell the truth?

Yes, why wouldn’t I?

Well, it’s the groomer and you’ve never really experienced it, but it can be a bit traumatic at the groomer.

Traumatic? I don’t think so.

How would you know? Have you ever had your anal glands expressed?

Is that appropriate blog conversation, Rubin?

Probably not, but until you’ve had that done, I don’t think you can know what you’re talking about when it comes to trauma and the groomer.

Okay, okay, but I didn’t tell Woobie and Ollie about the traumatic parts. I told them about the beautifying parts and dare I say, you do look stunning.

Thank you. I know it was time since we’re going to see Grandma and Grandpa soon and I always want to look my best.

I know they appreciate it.

So you walked Ollie and Woobie and I see you took some photos of them. Why do they look so serious?

I think it’s just Woobie who looks serious. Ollie’s looking for a treat.

Some things never change, but why was Woobie serious?

I told you, she missed you and it made her kind of sad.

Really? I don’t think Woobie gets sad, does she? She always does such a happy dance when we pick her up.

She did the happy dance today, too, but when she realized you weren’t in the car, she got a bit sad.

I’ll apologize to her when I see her next week, okay?

You’re so thoughtful.

Well, she is kind of special. But wait, why wasn’t Ollie sad that I wasn’t there?

He was enjoying Woobie’s company too much to really notice, I think.

I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Well, don’t dwell on it. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to see you next week all the same.

Yeah, he kind of lives in the thrilled state most of the time, doesn’t he?

Well said.

Then what happened?

Let’s see, I dropped Ollie off at his house and then I dropped Woobie off at hers. I ate some lunch and then picked up Saber.

How did he react to my not being there?

Well, you know how Saber bursts out the front door to see who’s waiting for him on the front steps?

Yes?

He did that again today, but when he didn’t see you or anybody else waiting for him, he gave me that Saber look.

I know that look exactly. It’s the one that says, “Huh, what gives?”

Exactly!

Was he disappointed?

He was until I took him down to the lake for a swim.

Oh man, I miss all the fun!

I know, but I promise we’ll swim again soon.

Did you play fetch in the water?

Yep.

Did Saber go out and get the ball every time?

Funny you should ask. Sometimes he did, but other times he’d forget that the ball was thrown and I’d have to remind him.

I can just see him. He gets that look on his face, the one that says, “Am I supposed to be doing something here?”

Yes, and then he’d get the ball, bring it back just out of my reach, drop it in the water, and then forget where he put it.

You didn’t laugh out loud at him, did you?

No, I know better than that, but it was pretty funny.

And did he lie down in the lake?


Yes he did!

And did he flop down on the grass and ask you, “What are we going to do next, huh? Huh? Huh?”

Yes he did!

And did he eat his snack with his slobbery, wet tongue and then shake his wet body all over you?

Are you sure you weren’t there?

Nope. I definitely was not. I was getting my ears plucked!

They look nice, though.

Thanks. Then what happened.

Well, then I showed up at the groomers to get you and Monty and you wiggled and whined your excitement and Monty pranced around the shop and I paid the bill and we finally made it out the door where you both lifted your legs high and peed for a really long time.

It feels so good.

Okay, sorry. Let’s not go there.

And then we got to go walk with Paige.

Yes, that was a workout.

Probably more for you than for me.

So true.

Monty’s kind of infatuated with Paige, isn’t he?

Seriously.

Was it hard to walk him when all he wanted to do was be next to Paige smelling her ears?

That’s not all he wanted to smell, let me tell you!

Ewwww, I don’t want to know.

Well, you asked.

But I think Paige likes me best.

I think you’re right, but don’t let Monty know.

Why do you think she likes me so much?

Probably because you adore her from afar.

Whereas Monty adores her with his nose right in her…

Don’t finish that sentence!!!

Okay, okay, okay. It’s just that sometimes Monty doesn’t know when to keep his business out of someone else’s business.


Very true. Luckily, Paige was fairly tolerant.

She is pretty.

Yes, but notice how she imitates you and keeps her distance from Monty?

Wow, I never noticed that before.

Does reviewing the day help you understand why you’re so tired tonight?

Sort of, but it looks to me like you’re the one who did most of the work.

That’s true, buddy, and I’m mighty tired tonight, too.

Hey, Gretchen?

Yes.

I hate to tell you this, but it’s not Friday yet.

Argh.

Maybe we should go to bed and rest up for the last day of the week…

…and the first day of October. Sounds like a plan Rubin. But I have one more question…Rubin? Buddy?

zzzzzzzzzzz

Until tomorrow,

Rubin (as signed by Gretchen)

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September 29, 2010

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Standing in one place

Today was unexpected. I got to walk with Monty and his Mom, which isn’t a typical Wednesday, but it was a pleasant gift. Then Gretchen and I got in the car and headed in the direction of one of my favorite parks, but did we end up there? Nope, we ended up at the vet’s office only it wasn’t the same vet I’ve been seeing during my short, sweet life.

Still, it was a vet’s office — smelled like one, looked like one, and everyone who worked there looked at me and tried to reassure me that they were all nice. I’ve heard that before and the second you trust them, they’re putting a thermometer in places where it shouldn’t go, sticking you with sharp objects, and trying to feed you treats all the while.

I wasn’t buying it. In fact, I even barked at one of the vets because I wanted them to know that I knew the deceptive game they liked to play. “Yeah, the jig is up,” I woofed loudly, “Your sweet voice and pocket full of (tasty) treats can’t fool this doodle!”

We got escorted into the back room (always the back room!) and there we waited for the doctor. We didn’t wait long until she came in and she, too was all sugar and spice. I still wasn’t buying it. I didn’t bark at her, but instead obediently laid between Gretchen’s outstretched legs on the floor while this doctor asked to touch my bottom.

“Huh?” I looked at Gretchen for guidance. “Does she have a needle in her pocket?”

Gretchen stroked my head and said, “This is going to be very different, Rubin, trust me. Just hold still.”

Holding still is something I’m not typically good at unless Gretchen has out her camera, then I’m a champion of holding still. That’s because I know that the sooner she’s done, the sooner I’ll get a treat and the sooner we’ll be on our way to find squirrels and cats and perhaps play some fetch. Holding still at the vet’s office isn’t my forte, but I did my best.

For the next hour, Gretchen stroked my head while this doctor worked her hands up my back, across my shoulders, down my legs, up my neck, and even worked around on my jaw. At first I reluctantly let her touch me, curled as tightly into Gretchen’s legs as I could get, but as the vet worked, I felt my body relaxing despite my better judgment. By the time she got to the middle of my back, I was sighing deeply. By the end of the session, I hate to admit it, but I was asleep.

No needles. No thermometers. No squirts of liquid up my nose. It was like a massage only different. My aches and pains felt much better and my tail lifted for a gentle wag of thanks to the doctor with the magic hands. I was a tad bit nervous still when we left the back room, but not as much when we first walked in.

After we left, I was pretty tired so I stayed home to rest while Gretchen went out with the clients of the day. As I’ve mentioned, this is a light dog walking week (good thing because we’ve both needed a lighter schedule of late) so she could literally take care of the dogs in one outing. Of course, in the middle of the outing, she came by to check on me and I must admit, I was happy to see her.

The day was starting to warm up and I really needed to stretch my legs so I put on my leash, sat on the porch with my pals (Oshi, Perrito, and Saber) and laughed at how comical we appeared. As I’ve mentioned, after years of being a dog dog walker, and most likely because of my calm and relaxing session at the osteopath (that’s the kind of doctor I saw), I’ve learned to hold my position whenever Gretchen takes out the camera. I did so this afternoon, waiting patiently with my pals for the final click of the camera’s shutter.

When we got home this afternoon to download the photos, the series of photographs made me giggle. As you can see, I’m the only one who is standing in one position while everyone else around me squirms and wiggles, smells the ground, or lifts their noses to the air to pick up the scent from the burger joint down the street.

Take a look and see if you don’t giggle…

See what I mean? I’m like a statue! If only the doctor I barked at could see how well behaved I am around my friends. But I’ll make my apologies next week when I go back for another series of adjustments. Sure hope they keep the needles and thermometers away like they did this time!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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September 28, 2010

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“If you channel the wind and put it in a song, it will carry us all…”

by Chris and Thomas

In the mornings, we often listen to music. Sometimes it’s from our own personal music collection, but often we listen to Pandora Radio because it introduces us to new songs. This was the case this morning when a song by Chris and Thomas (yeah, that’s the name of the group) got stuck in my head. It was about how the wind is sort of musical, playful, and special. Ironically, we spent the morning walking in the wind and this song just kept sweeping through my curls for most of the morning.

I sang it to Ollie and eventually he sang along with me as we walked down to the water and Gretchen refused to let us go swimming. I was bummed, but then I just kept humming the song (which is title “Horse in the Sky”) and it not only made the rain go away, it made my disappointment about not going swimming go away.

"Gee, the water looks inviting!"

"Why can't we go swimming?"

"Wind and rain? I don't feel it, do you Ollie?"

It was another of those light days today. I never realized how much I needed a break until I actually got one. Looking at the calendar made me realize the whole week is pretty light. Gretchen says this is a good thing since I’m a little kinked up with all the walking and playing I do. I hear rumors that I’m off to the vet office tomorrow for an “adjustment.” I have no idea what that’s about, but I’m sure you’ll read about it tomorrow.

Meanwhile we had two walks today starting with Ollie, as I’ve mentioned, and ending with Saber. Saber and I got a long walk down the lake as well though it was the other part of the lake and we went down there through the various parks. Once again we did our best to get Saber to pose, but he was much more fascinated by the possibility of a stick somewhere in the underbrush below him.

"Saber, look at the camera, then we'll get a stick!"

"But Rubin, there's a really juicy one right here!"

"Wouldn't you rather have a treat first, Saber and then the stick?"

"Did you say treat?"

Goof!

But in between the walk with Ollie and the one with Saber, I got a very short meet and greet with Gertrude, or Gerty, as she’s known. No photos because we’re gonna wait until she’s a regular part of our schedule, but trust me, she’s a cutie. I’m looking forward to those walks starting next week. Of course, that’s when our schedule gets a bit more involved so I best take the time now to really rest up and relax.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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September 27, 2010

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Monday Light

It’s official Autumn now tat the equinox has passed and everything feels like it’s slowing down a bit. Not completely, mind you, but slower than August for sure. Usually Monday’s are busy days with a full slate of dogs and then Gretchen racing off to work in the afternoon at the hydrotherapy pool. She did that today again, but the full slate of dogs wasn’t so full today.

Rosie and Tyson, generally Monday clients, are away at Mystic Mountain Pet Retreat while their parents are on vacation. Gemma’s folks just returned from their own vacation and now she must go in for some minor surgery. Alice couldn’t do today so that left us with Oshi and Perrito, our first walk of the day, then Saber, our last walk of the day.

And in between it all, there was little old me. Some would say I’m very spoiled and I suppose from a certain perspective, I’d have to agree. But don’t think my life is all ground beef and recess. A lot is expected of me — writing this daily blog chief among my responsibilities — and so when I get a chance to play and just be the family dog, I rejoice and take advantage of every moment. With so few clients, Gretchen took me swimming at the lake today and that was very special because I love swimming and I love just hanging out with Gretchen when it’s not work related.

The first walk was with Oshi and Perrito. In order to photograph them, Gretchen has to put them on something so they don’t wander off. This time she chose the interesting sculptures at the viewpoint park. Luckily, she didn’t choose the viewpoint because that would mean we’d have to stand on the scary grate and frankly, the day was going so well, I didn’t want to spoil it by being scared! Of course, it was hard to get Oshi to face the right way…he can be so stubborn!

Saber was next, and last, but he didn’t seem to mind. We wandered through all the local green spaces (little forested parks that wind through the neighborhoods. If you know them all, you can walk a long way without ever walking on a street! Pretty nice!)

The hardest part of photographing Saber is that he still has a puppy’s attention span. He’ll pose for a split second, but if he’s anywhere near something interesting, he’d rather pay attention to that.

Well, as you can imagine, in the woods there is always something more interesting than posing for a photograph…and for Saber, that’s generally a stick!

Gretchen did her best to pose us in the beautiful light streaming through the trees, but Saber had other ideas. Luckily, Gretchen just kept taking photographs until she finally got one that looked the way she wanted it to…of course, followed by one that wasn’t what she wanted!

But I was glad for a Monday Light because our friend Laurie came over for brunch and brought her dog, Olive, along with her.

Olive is in the middle of a career change. After years as a service dog, she is now retired. She’s been a working dog more than she’s be a family dog so Olive is still learning to adapt to her new lifestyle.

The first time I met her, Olive wasn’t that interested in playing. She kept close to her Mom and while we could walk together, she wasn’t that interested in anything else.

Yesterday, she showed me a completely different side. She raced through the front door, greeting us all with utter glee, and then pulled out every single toy in both of my toy boxes (yes, I have two toy boxes filled with toys!). Then Gretchen offered to take us both to Doggie Disneyland (aka — Marymoor Off-leash Park).

And while Olive still didn’t play like I do…

…she met some new friends…

…sniffed all the glorious smells of the dog park…

…went swimming (boy, does she ever love that!)…

…and smiled with me about the great day…

So, I was thankful to have a Monday Light after such rousing Sunday. Hope you had a great Monday, too!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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September 24, 2010

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It’s All Fun and Games Until…

Often we’re asked, “How many dogs can you walk at one time?” Unlike New York City dog walkers (or Argentinian one’s at that!), Gretchen’s but off point is four. Yes, she’s done five, but she regrets it and she’ll only do four if everyone is pretty well-behaved on the leash. Her preferred number is two, but often finds herself walking three at a time and sometimes it can be a challenge.

As we walk along, I’ll hear her mumble under her breath the expression — “It’s all fun and games until…” and she has lots of endings for that sentence. When she taught middle school, the ending was — It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt…and then it’s a sport.

But now that she works with dogs, here are some of the endings for a familiar phrase:

It’s all fun and games until…

…someone has to poop!

No picture provided here for reasons of taste, but I’m sure you can picture what it must be like when you’re walking four dogs and one or two decide to relieve themselves. Yep, four leashes, four dogs all stopping so Gretchen can reach into her pocket and pull out one or two dog bags so she can be a responsible dog walker.

…someone sees a squirrel!

If said squirrel races in front of three dogs, instinct wins out over obedience almost every time. And yes, Gretchen is happy to have a massage therapist help realign her every once in awhile!

…someone sees a cat!

Squirrels are exciting, but cats are the most exciting event of my day…Rosie and Tyson’s too! While Oshi and Perrito would love to roll around with a cat, Rosie and Tyson (like me) would rather chase them. It’s very hard to fight that urge. Trust me…very, very hard!

…someone finds some grass to nibble on!

We all like to eat grass, it’s true, but no one is the King of Eating Grass more than Saber. He’s kind of an oral fellow and if he can’t find a stick to put in his mouth, he settles for grass. It’s really hard to get his attention after that. Of course, I don’t mind a bit of grass myself..until it gets stuck in my throat.

There are probably more endings to this phrase, but today, those were the ones that really came to mind (and unfortunately for Gretchen, came to us today!).

Have a great weekend,

Rubin

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September 23, 2010

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Falling Autumn

Today is the first day of Fall (or Autumn as the British call it) and boy did the season ever fall from the sky…

(If you click on this photo, you’ll see the raindrops falling all around us…and ON us!)

…in the form of rain. I’ve read reports that Seattle has had more rain in September than ever before and though I haven’t always noticed, I noticed today. In the middle of our first walk to the end of our last, we got wet.

(Again, if you look closely again, you’ll see that Rosie’s very wet…and as you can tell, none too pleased about the weather!)

Surprisingly, Gretchen didn’t make me wear my raincoat. I had idea why since she was going on and on all day about how much she loves her bright green raincoat. “It’s so nice to NOT get wet,” she told me. “This raincoat was worth every penny.” After looking at the bills, I can tell you that she paid a pretty penny for that raincoat, but as long as it makes her happy (and keeps her dry) that’s all that counts.

Our day started by picking up Woobie and then heading south to walk with Ollie. Normally, Gretchen puts a raincoat on Ollie, but when we started our walk, the skies were bright and there wasn’t even a hint of rain. Boy were we ever wrong. About halfway through, the rain splattered us and Gretchen was the only one with real protection. None of us minded, but the rain meant we could only keep the camera out for a short spurt.

It also meant we couldn’t go swimming. That’s hard for me especially when we are so close to the lake. Gretchen kept telling me it would be really cold, but frankly, I could care less. I love to swim no matter the weather. In fact, there were people swimming across the lake this morning and even though I pointed out the distant heads bobbing in the water, Gretchen held firm. “Not today, buddy, not today.”

Bummer.

Woobie hung out at our house, drying out, while Gretchen picked up Rosie for a walk. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find Rosie’s raincoat so Rosie was a bit miffed that 1) she got wet and 2) I wasn’t there to walk with her. But Gretchen explained, “Sorry Rosebud, but Rubin’s shoulder is sore from playing too hard yesterday and he needs to rest.”

Rosie was unimpressed with the explanation.

Saber and I walked Woobie home — through the park — in the rain. Again, we didn’t really care about how wet we were getting, but still Saber asked, “If we’re this wet, why don’t we go swimming?” Saber LOVES swimming as much as I do.

“No dice, big fella!” Gretchen told him. “We’re just going to take a nice long walk, okay?”

“Oh, okay,” sighed Saber and then he promptly did everything he could do to avoid getting his photo taken (like eating grass or sticks). He is kind of a goof that way.

We dropped off Woobie and then walked Saber up the hill and across the ridge to his home. I took a nice nap in our warm house after that while Gretchen made muffins and ate her lunch. I thought we were done for the day, but amazingly, we piled into the car and headed to Paige’s house. “Am I going to get to walk with Paige this afternoon?” I asked.

“Actually, Rubin,” Gretchen said with a sly smile, “I’m walking Paige and you, my wiggly friend, are going swimming and getting a massage!”

Yesterday I hurt my left shoulder a bit. I was kind of gimpy last night and Gretchen laid me out and gave me a really nice and relaxing massage. My shoulder felt better this morning, but it doesn’t feel 100% by any means. So, after the pool closed for business and we were done with work, I got to go for a swim and a massage while Gretchen walked Paige.

Sure, I missed Paige, but let me tell you, that massage and swim felt great.

While Paige LOVED the walk (she always does), she was kind of upset that I didn’t go along.

“Where’s Rubin?” Paige asked Gretchen.

“He’s swimming in the pool,” she told her.

“He LIKES swimming?” Paige isn’t very fond of the water. She’ll swim, but she’d rather go hunting or play fetch or hang out in her cool truck.

“He LOVES to swim,” Gretchen informed her.

“Well, I miss him on this walk. Maybe next time,” she said, “He could walk first and then swim?”

“Maybe, Paige, maybe next time,” Gretchen agreed.

And me? I was more than happy to be in the healing waters of Wellsprings!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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September 22, 2010

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No Spring Chickens

Today, someone asked Gretchen how old I was. She said I was three and a half and all of the sudden it hit me — I’m getting older. Soon (in February) I’ll be four and in dog years, that means I’m officially an adult.

Wow…where did the time go?

And then I started looking around at all my friends. They’re getting older, too. Some of them are already older than I am, but I hadn’t really noticed until today when it became clear to me we’re all slowing down a bit.

Well, not all of us, but still, we’re no spring chickens.

While not my oldest friend, though one of friends for the longest times, Monty is going to be eight years old in December (Christmas Day) and I’m definitely seeing him slowing down. In fact right now as I type, he’s sacked out on the floor making little snoring noises. Of course, he had a big day. We went for a long walk down to the lake and up through the parks where I showed him how I could still launch myself into the crux of a tree (like I did yesterday). He was impressed.

“I’m too old to do that!” Monty told me and I realized that five years is a big difference in our ages. Still, he keeps up with me pretty well.

Oshi is older than me, but Perrito is younger. Oshi though acts like he’s an ancient old man while Perrito races and scurries around in a very youthful manner. Not today, of course, because Gretchen had them up on the bench in the sun and both of them soaked it up!

Rosie is also older than I am, but not as old as Monty. Still, I’ve noticed that she has a much grayer muzzle in person (in dog?) than she does from the photographs. But don’t let the gray fool you. We played at the tennis courts today and she was ready to go for a full on romp, but I was under strict orders to be on my best behavior.

While I’m really glad I finally get to hang out with Rosie, it means that I don’t get my mid-day nap. Monty got one, but then we leashed him up for another outing and this time, we played with the youngsters.

We picked up Saber, the youngest dog we walked, and he was raring to go! To burn off some steam, we headed to the tennis courts and not only were they surprisingly open (no tennis players), Kona was there! Let the puppy games begin!

The puppies — Kona and Saber — hit if off. Ah youth…I remember those days!

As you can see, they became fast friends and rolled around, like only puppies can do, gently nibbling on each other.

Kona kept putting her arm around Saber (something that Saber is known for) and then looking to her Dad as if to say, “Can we keep him? Can we take him home?”

Saber, who is game for anything responded, “Yeah, I can come to your house and then you can come to mine and we can have sleepovers and share our beds and knock things off the coffee table with our tails and…”

I had to put a stop to Saber’s exuberance. “Buddy, give the girl a chance to get a word in edge-wise.”

Then we all hung out with Kona’s Dad because he was really nice and he had really tasty treats in his pockets!

Then we did what we love to do — played fetch in the sun, stood up on the bench (Monty did!), and enjoyed the sunshine!

After our romp, we went for a walk to cool down some and get some water from the pea patch at the top of the big hill. The sun was bright and while we posed obediently, squinting into the sun, Monty (the older and wiser) finally got up and moved to a shady spot with the sun behind him!

He’s such a rebel in his old age!

Before we left the gardens, though, I had great take one more photo because to me, it marked the end of summer (Autumnal Equinox tomorrow).

Beautiful, eh? Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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September 21, 2010

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Soaking it up

I thought I was dreaming when I woke up with a bit of sun in my eyes. Well, it was actually the second time I woke up. The first time it was dark out, but I made my way downstairs, went outside in a bit of a sleepy stupor, and then headed back into the house to curl up on my bed in the living room (yes, I have lots of beds to choose from). That’s where I woke up the second time and that’s when the sun tickled my eyes. I rubbed them with my paws, stretched a bit (I was having a really nice dream about swimming in a big, blue lake), blinked a few times, and then opened my eyes again to once more see sunshine.

“This could be a great day,” I told myself and with that, rose from my bed, ate my breakfast, and prepared for the day.

And the day (nor the sunshine) did not disappoint. Everywhere, everyone was soaking up the last of the summer sun, especially the spiders. Remember how a few weeks back I commented on how the webs were everywhere, but we couldn’t see them because of the lack of proper lighting. Well, today we had proper lighting and we found those webs everywhere.

The web to the right was found at Seward Park where Ollie and I went for a walk. Even though we walked in the sun for a majority of the time, we did head up to the trails and found little pockets of sun (along with spider webs) along the way.

While the trails were fun, it was even better to walk out in the open where the sun warmed us and we soaked it up while taking turns posing in the crux of a tree. Yep, it was Ollie’s idea. Gretchen walked over to the tree and up he leapt, like a rabbit with kangaroo legs. He thought it was the most fun ever, but when it was my turn, I wasn’t so thrilled. Sure, I put a smile on my face, but it was a nervous grimace, let me tell you.

Even the ducks were soaking up the rays and though I wanted to bark at them, I bit my tongue so as not to disturb their slumber.

If the day had ended there I would have been very content. I love going to Seward Park, especially when the sun is out. But the day didn’t end there and boy, was I in for a surprise when Gretchen and I walked over to Rosie’s house. “Okay, Rubin,” she told me, “Remember that Rosie is a tad bit nervous so it’s really important for you to be a calm boy and on your best behavior.”

“Got it,” I reassured her and into Rosie’s house we went. Rosie’s mom was there and was very excited to see me. Like everyone, she wanted to pet my head, but I backed away and said, “Sorry, but I’m working here and must be on my best behavior.” She understood.

Rosie was very excited to see me. I was kind of surprised. In fact, as we walked (Rosie on one side of Gretchen, me on the other) she kept leaping and galloping and asking me to play with her. “Sorry, Rosie,” I informed her. “I’ve been given direct orders to stay calm.”

She had a hard time understanding. Especially when Gretchen posed us next to each other. I was put in a down/stay and the second I went down, Rosie thought I was going into a play bow and she got very excited. It kind of freaked me out, but as promised, I stayed calm. But as you can see from the photos, Rosie was a bit confused as to why I didn’t want to play with her.

“Next time,” I told Gretchen, “You need to inform Rosie that she needs to remain calm!”

Of course, walking Rosie meant that I didn’t get to have a mid-morning nap because next up was Gemma and Dog knows, I need a nap before I play with her! And doubly strenuous is that we went to Saber’s house to pick him up, too! And then, if that wasn’t enough, we went down to the lake for a swim.

Yes, I was happy we got to swim, but when Saber stole my ball and Gemma decided to wander off down the shore, even Gretchen had to laugh with the overwhelming exhaustion of it all. Y

es, even she needed a mid-day nap!

But no naps for us. We had work to do.

Luckily, it was a beautiful day and the sun made us happy from the inside out and the outside in.

I got my ball back eventually, Gemma stopped wandering, and Saber, while a bit disappointed, was happy to continue on with the walk.

Up from the lake, there’s a secret passage way up the hill. It involves going through a series of tunnels until we arrive at the pea patch. But just below the pea patch is a rather medieval looking archway with moss-covered concrete benches.

“This is kind of creepy,” observed Saber.

“Ya think so?” asked Gemma.

“It makes me feel like a Knight!” I said.

“A night?” Saber pondered. “How can you be a night?”

“Not a night without a ‘k,’” Gemma explained.

“What?” Saber was still uncertain.

I took a moment to explain. “Human English is very confusing. Knight is a defender of the castle and kingdom in ancient times. Night is a time of day. One has a ‘k’ the other doesn’t.”

“There’s just so much to learn!” Saber said, exasperatedly.

“Luckily,” Gemma offered, “You have us to help you out!

And with that, we headed back to their respective houses, while Gretchen and I headed home. And what did we find there? Another spider basking in the warmth of the afternoon sun. Sweet.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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September 20, 2010

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Life Is A Lot Like Turmeric

When Gretchen makes my food for me, she always adds turmeric for prevention against arthritis as well as something to help with my peculiar digestive system. It’s yummy so I don’t mind, but it leaves it’s mark. Not on or in me. It leaves it’s mark on all the surfaces it touches — the counters, the spatula, and even the bowl in which Gretchen mixes it. An orangish-yellow glow tints just about everything it touches, including Gretchen’s hands.

No one seems to care, really, but it got me to thinking about ways we are permanently “marked” or touched by what happens in our lives. Things leave a stain — experiences, events, people, places, and for dogs, most definitely scents — and while we often think of stains as bad thing, they are more layers of who we are, layers of what makes us us. Some of these events or experiences happen early in our lives. I, for instance, had to have a tooth removed at a very young age (just 7 weeks old) because it came in crooked. When my adult tooth came in crooked as well, I had to have that removed too. Gretchen wonders if some of my finickiness about food has to do with that early trauma and a mouth that isn’t quite even on the inside.

Rosie had lots of stains as a puppy. Abandoned, injured, and unloved she was incredibly lucky when her forever family adopted her. They take care of her like a Princess and it’s exactly what she needs and deserves. Her brother Tyson has some deep-seated issues about attachment and through the use of herbs and acupuncture, is working through them.

For some reason, Gemma’s turmeric stain has to do with barking dogs behind fences. She hates it and she spins and barks at places where a dog once barked behind a fence, but isn’t barking there all the time.

Oshi’s issue is that he thinks he’s a cat and he’s learned from the neighbor’s cat that being hooked up to a leash is not what cats do so when we go on outings (as we did today to the tennis courts) Oshi always has on that turmeric face that says, “I am not a dog. I am not a dog. I am not a dog.”

After playing with Perrito today, I’m still not sure what his turmeric moment is, though lately I’ve noticed his ears are getting grayer and grayer. He’s younger than I am, but with those gray ears, he sure looks a lot older. Maybe that’s his moment — premature aging — though you’d never know it by how he races around after us!

Saber has structural events happening in his life. A big guy, he has to be particularly careful about his bones and muscles. This means that sometimes he gets to romp and play, but sometimes he gets to just walk. Luckily for Saber, he’s just happy to be outside enjoying the company of other dogs!

Alice, on the other hand, is not at all certain about the company of other dogs. Alice is very fearful, though no one knows for certain where her fear all started. Our mission is to take her on walks and expose her to the world around her so she gains more confidence. Some days I feel like it’s working and other days, not so much.

I understand all of my friends though. I have many of the same turmeric issues though not to the same degree. For instance, I’m not too fond of being left alone though I certainly behave when I am left. I’m also feeling the aches and pains of my bones and muscles these days now that I’m getting older, but luckily, Gretchen is earning a massage license and she practices on me! There are things that make me afraid, too and neither Gretchen nor I can figure out where I learned to be afraid of things like heights or big, black dogs.

But see, there are stains I must deal with every day — imprints that make me who I am. Luckily, I have a family and friends who love and support me and look past those stains. And doubly lucky, the dogs we walk have family and friends who do the same for them.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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September 17, 2010

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Summer’s Last Friday

I suppose the title of this blog says it all – summer is coming to an end. Around these parts, it’s coming to a weird end with lots of rain and mugginess. Luckily, we missed most of the rain, which came down like a waterfall right when we hung up the last leash. Whew! It’s always a good feeling to curl up in my bed after a hard day of work and hear the rain patter on the roof.

For a Friday we were pretty busy. First, Monty and I walked around the neighborhood trying to predict the weather for the day. “Looks like rain,” Monty astutely surmised.

“Ya, think?” I said sarcastically.

“Hey!” Monty laughed, “I’m just thinking out loud, buddy.”

“Careful,” I chuckled. “That can be dangerous.”

“What? What can be dangerous?”

“Thinking out loud,” I smiled.

“It’s a good thing you’re a good friend, Rubin,” Monty chided me, “Or I’d have to put you in your place.”

“What would that look like?” I asked.

“You don’t want to know, little man, you don’t want to know!”

Of course, Monty was just joking with me. Our friendship is tight and there’s know way he’d ever hurt me. He’s a good guy that Monty and I told him so, “You’re the best, Monty!” And he smiled that Monty smile…

And on we went, sniffing the wet grass and feeling the warm air against our curly ears.

We dried off and rested while Gretchen took the siblings out. The first siblings were Rosie and Tyson and they got to play at the tennis courts, though it looked like Tyson was practicing his yoga moves and Rosie was working on her runway smile.

Then they went for a walk and at the end (sort of) they posed with the fall colors in the background. Yep, all the signs are there — summer is over.

The next siblings were Oshi and Perrito. Because they’re such small dogs, they tend to act more like sponges when they walk in wet weather, but luckily, the rain took a breather and the boys got to pose against the red shrubs of the park. Oshi found it kind of boring…but then, that’s Oshi!

Monty and I went out again with Gemma who doesn’t seem to notice the weather much. She charges down her front steps thrilled to be going on an adventure with her two boys (Monty and me). The first stop was on the grate overlooking the city. Man, I hate that place. It’s high up and the grate beneath our feet gives me full view of just how far I have to fall! Gemma wasn’t so thrilled about it either!

What was thrilling was when we ended up at the tennis courts ourselves and got to play some fetch.

And perhaps the most thrilling (at least for Gemma) was when Kona showed up (a 10-month-old Goldendoodle) and the two of them raced and romped while Monty and I went about our fetching business.

The day ended with a walk with Saber. We had to stop by the house briefly where we posed on the front step. Saber LOVES coming to our house and was a bit miffed that he didn’t get to play in the backyard with me, but he got over it when we went for a long walk and posed at the bench in front of the changing colors.

It was a lazy afternoon since Gretchen went off to work at the pool and I got to snuggle into my bed as the rain battered the house. I guess it’s time to say “Goodbye summer. I sure hope to see you next year!”

Have a great weekend…stay dry!

Rubin

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