The Only Constant

I have been a working dog most of my life. From those first years where I went to work with Gretchen as a classroom dog when she was teaching to my work as a an assistant dog walker and host for our business Triple Dog Pet Services, I’ve been working in one capacity or another. I’ve like my work and even Gretchen admits I am really good at it. I know when to be a well-behaved dog walking companion and when to be welcoming to newcomers into our home. I have logged a lot of miles and helped acclimate a lot of dogs to good leash behavior and long distances.

Things are about to change.

Gretchen has sold the business and starting April 4, I will be unemployed.

I have mixed feelings about all of this. I am happy for Gretchen because I know her body (and mine to some extent) have taken a beating sometimes logging 15 miles a day, 5 days a week. I know, as the business has grown, all the details of scheduling, hiring contractors, invoicing, taxes, and coordinating which dogs can walk with other dogs was at times, overwhelming. I know that she was focusing more on the body work portion of the business — massage, swim therapy, acupressure — and she needed more time in the day to do that.

And I know that she’s sold the business to the best possible person — Eileen of Paws with Wonder Pet Services — who has been a stellar contractor of Triple Dog for over a year now.

I know all of that but still…

…I’m gonna miss it. I’m a dog who does really well working. I like having a purpose. I like getting up every morning, looking at the schedule and planning my day. I like seeing my client-friends and hearing the stories of their lives. I like exploring the different neighborhoods and leaving my “mark” so others could get to know me. I loved coming home after a long day of walking adventures and curling up after dinner on the couch, content that I’d put in a long, hard day of work, that I contributed to our family in some way.

Gretchen assures me they’ll be new adventures in my future, but I worry that it will be a difficult adjustment for me. I’ve gone with her pretty much every where for my entire life. It’s hard to go to massages or swim therapy with her because there’s not much I can offer. I mean, I can’t exactly sit beside her when she’s massaging a dog or working for Dr. Finn at Equisport Medicine though I’d certainly like to try. Her work is now pretty much one on one and while I know she practices on me — massage, acupressure, and swim therapy — I will no longer be her shadow for the better part of the day.

So yes, I am excited about the changes, but I’m also a bit sad. This work has been my life for most of my life. Will all my client friends notice I am not there anymore? Will they worry about me?

Gretchen tells me that the only constant in life is change, but she knows as well as I do that I struggle a bit with change. And it’s hard, ya know, when you don’t really have control over it. I mean, if I had my druthers, we’d walk dogs for the rest of my life.

But people aren’t like dogs. They seem to like change. In fact, they seek it out as far as I can tell.

It’s not like I haven’t experienced change. We’ve had clients come and go over the years and many times, when I’ve just formed a bond with a dog, the family moves away or sadly, the dog crosses the Rainbow Bridge and I am left with a hole in my heart.

Dezi, my brother, came into my life a couple years ago and that was a HUGE change. It was rocky at the start, but now I can’t imagine my life without him now.

I’ve also lost a lot of people in my life — Grandpaw comes first to my mind — and that’s been a difficult change as well.

So, I know I can live through changes, but I don’t have to like it, do I?

I suppose the hardest part, if I’m completely honest about it, is saying goodbye to my canine pals. I know I’ll see them in the neighborhood and Gretchen assures me we’ll seek them out during the week, but still…

…my heart is a bit sad thinking of my pals walking without me.

And what good pals they’ve been. They have made our business grow and flourish. Without them, I would just be a doodle in house. With them I have had purpose in my life and I can’t thank them enough for all they’ve done for me.

So this reflection on change is really a goodbye and a thank you to Monty and Tyson, Rosie and Joey, Big Finn and Little Finn, Mr. Brown and Mabel, Bella and Big Albert, Charlie and Charley, Uli and Gus, Theo and Roxanne, Kali and Carter, Greta, Bella, and Maddie, Beatle and Humphrey, Banjo and Katy, Woobie and Moe, Greta and Rocco, Tenzy and Tehanu, Buhner and Carly, The Zeus Trio, and Greyson (all of our current clients) and to all the clients of the past…Alice, Blackie, Bella, Chief, Chloe, Dora, Gemma, Gertrude, Griffey, Gurda, Henri, Jasper, Nippy, Bodhi, Lucy, Maizy, Zizou, Marley, Meeko, Ollie, Oshi, Perrito, Playa, Roux, Rufus, Riley, Saber, Sesame, Scout, Sonny, Taro, Wilson, and Zoe…just to name a few (I know I’ve missed some…I must have…what a lucky dog life I’ve had to have known so many good friends!)

I will still write this blog though and maybe just maybe, if we aren’t working so much I’ll have more time to write and that, I suppose is a good thing for me to hold onto. I’m going to do my best to keep an open mind, to embrace the only constant that seems to exist, but I hope everyone knows what a lovely time I’ve had these past eight years and how appreciative I am for every single walk I’ve ever been on with all of you!

Finally, Gretchen, Dezi, and I put together this video as a way to remember and say thanks.

I hope you enjoy it and again, our apologies if we forgot someone…)with 20,000 photos to comb through, it’s been a challenge putting this movie together.) Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and I hope your memories of the past 8 years are as wonderful for you as they are for me.

Until the next walk,

Rubin