Not a good start…

Gretchen woke up grumpy. She had yucky dreams then woke too early. I tried to ignore her, but then weird things started happening. She dropped stuff a lot. She forgot things. She was in a hurry. She forgot to eat breakfast. She forgot to take her blood pressure meds.

You get the picture.

The day improved once we started walking. Good thing because she was starting to make me grumpy. When I realized she had to go to the dentist, I worried that the improvements in her mood that I was sensing, would be about to end when she showed up at the dentist, but luckily Gretchen really likes her dentist so I was relieved that the appointment lifted her spirits a bit.

And then we walked around Queen Anne. Actually, we walked up Queen Anne and Gretchen’s mood shifted from grumpy because she forgot her camera and there were all sorts of great photo opportunities and happy because the sun was coming out, the view was incredible, and she was with me AND with Monty.

But the appointment made the day kind of packed and while she got a stellar report from her favorite dentist, she felt rushed most of the day. Good thing Monty and I stayed back while she ventured off to walk Oshi and Perrito. Luckily, they lifted her spirits a bit as well because the brothers were very laid back and happy to go on a walk. They even complied for the photos, which is something that’s often hard to get them to do!

Since Monty had just eaten lunch, he hung back at the house with Ann, while Gretchen and I picked up Saber and headed to Zoe’s house. Saber was excited to see us — since we arrived earlier than usual — and even more excited to meet Zoe who was, in turn, thrilled to meet Saber! Luckily their liveliness subsided on the walk and we all complied in the shade for our photos.

And then Saber got to come to our house and this is when Gretchen’s dark cloud of a mood lifted, though at first she was really worried. She opened the back of the car, told us to wait, and like a good boy I obeyed. Saber usually obeys, too, but today he leapt out of the car, jumped over the parking strip, and barreled his walrus body down the sidewalk. “Oh no!” I barked, worried that Saber would take off, which he did, but right to the gate of our house where he pushed the gate open wide and raced to the back gate to the backyard. Once there, he woofed and woofed and woofed waiting for Gretchen to “open up the gate!” so he could barrel into the backyard for fun and frolicking.

Oh my. I guess he likes hanging out with us. I like it and even though Monty has to stay relaxed and not get into the fray, Monty likes it, too!

The day ended with a surprise. Quillette and her mom, Jessica, joined us for dinner and while they dined on salmon, asparagus, potatoes, and frozen custard for dessert, Monty, Quillette, and I ate dinner and chewed on marrow bones on the lawn. Yum, yum, yum!

It was nice hanging out with my two best friends. It felt like the perfect ending to a rather grumpy start.

And you know what? Gretchen’s bad mood was no where to be found! Whew.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

Thankful for Fridays

My life is full, but even more so in the summers. People stop by often bringing their canine companions, guests come over for a meal, and we adventure to places with people and dogs we haven’t seen in a long time. On top of the “regular routine” of our lives, it’s no wonder that I have a strong urge to sleep in every morning. By Friday, I’m exhausted, though happily so.

Yesterday’s surprise was my play date with Paige (blush blush blush) and today my surprise was a visit with my puppy friend Alice — that is, we were both puppies together and played very hard at tender young ages. Now we’re grown up, but we still enjoy each other’s company. Monty enjoyed Alice, too as our walking business overlapped with our Alice visit.

Alice today…

Alice as a puppy (and me, too!)…

On our way back home from walking Alice, we ran into our friend Laurie and her sweet, sweet dog Olive. If Paige weren’t in my life, I’d fall for Olive. She’s really adorable! Both Monty and I think so!

Because it’s Friday and because Gretchen knows I’m tired, Monty and I hung out at the house to rest while she walked Oshi and Perrito with Olive. Oshi and Perrito aren’t tired on Fridays. In fact, I’d venture to say they aren’t tired most of the time — except maybe after a long walk with us. See how well Olive gets along with others? I told you she was sweet!

Gemma and Saber got to walk and play together as well today and they did their best to wear each other out. Saber wears out first because of his size and I’m yet to be convinced that Gemma ever wears out, but Gretchen says she crashes after our time together. Mostly both she and Saber just crash on me while Monty watches and chuckles!

I was kind of happy when Gretchen went off to work at the pool tonight because I knew I’d get to sleep. Unfortunately, little did I know that she’d see Paige and I wouldn’t be with her! Darn it!

Though I didn’t get to walk with Paige, I did get to see her this evening when we picked Gretchen up from work. It was delightful and I will carry her scent and ears into my dreams!

Yes, it was a short day in terms of work, but it’s been a long week and I, for one, am thankful it’s Friday! Hope you’ve had a good day, too.

Have a great weekend,

Rubin

Chiaroscuro

In my studies, I’ve been fascinating of late by the use and term of Chiaroscuro. It’s Italian and means the interplay between light and dark. For example, painters use strong contrasts between lightness and darkness to make images stand out or to highlight certain aspects of their paintings. I was thinking a lot about Chiaroscuro today as we walked amid the shadows and light of a beautiful summer day.

Yesterday Gretchen took this photo of a hydrangea in our backyard.

We both liked the way the shade of the old cherry tree cast mottled shadows over the variegated purple blossoms of the hydrangea. So today, as we walked, I looked for similar contrasts in everything we passed.

Our first walk of the day was with Monty who is, if I do say so myself, a contrast in black and white, a walking example of Chiaroscuro. Passersby often stop us and remark on Monty’s interesting markings wondering what kind of dog he might be. His cheerful personality and interesting coat make him quite a conversation piece and since I’m shy about strangers, it’s kind of nice to have Monty there to block the unwanted attention.

Though I didn’t get to go on a walk with Oshi and Perrito, they also saw examples of light and dark on their walk. As the sun rises up over the hill in the east, the trees that line our many parks over interesting interplays between black and white. Of course, Gretchen often finds it difficult to get just the right photo — who’s in the shade, who’s in the light? — sometimes the beauty of the contrasts makes for their own unique photographs.

There are contrasts in energy, too. Monty’s is always light and mine can sometimes be dark and moody. Zoe, on the other hand, is beaming with lighthearted cheerfulness and her ebullience is enough to make me forgo my shadowed disposition and bounce gaily along beside her. I think that’s why Monty is so attracted to her — she shines so brightly!

Gemma and Saber pay no attention to the pondering of art and Italian vocabulary, though today they were filled with light that they got to not only play with each other, but with Monty and me as well in the light and shadows of the backyard.

My life is filled with Chiaroscuro I’ve decided — somedays it illuminates the bright spots of joy in my life and other days it brings me the calm of shadowed happiness. I am a lucky dog!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

The Slow Walk

The heat did not really subside today, but there’s not much one can do about it except walk slowly. And that’s exactly what we did today — the slow walk of summer.

The first was with Monty and while the heat of the day had yet to reach it’s pinnacle, we were panting our way down to the lake for a morning dip in the cool, cool waters. No photos unfortunately as Gretchen didn’t want to carry her backpack in the heat if she didn’t have to, but trust me, we had a wonderfully good time!

Her next walk was with Rosie and Tyson and just like Monty and me, they walked slowly. They didn’t head to the lake, though. Nope, the walk was so slow they pretty much just meandered around the neighborhood finding shade (and flowers) where they could.

Gemma was next and even she walked slowly today. They picked up Oshi and Perrito who are often known to walk at their own speed, but today’s was particularly sluggish. They too sought out shady benches where they could pant and rest and pant some more.

Gemma stopped by to roll around with me in the backyard AFTER a lounge in the freshly filled kiddie pool. Gemma’s not much of a swimmer, but she sure loves to lie in the water! Monty just likes to get his feet wet!

Then Monty watched from his shady spot near Gretchen as we played in the shade under the tree.

Meanwhile, Ann brought lunch and we all just relaxed as best we could in the heat of the day.

Relaxing was hard to do, though because those sandwiches smelled particularly delicious. I wonder how cute we would have had to look to get some?

There was one more dog to walk, but since my life has been jam-packed with lots of swimming and activity, I got to rest at home with Monty while Gretchen took Saber down to the lake. While they didn’t walk as slowly as most of the dogs (they were headed to the lake after all), on the way back Saber was a little less rambunctious though extremely happy about his adventure in the lake.

He needs to practice, though, on retrieving the ball from the water! Silly guy!

It’s cooler now and Gretchen says she feels great after her shift at the hydrotherapy pool where the water is “just right!” I’ve taken a few more dips in the pool, eaten the grilled asparagus that’s fallen off the barbecue, and opened the front door to our overnight stay guest — Quillette. Life is busy around here, but luckily it’s the weekend and we’ll all get some rest!

Have a good one,

Rubin

This HOT!

And yes, there was much more to our day (see below), but today the tongues said it all.

It was hot. Tomorrow will be hotter still.

Oh my.

I’m gonna go lie in front of the fan now. I wish I had more energy to write about our day, but frankly folks, I melt in this heat.

Stay cool if you can!

Rubin

Packing

I have my anxieties. When I get particularly excited or nervous or uncertain I can become quite anxious. One of the things that makes me the most anxious is when I see bags being packed and positioned by the front door. Gretchen always tells me that I shouldn’t worry because the one thing that is always by the front door with the bags is my bed. “Would we travel with your bed and NOT take you?”

I suppose not, but when the packing begins I can feel my anxiety levels rise. Usually, Gretchen packs me into the car first and then packs in all the bags and detritus of our trip. That calms me a little, but until we’re on the road and about 15 minutes out of town, it’s only then that I can take a deep breath and be assured that I am indeed on my way to a family destination.

The reason I bring this up is that slowly I’m beginning to see all of those things we usually take on a trip — luggage, food (mostly mine), toys (mostly mine), and this odd assortment of shoes (mostly theirs) and rain gear (definitely NOT mine). I’m doing my best to stay relaxed, but I’m also making certain that everyone knows I’m close by just in case they accidentally forget me.

Where we’re headed I never really know until we get within a mile or so of our destination. Then I can smell it. I pop up in the back of the car at the turn off to Grandma and Grandpa’s, I give a little whine as we approach our friends’ cabin on the river, and when we drive to Oregon to see my Uncle Paul and Aunt Patti, I can feel my heart race as we head up the long, steep hill to their house overlooking the Willamette Valley. I’ve heard rumors that we might be heading up that hill this weekend, but until I smell the walnut trees and grapevines, the horse farms and oat fields I won’t commit to excitement.

I’ll let you know where all this packing takes us once I find out!

But before then I must work though today it didn’t feel much like work. We had a slow day, which as a nice refrain from all the work we’ve been doing. Quillette has been with us for two nights now, but she heads to her next house tonight. Still, it was fun to get up, head up the street, pick up Monty and talk a nice walk this morning — just like old times. The three of us have been friends my entire life and whenever I’m feeling anxious, these two can calm me down!

You’d think Oshi and Perrito would be a bit anxious these days what with a new baby in the house, but frankly they seem pretty calm and relaxed. They got to walk with Gemma today who is anything but calm and relaxed. I think she is when she’s home with her family, but when she sees us coming she gets really excited and that puts her on high alert.

Gemma got to play with Monty and me, too, which made her very happy!

The day ended with Saber who doesn’t appear to have an anxious bone in his body. He gets excited, no doubt, but he never falls into the anxiety category like I do. Gretchen says his wiring is much more relaxed than mine, which may be the case but I don’t see what’s wrong with my wiring!

We hope that all of you have a wonderful Fourth of July weekend and as Gretchen always says, we hope it’s safe and semi-sane!

Rubin

Day in the Middle

The flow of my day is dependent on a variety of ever-changing factors. I guess the same could be said for the flow of my week or my month or even the year, but since I like to live in the now, I’ll just talk about today.

First, since it is officially summer (and the weather is finally catching up to the name!) I rarely get left alone. Ann (my other mother) is on summer break and she is a flurry of project activity these days. She ripped out all the cupboards in the downstairs bathroom yesterday while Gretchen was at the pool. I tried to help, but Ann swinging a hammer makes me want to curl up on my bed and cover my head.

And Gretchen going off to work in the afternoons and evenings has been quite a change, too. It means that while I’m not alone (Ann is here), we are sort of alone and all those adventures we did together on summer evenings don’t happen. I’m okay with it — I mean, someone has to pay for my food and toys — but it’s a change nonetheless.

Of course, our daily schedule is always different depending on who is supposed to be walked and who isn’t. Throw in the occasional boarder and I’m never quite sure who I’ll be sharing my day with. For instance, we’re expecting Quillette some time today, but no one is quite sure when.

But there are routines within the varying schedules. Like today is Wednesday, the day in the middle of the week and the day when we always pick up Monty for the first walk of the day. I like that routine!

Of course, Monty always makes me feel a little frisky so it’s hard to contain my joy when I see him.

Take for instance the photo above — I am being a good dog, sitting, staying, and not playing with Monty, but let me tell you, I really, really wanted to play with Monty and so after a moment of being good, I busted loose and Gretchen caught me in the act!

Talk about disruptions in a routine, though and the first thing that comes to mind is Oshi and Perrito. Now that they have a newborn baby in their house, routines have gone out the window! They haven’t seemed to notice though. They were just as happy to see me today as usual!

Rosie is a creature of habit and routine, far more than I am. She loves to check her schedule and know exactly when something is happening, what exactly will be happened, and what’s coming on the agenda next. There are many things I like about Rosie even though I’ve never met her in dog-son and this is one of them — she doesn’t like change nor do I!

But I’ve learned to adapt and though I really enjoy walking Zoe, it appears that the schedule dictates that job now be in the paws of Ms. Gemma. Trust me, neither Gemma nor Zoe mind. They really enjoy each other’s company and as Gretchen says, they make a nice color combination. But today, Ann helped us out and we got to walk with Zoe…we ALL got to walk with Zoe! And Gretchen got to feed us all treats…what good dogs we are!

My work days, though, always end with Saber — our most regular of regulars — and for Monty and me, that’s a pretty nice punctuation mark at the end of an unpredictable day…though Monty didn’t want to pose for the photo…he wanted to smell all the good stuff happening at the pea patch!

And yes, off Gretchen went to work at the pool while I waited for Ann to pick up her hammer again. It didn’t happen, but trust me, there is never a dull moment at this house!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

Crush

Dogs aren’t like humans. You know that, of course, but I was thinking about it on a different level. Humans, for instances, get crushes — maddening attractions to people and things that they often can’t control. I’ve seen it happen. Gretchen has a current crush on coconut gelato. She wants to eat it every night, but knowing it’s not the healthiest of crushes, she’s trying to refrain.

Dogs don’t get crushes, at least not that I can tell.

Wait just a minute, little fella.

Gretchen, I didn’t know you were reading over my shoulder!

Well, I passed by and saw the title, which caught my attention. Then when I read the first few paragraphs, I had to interrupt.

So I take it you disagree.

Yes, emphatically!

Alrighty then, tell me why.

Let’s take you for example.

Moi?

Oh, don’t play innocent with me. You have your fair share of crushes and while it might not be on coconut gelato, I can think of some serious crushes you have.

Name one.

Just one? Okay, how about Richard, Colleen, and Jessica?

Those are my human friends.

Yes, but when you saw them this weekend, you almost crawled out of your skin with joy.

That’s because I hadn’t seen them in a long time.

They hadn’t seen you either, but they didn’t jump all over you and scream with excitement.

Did I do that?

Let me continue — while those are some though not all of your human friends, their dogs — Ginger, Monty, and Quillette — equally excite you!

And Wally, don’t forget Wally.

See? You were thrilled when you got to see them all this weekend.

Does that make it a crush? And is it possible for me to have some many crushes on so many different people and dogs?

Apparently it is.

But that’s it, right?

I’m not so sure. There are all the dogs we walk.

But they’re our clients. It would be unprofessional of me to have a crush on any of them.

This is true, but you wiggle with excitement when you see them.

I want to wiggle with excitement to see Rosie and Tyson. How come I never get to see them?

We’re working on it, buddy, but for now, they’re enough for me to handle on my own. Throwing your excitement into the mix will require another human to help me out.

Am I that out of control?

I plead the 5th.

What does that mean?

Let me continue…

Please do…this is turning out to be very entertaining.

One word — Gemma.

No way. I don’t have a crush on Gemma, Saber does. And Ollie, too.

More than one dog can have a crush on another dog.

They can?

Let’s take a look at how you play with Gemma.

What of it?

Well, most dogs find Gemma’s style of play annoying because she constantly pesters them.

That’s so true.

But you just give in. You let her chew on you, roll around on you, and grab your ankles. You wouldn’t let any other dog do that.

How does that make it a crush?

If you didn’t like her so much you wouldn’t put up with the behavior and when we’re heading over to her house, you get a certain bounce in your step.

Hm. But I definitely don’t have a crush on Oshi or Perrito.

Yes, I’d agree, though Perrito has one on you.

I know and maybe even Oshi who walks by my side constantly. He’s like my shadow.

You make him feel safe.

So what about Saber?

What do you think?

I think he adores me.

And  you, what do you feel about him?

I like him a lot, but I don’t think it compares to what I feel — or what you think I feel — for some other dogs.

Like Monty and Quillette and Ginger?

And Paige, let’s not forget about Paige.

Yes, but we didn’t walk her today.

Fair enough. Then what about Alice.

Alice is an interesting case. I think she might be too nervous to have a crush, but she definitely trusts you.

I agree. She’s a lot more comfortable when she sees me on the front step than she is when she sees Saber.

She’s warming up to Saber though.

Yeah, he’s easy to warm up to.

So do you want to restart this blog and retract what you’ve said about humans and dogs and crushes?

Look at the time! Aren’t you supposed to have some coconut ice cream about now?

Very funny. Unfortunately we’re out.

And it’s my bedtime. Good night all! Until tomorrow,

Rubin

Take Your Dog to Work Day

How ironic. There’s a whole day devoted to what I get to do all the time. Frankly, I think there should be a take your human to work day though I’m not exactly sure what that would look like. I guess it’s just a reminder of how lucky I am because every day I pretty much go to work with Gretchen and she comes to work with me. Okay, not all of our time is spent together — she’s at the hydrotherapy pool and though I’m more than welcome to come and hang out in the office, I prefer to rest at home especially since I’ve spent the day walking dogs.

Still I have to admit I have a pretty sweet little life.

And today was no exception. We had quite a day yesterday so today’s schedule was a nice reprieve. Just 6 dogs and 4 walks, which was a perfect way to end a busy week.

The first walk was with my buddy Monty. Since we both got coiffed yesterday, Gretchen tried to keep us looking pretty. Therefore as much as we wanted to swim at the lake, she wouldn’t give in.

She walked Rosie and Tyson after that and let me tell you, these are two dogs that would love to go to work with their parents. Lucky for them their parents often work from home so they don’t suffer too much.

Gretchen swung by and picked up Gemma after that and her parents often work from home so she’s not too lonely either. The plan was to pick up Oshi and Perrito so the three of them could hang out, but when Gretchen got to the boys’ house a surprise was waiting for her…well, a surprise written Spanish. Gretchen’s not so good at reading Spanish, but I am so I helped her out. Yep, Oshi and Perrito are the proud uncles (siblings?) of Micah, a baby boy born to their mom early this morning. Congratulations!

Gemma was even happy to celebrate with a group table dance!

After the boys got dropped off, Gemma and Gretchen came by to pick Monty and me up and off we went to play fetch first at the tennis courts…

I thought we’d pick up Saber but he got to go to work with his parents today. Sure hope they raised all their valuables and breakables above his wagging, powerful tail line!

And then we dropped Gemma off while Monty and I played more fetch at the little field!

Whew that was fun and though the sky was gray and kind of cloudy, it was warm. We heated up fast so we got to come back home and rest while Gretchen ate some lunch and got herself ready for her work at the hydrotherapy pool. She asked if I wanted to go along, but frankly staying at home feels like just the kind of change of pace I need!

Hope you all had fun taking your dogs to work! Happy Friday,

Rubin

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