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

Mostly Cloudy

Most mornings when we get up, we turn on the radio to listen to the news. Lately, though, we’ve listened to music. Gretchen says we need a break from all the negativity and that music gives us time to reflect and relax before we begin work. But this morning, the radio was turned on long enough for me to hear the announcer say, “Mostly cloudy all day.”

You might think that this would make me depressed, but in actuality, it made me dance a bit. It’s been hot. Not as hot as where my Aunt lives (in Virginia) where the temperatures have been over 100 degrees of late, but hot enough to make me want to just lie around on the cool bamboo floor right in front of the fan. But last night, when we went to bed, the fan wasn’t turned on, the windows weren’t open as wide, and a cool, brisk breeze blew the curtains around.

It was heaven.

And this morning, evidence of rain tickled my toes as I went out in the yard to take my first constitutional stroll. Blissful (the tickling mostly, but also the constitutional). I knew today was going to be a relaxing day even though it was the beginning of our work week. But I was ready after my nice weekend for something less hot than last week.

The weekend was active with visitors. First, Quillette came to stay with us for part of the weekend. It’s always nice to hang out with her. She teaches me how to make sad faces so I can get more treats!

Then the girls came over and we practiced dancing in the backyard. Well, they practiced and I watched on the lawn. Even then the weather was starting to change!

When our work started this morning with Rosie and Tyson, they were happy to see the change in weather, too because neither of them are big fans of the heat. They were hoping to go to the tennis courts for a romp, but the cooler weather didn’t stop the tennis players. So they posed in front of beautiful flowers…well, they posed pretty well until Tyson saw a large plane fly overhead! Then they looked longingly at Gretchen for their reward!

Gemma had to be told that it was colder. Nothing fazes her, though I did notice her desire to lie in my pool was mighty strong last week. This week she was bouncy and full of her typical terrier energy — much to Oshi’s dismay. Since Ann is off for the summer, she decided to help us out with Gemma, Oshi, and Perrito.

All of us went on our bouncy, tangled-leash stroll and headed to the tennis courts to see if they were free. Lo and behold they were and Perrito was particularly joyful about it all!

Oshi was his typical Eeyore self — slightly complaining that it was too cold to be away from his house, his family, and the new baby in their lives.

I was happy and Gemma, never one to let a little rain or a grumpy friend (Oshi) get her down, nosed us all into action.

The final walk of the day was with Alice who, despite her nervous barking when we first arrived, was happy to see us. She loved the cooler temperatures, too and we took off on a nice, long walk through the amazingly-gardened neighborhoods around her house.

Alice has two poses…the “What is that?” pose and the “I don’t see you taking my picture” pose. One day we’ll get a photo of her running. I have a feeling then she’d look a bit more relaxed!

I barely had time to say goodbye to Gretchen before she was out the door to her job at the pool. I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with Ann and we completed some chores around the house including taking a nap in the living room — one of our favorite things to do together.

Hope you all enjoyed the cooler temperatures. We’ll see what tomorrow brings!

Until then,

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

Sticky Leaves

Everyone has their irritations in life. For me, it’s one something gets on my fur like a twig or leaf. I get very upset. Sometimes, when the wind is particularly whipped up it will blow through my fur and I can’t stand it. I twist and turn and try to get the wind out between my hairs. I can’t, of course, but that doesn’t stop me from trying.

But lately the large maple tree right outside our house (identical to all the others on our block) has been kind of an irritation. First, it has these seed pods that drop all over the place. They’re just the right size to get stuck under shoes or worse, in between my pads. Then these furry pods fall from the tree and the latch onto me like barbed wire.

I’m pretty good at ripping all of that off, but what I really find irritating and the thing I struggle with the most are the sticky, sappy leaves that are currently falling from the tree. I don’t remember this happening last year and Gretchen concurs — for some reason the sap on the maple trees is running wild! Leaves scatter all over the ground — green ones, not yellow or gold ones — and they are covered in something equivalent to rubber cement.  Gretchen calls it maple syrup and I guess, given that the tree is a maple, that just may be what it is.

Regardless, her shoes and my pads are pretty sick and tired of it. They latch on and no matter how hard I pull with my teeth, those leaves won’t come off. Or worse, they come off in pieces — crumbled sticky leaves stuck in my teeth and on my feet and fur.

Yep, that is probably the thing that irritates me the most of late. I think Gretchen’s pretty sick of them too. And the car — you should see the globs of sap that cover it! We washed the car the other weekend and within a day, blobs that looked like resin were splattered all over. One day I even saw a squirrel (they usually catch my attention) who had a big sticky leaf plastered on his two back legs. “Here’s my chance,” I thought knowing that the little guy was pretty crippled — like a tripod trying to make an escape — but when I lunged toward him, he bunny-hopped his way down the street too fast for me to catch.

I had to laugh, though. Even the squirrels find the sticky leaves irritating.

But there are other irritants in life. Each of us has our own list. For Ollie, the irritations come in the form of cats (I can relate). When we walk, he is always on the lookout. If he sees a cat perched in a windowsill or on a doorstep, he leaps up and barks with irritated excitement. I appreciate his alerts because I, too, like to pester the cats, but for Ollie it’s as if the cats were put solely in this work to bug him.

Quillette’s irritant is frisky dogs. As an older gal, she doesn’t much like it when a young dog comes racing toward her with unbridled excitement. She’ll snarl and snap if need be. Luckily, Ollie understood the rules and was very good about approaching the old bird.

Rosie has many irritants — cats among them — but another one is loud and rumbling trucks or buses. Boy do they make her jump! If they rumble by too close, she skitters away and tries to get as low to the ground as possible. That’s when Gretchen finds a beautiful garden for Rosie to meditate and relax. Works like a charm every time!

I’m tempted to say that Gemma is the irritant in many instances, but I suppose that wouldn’t be too nice. Do things irritate her? At first, I didn’t think so, but today as walked up to get Woobie, a city light crew was working on some lines and they had a machine to trim away the branches. Gemma did not like that at all. She, too, tried to skitter away, but Gretchen reassured her and I tried to explain that humans make all sorts of bizarre noises but that we wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her!

Now Woobie, I think, isn’t irritated by much, but then again Gemma was kind of an irritant today. She just gets so excited to see Woobie that she wants to play right away and Woobie, equally excited to see us, races around the porch and up and down the steps to her house that Gemma can’t help but play bite at her. Woobie doesn’t like that much, but Woobie knows amazing restraint. She’ll snarl and then quickly back away and go about her business. Yes, Gemma might be an irritant for Woobie, but Woobie doesn’t hold onto the irritation for long.

Saber is irritated by one thing mainly and that’s his nose collar. He hates that thing. He spends all his time trying to get it off, so much so that when Gretchen has to take his photo, she pulls it off and makes him pose in a stay position. If there were sound for this photo, it would be, “Ahhhh, that feels so much better!”

Of course, when he’s playing with me, he could care less about the nose collar!

I’m just getting to know Paige, but today I got to see her irritations. We headed out on our walk and this time, instead of weaving through the neighborhoods, we climbed up a long couple flights of stairs and ended up in a great little spot with lots and lots of trails. (I’m sworn to secrecy about this particular location, but you’ll have to trust me that it was pretty amazing and fun.) Of course, Paige and I are both nursing mild injuries so we were not allowed off leash. Bummer.

But it’s super bummer for Paige because she LOVES to chase things and the things at this wooded, traily location were rabbits!!! Oh my, oh my, oh my! I got as excited as Paige, but because of some superficial owies we weren’t allowed to chase them. I have to admit, that irritated me as much as it did Paige…well, almost. She got pretty agitated, so much so that we had to abandon the walk on the trails and head back to the safer streets of the neighborhood.

Not before a photo op. Though I must tell you that one of my other irritants is one dogs touch me. Saber will often butt into me or in the car, while we’re driving Gemma will want to be right next to me. I do not like this in the least and will often loudly show my disapproval. But today, while posing with Paige, she sidled up to me in a very affectionate way and I must admit, it was very nice. I didn’t snarl or move away. Instead, I leaned right into her and we both enjoyed the moment.

I think there’s a lesson in all of this — something about trying new things and trying not to be irritated — but frankly, it’s been a long day and the lessons will have to wait until tomorrow.

Until then — I sure hope life’s irritants stay clear of your paths!

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

“I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.”  Lily Tomlin

The end of the school year is upon us. This is a crazy time. It was so crazy today that Gretchen left me at home  while she headed to her classroom. I was kind of bummed, but she said I might get stepped on in all the wild craziness.

Okay, I can live with that.

I wasn’t alone, though. Quillette spent the night last night while her mom was away and so the both of us waited while the humans did their humanly things.

For Gretchen it was teaching, though today she said she didn’t so much as teach as she kept things from exploding. I guess they kids are pretty stressed. They have a big performance tomorrow night and there are always those stragglers who have yet to get done what they needed to get done. From everything Gretchen’s told me, it’s a good thing I stayed home and kept Quillette company.

Or maybe she kept me company. Hard to say.

Anyway, with Gretchen finishing up her last and final year as a teacher, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what makes a good teacher. So today I conducted interviews of our Tuesday clients. Here’s what I found out:

Rosie thinks a good teacher is someone who owns a cat they bring to class and hands out lots and lots of rewards (aka treats) when you do good work. She also thinks swallows should be provided  at outdoor recess that way everyone would get really, really tired chasing them around.

Gemma and Zoe had a long discussion about teachers. Unlike Rosie, they both think that treats are overrated IF you have to earn them before you receive them. (Please notice which of us is doing what is asked in this photo — as in a down/stay).

They also think that good teachers let them play off leash because they believe you learn a lot more when you can face the world leashless.

“A good teacher is a teacher who makes you laugh,” said Zoe.

“A good teacher lets you sit where you want,” said Gemma. “And someone who doesn’t have rules you have to follow. Rules are stupid.”

Saber has had only a few teachers in his short life, but he has all sorts of ideas about good teaching.

“They teach you to levitate!”

“They let you roughhouse a lot!”

“They let good friends sit together and there’s always time for a nap!”

Gretchen always says that every student needs their own teacher, that not everyone can teach everyone. I never understood that until I started going to school with her. There are just as many people personalities as there are dog-a-nalities and each of those students, be they canine or human, has specific needs.

My needs? Good food, good friends, lots of love, and plenty of time wear myself out!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

To Chase or Be Chased

When I was a wee lad, my moms took me to an off-leash dog park. I thought I’d landed in Disneyland and instantaneously started racing around the park trying to get another dog to chase me. Oh, it was great fun as one dog took on the challenge (I’m super fast) and then another and then another. Not only am I mighty speedy, but I know how to use trees and bushes, to make quick turns and change course to fool my predators.

And then, while I raced and darted as fast as I could with a big, fat smile on my face, I looked behind me to see who was following. What started out as one dog had turned into about 15 and at that moment, I could hear my moms yelling my name and feel the gnashing of teeth in the breeze behind me. I panicked, tucked my tail as far as it would go, plastered my ears to my head, and rolled over on my back with a high-pitched yelp whereupon I bared my teeth in hopes the predators would get the message.

It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt, Gretchen always says, and there have been a number of times I’ve gotten hurt. I suppose it’s my own fault. I was young and naive and well, carried away in the moment of the chase, but I’ve wised up as I’ve aged. Yes, I still like a game of chase, but what I’ve learned is that who chases me must be an elite circle of my friends. Strangers chasing me never works out. Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way.

But chasing is in our blood and we tend to fall into two camps — the chasers and the chasees. I am a chasee, though recently, I’ve come to see the fun of being a chaser. Each of the dogs we walk has their own preference as well and though only a few of them get to practice the chasing and the chased on our outings, they quickly show their true colors when they do.

Take for instance Rosie. Because of Rosie’s fears, she’s rarely let off leash when Gretchen takes her on an outing. When she walks with her brother Tyson, they sometimes go to the tennis courts whereupon Rosie shows that she likes to be the one to chase. Tyson prefers to chase after a ball, but Rosie would just rather chase after Tyson.

But when they walk alone — just Rosie and Gretchen — Rosie isn’t the least bit interested in chasing a ball nor does she like it if Gretchen chases her. They’ll run along side each other in the park, but what Rosie really likes is to chase after treats. This is game Gretchen started months ago as a way to build trust with Rosie. Gretchen tosses the treat, Rosie chases after it and gobbles it up, and then Gretchen calls her back rewarding her with a treat upon her return.

Today they even tried to learn a new trust game. Gretchen held a treat between the bridge of her open legs and encouraged Rosie to walk underneath, curling around to the right to earn the reward. It took many, many attempts, but eventually Rosie did it, which is an amazing step forward for the timid girl.

I mean, when you’re scared of your own shadow, to walk through someone’s legs with them standing over you takes lots and lots of courage. Rosie showed it in spades today and Gretchen was very proud of her. I am, too!

Maybe one day Rosie will even feel confident enough to chase after a ball. Who knows!

Zoe, on the other hand, is all about chasing. Unfortunately, her knee surgery prevents us from really testing out the game. She’s showed some interest, but every time she tries to engage me in a game of frolic, Gretchen puts the kibosh on it. Darn it because I think Zoe and I could really have a rousing came of chase if given half the chance.

Instead, we must pose for photos whereupon Gretchen gets fixated on Zoe’s large and beautiful paws and the way Zoe flops herself down when Gretchen says the word “down.”

I laugh when Gretchen tries to get Zoe to sit or lie down without having a treat in her hand. Zoe ignores Gretchen with amazing panache and though I obey, I giggle watching Zoe gazing off into the distance just waiting for Gretchen to reach in her pocket for a reward. Once the reward is out, though, Zoe is speedy obedient — sitting before the “s” is fully sounded and lying down just with the motion of Gretchen’s hand.

Of course, if Gretchen doesn’t give her the treat right away, Zoe tries all sorts of other tricks to earn the reward…like this one, which Gretchen accidentally captured kind of, sort of!

Now, Saber and Gemma are all about the chase only it’s hard for us to figure out at first who should chase whom.

Eventually, we just take turns!

And yes, we’re playing at a different park today — a small basketball court over by the museum that was apparently sponsored by the now defunct Seattle Supersonics. Gretchen informs me that they moved to Oklahoma City. Alas, there are still remnants of the Sonics in the Central District.

We played our hearts out at the courts, as you can see, and then ended our game of chase for a nice walk through Judkin’s Park. I got dropped off at home while Gretchen walked Gemma and Saber back to their houses.

Next, Gretchen picked up Ollie and Playa for the final walk of the day. Now I know Ollie likes to be chased just as much as I do, but today there wasn’t a chance for any action because the tennis courts by their house were occupied by tennis players. Instead, the two went on a walk whereupon Gretchen surmised that Playa would most likely chase Ollie if given half the chase.

But Playa is part Husky and if there is anything a Husky wants to do more than chase it’s venture out into the world on her own. No chasing unless it’s after an adventure or perhaps a good smell, but most importantly, at her own pace without any part of her tethered to someone or something else.

Today, Gretchen brought a longer leash so Playa could feel as if she were venturing on her own, but given the fact that she’s a Husky and will end up in the next county given half the chance, Playa had to stay on a leash.

They walked back to the Ferdinand Pea Patch this week because Gretchen really wanted to check it out and there, on the bluff just past the pea patch, she tried desperately to get a photo of the two friends with the view of the Sound behind them. Unfortunately, Playa isn’t the best at sitting for very long (that venturing thing) and Ollie, well, he knows there are treats in Gretchen’s hand and he’ll do anything to get them. In fact, she had him leash to her fanny pack and though he sat for a nano-second, he pulled that fanny pack over to Gretchen just to earn the reward.

Finally, on their way back to the car, they stopped at the little field behind the school. Gretchen tried again to get some photos of the two together, but Ollie was only interested in a treat, while Playa practiced sitting as close to Gretchen as she possibly could. She’s now learned that those treats taste pretty darn good!

The rain was supposed to follow us today, but luckily it didn’t chase us down. It looks threatening right now, but I’m kind of hoping the wind chases it away so tomorrow will be beautiful again. See, everything has a need to be chased or do the chasing. Which side do you fall on?

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

Smile and the whole world…

But it’s Friday and to be honest with you, I’m kind of tired. So tired, in fact, I’m going “write” this blog pictorially. Forgive me for what might appear to be laziness, but today the smiles speak volumes and are far more creative than I can be with my words.

Enjoy…

Have a great weekend,

Rubin

Happy Birthday to Me!

I’m generally a pretty humble guy. I don’t always toot my own horn, but everyone tells me that I get to toot it now since it’s my birthday! Today I turned 3 years old. Wow, where has the time gone? I’ve certainly had a full, rich life for these past three years, but yesterday takes the cake — yes, pun intended!

Yesterday was my birthday party at Heavenly Spa in Fall City. I went their last weekend to check it out, but yesterday I got to take my friends — Monty, Quillette, Colleen, Jessica, and Olivia — as well as meet a new friend — Ben. We got to swim, play fetch, hang out by the pool, and best of all, eat birthday cake! Yum, yum, yum!

The party was wild, but so much fun. Monty ran around the pool like a crazy man the second we got there, while Quillette looked worried that she might have to go in. Once I was let loose, I went straight into the pool because I think swimming is about as fun as it can get and swimming with my friends, stellar!

Here are the photos from our adventure … with a bit of commentary …First, we get to the beautiful location in Fall City and then we get into the pool…

As you can see, I’m all eager beaver while Monty is trying really hard to figure out how to get in and Quillette, who really likes tennis balls, is trying to figure out how to get the ball without getting too wet!

Monty gets help from Ben who is reacting to my splash as I jump in (you just can’t see me) and the eventually, Monty has the hang of it and swims around happily in what everyone calls his suitcase (life jacket!)

Quillette, as you can see, is a very good swimmer. She just prefers not to swim, but with her mom’s help and her little friend Olivia, Quillette showed her 10 year old self off!

And then there’s me! No one has to tell me twice to go swimming. I LOVE IT!

One of the hardest things to figure out at the pool is where it’s easiest to go in and get out. Since I’d been there before (last weekend) I had no problem and since I LOVE to leap off the side of the pool and dive in, I can pretty much go in anywhere. Q and Monty? Well, they faced conundrums often, but eventually figured it all out!

Mostly, we played fetch. Monty found a tennis ball and then found a humungous tennis ball that Ben helped him stuff in his mouth! Go Monty!

Jessica and Quillette brought their little friend, Olivia. Olivia likes to swim as much as I do and she’s just as good at it! She also loves dogs, which made her a perfect fit for my party!

We had our quiet moments, too. Jessica held Q while Gretchen held me. Can you see how happy I am?

And then there was the cake! We all had different techniques for eating. I licked off all the icing, Monty nibbled, and Quillette was so fast at woofing down her cake Gretchen couldn’t get a photograph of it. Of course, Quillette begged to lick the knife that Ben used to cut the cake and being such a nice guy, he gave into her!

We had a great time, as you can see and I must take a moment to thank Teri (the owner of the spa) and Ben from the party and Claire, from last week who helped chaperone us to so much fun.

Eventually, our time was up and we had to move on. We took the leftover cake home and I ate some of it later for a snack, but before we left, we took one last photo by the most interesting animals I’ve ever seen!

Needless to say, we all slept really well yesterday and even on my late afternoon walk, I was still pretty tired — relaxed, but tired.

This was truly a memorable birthday and I’m already scheming about future birthday parties! I wonder if next year we can plan a ski trip with all my friends? Hmmmm, I’m going to have to work on that one!

Happy Birthday to me!

Rubin