I’m typing while Gretchen is sleeping. She’s feeling crummy today, something about an upset stomach.  Luckily, we were only responsible for Oshi and Perrito today. I’m not sure she’d be up for more. I’ve been playing doctor all day helping nurse Gretchen back to health. I made her go out today. She needed fresh air and the boys needed their walk. So did I.

We made our way to the little field where Gretchen let Oshi and Perrito drag their leashes. This was kind of funny because it was as if they were pulling sleds behind them. It didn’t bother Perrito in the least.  He was all frisky and rompy, ready to rumble the second Gretchen threw the ball for me, dragging his leash behind him as if it weren’t there.

Perrito even got into stalking me, which was pretty funny…like I’m not going to see him lying in the grass dragging that clunky leash behind him!

Where is Oshi in all of this? Well, Oshi is all about sniffing and hanging out with Gretchen (I think he knew she was feeling under the weather) so he hung back and did silly things like lick his lips…

And rolled like crazy in the grass…

Gretchen said he looked like a hand muff…whatever that is.

After we got home, Gretchen laid down for a nice long nap, which is where she is right now, snoring away on the couch. I’m typing as quietly as I can so as not to wake her up. It’s the least a doctor can do.

Before I close, though, I wanted to give a friendly goodbye to my new friend Jasper who we’ve walked for the past month or so.  He has a new dog walker (one who lives closer than we do) and we hope he enjoys his new relationship. We got to walk him one last time on Saturday and it was great to have a chance to say goodbye.  Maybe someday we can play with him again. He’s a very sweet boy and I will miss him. Good thing I have some nice pictures of us to remember our time together!

Shhhh, I think Gretchen’s stirring.  I’m going to go check on her now. Hopefully she’ll feel better soon. It’s a busy week ahead!

Dr. Rubin

This is Jasper. We saw him at the very end of a very long day.  And I mean a very long day, but when I saw him smile, I mustered up enough energy to go on a walk with him and in the end, he made me smile, too!

I’m tired tonight. Really tired. Because we’re going out of town tomorrow, we moved our Friday clients to today making that 6 dogs to walk AND my agility class this afternoon. Wow.  I guess I have reason to be tired.

In fact, I am so tired, I’m simply going to share the day in photographs with minimal commentary.  I hope everyone understands…

First came Monty and we played fetch in the park...

Ollie came with us and he had a great time!

Heck, I had a great time!

Then we picked up Oshi...

Oshi and Ollie went back to Ollie's house and he showed Oshi his nifty dog door and nice yard!

Ollie tried to play with Oshi

Oshi wasn't so sure about the whole thing

...really unsure!

Ollie kept trying...

...and trying!

Finally Ollie gave up and just begged for a goodbye treat!

...and then it was time for Gurda!

I have yet to meet her, but she seems like a nice girl!

She sure smiles a lot!

See what I mean? Always a smile!

And she likes to be rubbed right there!

Monty and I slept in the sun!

Monty slept very soundly!

After agility class, Jasper and I headed to the park. We're smiling, too!

And practicing our down-stays. We're pretty good at it!

We like to walk side by side...

And Jasper stops every now and then and rolls in the grass!

And I'm happy that this Thursday is my Friday!

Goodnight everyone! Sweet dreams,

Rubin

(Gretchen left her camera at the house of Jasper so this post is a bit late.  Forgetful woman! Our apologies to all our readers. Rubin)

Hey Rubin?

Yeah, Monty, what’s up?

So, I’m like your best friend, right?

Not like, you are. Are you worried?

No, I was just wondering why everybody else got to post on your blog before me while you were out of commission?

Well, I figured it this way — you ARE my best friend so you wouldn’t mind waiting while I gave all the other clients a chance to chime in. Besides, I really saved the best for last, didn’t I?

You’re cool, dude. I guess when you put it that way it makes perfect sense. I’m happy now…

I can tell you’re really happy!  Hope I didn’t hurt your feelings!

No, dude, I was just wondering. Thanks for clearing it up.

No worries. So go ahead…have your say…

The best thing I like about your visits in the week is that I’m certain we’ll always have fun.

Yeah, the walks are nice and the games of fetch, too, but nothing beats a good wrestling and chase romp does it?

That’s the truth. We know how to rough house don’t we?

Champs. We’re champs.

Unfortunately, I’m getting a bit older so flying off the deck isn’t good for me anymore.

That’s why Gretchen put all my agility toys around the deck. She wanted to block our flying leaps off it.

I appreciated that because when I’m playing, well, I kind of get carried away.

Is that a pun? Flying leap — carried away?

Ha! Funny.  I didn’t even realize I was so funny!

You’re both fun and funny, Monty! And really fun to chase!

Well, you’re kind of persistent.

Am I?

Yeah, dude!  You come at me and at me again and again pestering me by poking me in my neck, throwing yourself against me, and barking at me. What am I supposed to do, ignore you?

Sorry, I didn’t realize what a pest I was.  I thought you liked it.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun, really fun, but sometimes it gets annoying and I have to show you who’s boss.

In this picture it looks like I’m the one in charge.

That’s only because I make you think you are. Most of the time, I’ve got you flat on your back and I’m telling you to settle down.

That’s true.

Poor Oshi. He hung out with us after our walk and watched from the porch, worried that we’d hurt each other.

Oshi is kind of shy and though he can wrestle with Perrito, he doesn’t like wrestling with big dogs.

I tried to be gentle, but I guess he thought I was going to crush him.

We are kind of scary I suppose.

Yeah, I guess we’re both kind of big compared to him, aren’t we?

Take a look, dude? Your head is as big as his whole body!

Would you look at that?  I don’t feel that big.

You’re a giant among dogs, buddy, but that’s what I love about you.

You do?

Yeah, you’re a gentle giant.

Oh shucks.  Thanks.

But Oshi likes us and he liked hanging out with us yesterday afternoon.

Yeah, though he’s really worried about his buddy, Perrito who just had eye surgery.

I know. It’s hard to get Oshi to come out of his house when he knows his buddy can’t come with him.

Is it hard on you when you know I can’t come with you?

If only you knew, dude, if only you knew. When we head out for a walk, I always pull toward your house, but sometimes we don’t go that way or sometimes we go that way, but never stop at your house. That’s like torture.

I know, sometimes I hear you down on the street and I bark a hello.  Do you hear me?

Yeah, and then I feel really excited because I think for sure we’ll go pick you up, but sometimes we don’t and that’s kind of a bummer.

Well, I suppose we’re lucky to live so close and that we get to see each other just about every day.

I like it when you and your mom come over at night and we get to go play fetch in the dark with our blinking yellow balls.

Yep, that’s killer fun!

And then Quillette and Jessica came over.

We have such nice friends!

And how about our new friend, Jasper?  He’s pretty cool, eh?

Very cool.  He’s so mellow and he loves all the same things I love like the water!

Dude, you two were so funny on that dock!  I thought for sure you were both going to go in.

Jasper liked watching the boats.

Watching the boats is one thing, but you were ready to swim alongside them!

Well, I tried. I mean, I put both feet off the dock and then Gretchen kind of panicked and pulled me back.

Good thing she did!  You would have gone down like a boulder straight to the bottom!

Really?  I thought for sure there was solid ground down there!

Dude, you’re kind of crazy, you know that?

Well, Jasper wanted to jump right off!

Good thing Gretchen had a tight hold of our leashes.

She didn’t really have to hold onto you. You just stood a bit frozen in the middle of the dock.

Well, it was kind of rocking back and forth and I’ll admit, that made me a bit nervous.

I kind of liked it!

Is there anything you don’t like, Monty?

Um, let me think. Oh yeah, the vacuum cleaner.  Hate that thing!

See, we all have our issues.

I’m glad you accept mine.

Likewise, dude.  And I’m really glad you’re my best friend.

Ditto. And thanks for letting me write on the blog.  Can I do it again sometime?

You bet!

Good evening. My name is Jasper and I have been asked by my new friend, Rubin, to post a dog blog of today’s activities at Wags n’ Words. Please forgive me if I make grammatical or punctuation mistakes for I am a humble dog with little experience in the ways of human language.  This task is difficult for me since I am walked by Gretchen at the end of her day therefore, in order to do the day justice, I must refer back to notes so diligently explained to me by other new friend, Monty.

First and foremost — get better soon, little Rubin. I miss smelling you and walking beside you. While I adore Monty, he doesn’t walk beside anyone. Rather he leads the way by circling around and around eventually moving forward. You and I, little Rubin, are obedient walkers calmly walking by Gretchen’s side unless we see something more interesting like a cat or a squirrel. Then, I suppose, we aren’t as obedient as she’d like, but she’s very understanding and can generally snap us back into behaving with a gentle tug of the leash.

So let me begin at the beginning. The day started with two little fellas I haven’t met yet  — Oshi and Perrito — though I can smell them on Monty since he got to walk and play with them today.  Their routine is very different from ours. While Monty and I walk through the neigborhood and sometimes down by the lake, Oshi and Perrito escort Monty to the tennis courts where he plays fetch and Perrito chases him!

This looks like a great deal of fun, but Monty tells me that his favorite part is climbing up on the bench with his ball and watching it fall off again and again.

Sometimes, he tells me, he just likes to lie on the bench in the sun and squish the ball between his teeth. I can understand the squishing part, but the whole bench thing confuses me to no end.

But I am not one to judge, so I’ll take Monty’s word for it. It’s fun.

I asked what Oshi and Perrito did for fun and Monty told me that Perrito likes to chase him around and Oshi likes to scurry after Perrito. From the photographs, I think Oshi actually likes to run around and watch his hair blow in the breeze. What do you think?

Monty did tell me that the surprise of the day was when Quillette showed up with her mom, Jessica. Jessica looks like a very nice young woman and Quillette looks as if she was very happy to see everyone!

I think I would very much like Quillette. She has a great smile and she likes to pounce on her ball. I like that too!

It looks like everyone had a great time this morning. Of course I imagine little Rubin was none too pleased that all his buddies got together without him. But you’ll get to hang out with them (and me) soon, yes? For now, the pictures will have to suffice.

Then it was my time and oh what a time we had! First, Rubin needed a new toy so we headed off to Four Legs Good the local pet store. And there we met Cheryl who gave us lots of really tasty treats.  We liked her very, very much.

Then off we went for our walk through the neighborhood, down by the park, and past all the wonderful smelling signs of spring. Monty posed in the sun at the park…

…we met Poppy, an old gal who wagged her tail in pure happiness…

…and then headed back to my house, side by side…finally.

It was a wonderful time and I thank you, little Rubin, for the privilege of sharing the day, beginning to end, with all the Wags n’ Words fans.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Jasper

Lucy’s Tails

A photo from our puppy years

Hi!  You don’t know me…well, maybe you do. I’m Lucy and despite the title of this blog, I do not have a tail…well, not much of one.  I don’t have much of anything actually because I’m as skinny as the wind and just as fast, too.

I’m honored that Rubin chose me to be the first to write on his blog.  I thought for sure he’d choose Monty, but actually, Rubin and I go way back since we were born within a month of each other.  (I’m older…wiser, too.) As puppies, Rubin and I spent lots of time together chasing each other and sleeping side by side in his “donut bed.” He outgrew that bed and I inherited it and to this day, there’s no place I’d rather be than curled up under my afghan (blanket, not dog) sleeping.

That’s where Rubin usually finds me when it’s my day for a walk. Today was such a day and I felt really lucky because Monty joined me. I like Monty. He likes me, too, but we’re both rather shy about it all.  We walk together looking like distant cousins. I’m short, he’s tall. We’re both black and white, but he’s curly and I’m not. Our tails are the same length, relatively and we both like to be out front on our walks.

This is how we start our walks…forging ahead down the street, but as we get into the groove and over our shyness, we move closer and closer together glancing at each other out of the corner of our eyes.

Yeah, we kind of have a thing going on, but we’re both too polite to take it to the next level.  We keep waiting for the other one to make the move, but Monty is too polite, and I’m too…well, I’m too focused on getting to the field so we can play fetch, which I will admit is my personal obsession in life.

But if you watch us walking together, you’d see how much we like each other.

Today we walked along the ridge and down to the tennis courts. I suffer from allergies and so Gretchen is kind of enough not to run me through the tall grass of the park. The tennis courts are fine, though as the the weather warms up, we’ll have to go back to the field since humans like to play tennis there. Imagine that!

Because of my size and my lack of hair, I tend to get kind of cold. Along with my NEED to play fetch, I get a bit annoyed with Gretchen’s requests to take our pictures. She thinks Monty and I are cute together and while I agree we make a perfect couple, it’s cold out there (where’d the sun go?) and that makes me chilled.

But I know that if I’m patient enough, eventually the orange and blue balls will come out and we’ll get to play fetch. That makes me happy. That makes me very happy.

It also makes Monty happy…or so it seems. Lately, he’s become this silly dog who finds it very fun to fetch the ball and then climb onto the bench and lie down.  What? Isn’t the whole purpose of fetch to obsessively get the ball, bring it back, get the ball, bring it back?

Apparently, that’s not how Monty sees it.

I don’t get it. He climbs up there, lies down, drops the ball, and then watches it bounce on the court. Only when Gretchen picks it up again does he jump down and fetch the ball. He’s tried to explain it to me, but I don’t get it. “It’s fun,” he says, “you should try it!” But the bench isn’t what I like about fetch…it’s the ball!

After I was dropped off, Gretchen walked Oshi and Perrito. Actually, we dropped Monty off at his house and I got to walk with the boys (in their new, stunny hairdos!) back to my cushy bed with the warm afghan (blanket, not dog!).

Oshi and Perrito got to visit the school where my mom works and there they met a student who was very excited to see them.

After their visit, they went on a long walk and headed home where they met up with their best friend…Orondo the Cat. I’ve met Orondo. I’m not sure why Rubin doesn’t like him. He’s quite nice and is very friendly to dogs, but Rubin told me that Orondo scratched Perrito and that’s why Perrito has a goopy eye right now and had to go to the doctor’s office.  I know how he feels. When my allergies kick in, my eyes get all itchy and I have to take medication, too. It’s no fun, but Perrito is healing well and seems to have forgiven Orondo.

Next up, Gemma. Now I must tell you that I have spent some time with Gemma and while generally I don’t like girl dogs OR puppies, Gemma’s grown on me.  Perhaps that’s because, like me, she’s a terrier.  Hard to say at this young, but she appears to have that obsessive drive that I like.  Gemma got to play with Quillette (another female dog I like) for awhile…

…and Quillette, an older gal, tolerates Gemma’s terrier persistence with only an occasional schooling. Like while they played at the tennis courts, Gemma ran full bodied into Quillette and Quillette gave her quite a protest growl. Gemma apologized and then decided to play fetch (see why I like her?) while Quillette played soccer with her mom, Jessica, who joined them on the walk.

Gemma, still a puppy, likes to imitate and Quillette is a good dog to mimic.

The day ended with a dog I have not met. Monty’s told me all about Jasper, though. Monty really likes him. He says he’s kind of shy, but very friendly and the two of them spend their walks sniffing flowers and peeing on trees.  I guess that’s a guy-thing. “No fetch?” I ask.

“No. Life isn’t all about fetch,” Monty tells me.

It’s not?

On their evening walk, Monty told me that he and Jasper met a new friend.

“Yeah, like we were in the park and Jasper said, ‘Hey, Monty. Check out this dog!’ and so I went over to meet the new guy.”

“He looks a bit stiff,” I said.

“Yeah, and kind of cold, but he’s very well-behaved!” Monty added.

“What was his name?” I asked.

“Carl and is name is like stamped on his body. ‘Good Dog, Carl.’ Jasper tells me he’s like famous this Carl dog.”

“What for?” I asked.

“I have no idea,” Monty exclaimed. “Maybe for standing there on three feet and NEVER moving!”

“Jasper doesn’t seem so impressed,” I commented.

“No,” Monty explained. “He says Carl might be well behaved, but he smells funny. Unlike me, though. Jasper says I smell really good!”

I hope to one day meet Jasper. I kind of have this thing for big, strong dogs and from the photos and Monty’s description, Jasper is such a fellow.  And he poses well, doesn’t he?

Well, that’s it for me — Ms. Lucy Ball (that’s my full name).  Thank you, Rubin, for this opportunity. I hope you ask me again, but now I’m off to play fetch again with my mom after which I’ll curl up in the donut bed you gifted me underneath my warm afghan (blanket, not dog!)

Lucy

Gretchen says I am just like Gemma, but I beg to differ. She says that the way Gemma behaves with me (pestering, poking, biting, growling, jumping up on me) is exactly how I am with Monty.  I asked for evidence and this is all she could produce. You be the judge…

I know, I look at fault, but he is showing his teeth, too!

Mostly, we play chase. That's innocent, isn't it?

We race up the trail...notice who is chasing whom!

We race down the trail...again who is chasing whom?

We walk together smelling along the trail. Harmless, right?

I pounce from behind a tree!

Monty chases...in hot (blurry) pursuit!

We play keep away behind the trees...

...and the chase continues...

...and continues in circles...

I change directions and Monty tries to keep up!

See, he's resting AND he's smiling!

I rest my case. Innocent on all accounts, don't ya think?

Gretchen’s behind me as I type. “But who pokes him in the neck? Who bites at his chin? Who irritates and instigates every game of chase?”

I plead the 5th.

After our romp at the park, we rested a bit before heading up north to meet Jasper. I was really excited to meet him because Gretchen really likes him and she says he’s very sweet. She was definitely right about that!

"See, I do smile!"

Gretchen told me that Jasper is a serious dog, but he was all smiles when we met at his house and then went for a walk. By the time we got to the tennis courts in his neighborhood, he was thrilled, chewing on one of my orange and blue balls like a champ!

"Thanks for sharing, Rubin!"

And when it was time for a little treat…he was all over that!

"You've got good snacks!"

He even had the patience to pose with us despite the fact that another dog was playing in the field just outside the tennis courts!

"How many pictures does she take, usually?"

He liked Monty best of all…they’re about the same size though Jasper is definitely beefier!

"About a million and a half photographs if you count using doggie math!"

Our walk even took us to a few new places. First, a pet store where we each got a small cookie and then to a place that smelled divine!  Molly Moon’s Ice Cream Shop.  We waited outside while Gretchen ordered up a Coconut Chunk on a waffle cone.

She didn’t even share!  And that’s a dog on the store’s sign…Molly Moon is a dog so we should at least get a lick of that ice cream!

Jasper was sad to see us go and we were a bit sad to leave, but we needed our lunch and a nap before we headed up to the groomer to pick up Oshi and Perrito…

Yep, we're lookin' fine!

Yep, that’s them…the former carpet samples on a leash. Amazing.

Aren't we handsome, papa?

Oshi and Perrito went to the same “spa” Monty and I go to.  I think they liked it there because they got to play with lots of friends before and after their grooming!

Ready to rumble?

Lillianna and Claudio worked on them (though that’s not one of the boys in the picture).

Nice people, but watch out for the clippers!

And then they walked home looking frisky and spry in their new hairdos!

Yeah, I'm strutting my stuff!

It was a beautiful day today and despite what Gretchen thinks of me, I am a patient gentleman who plays well with others!

Really, I do!

Rubin

I’ll admit it. There’s nothing as cute as a puppy sleeping. I know I was cute years ago when I curled up in my favorite bed and slept the afternoon away. So it shouldn’t surprise me that, while I’m at the groomer, our house guest, Gemma, made herself at home in my bed and in my dog house.

Gretchen was a little worried that while Monty and I were at the “spa” (her word for it, NOT mine), Gemma wouldn’t know what to do with herself.  That she would, in fact, have the puppy crazies like she did last night traipsing around the house on an uncontrolled binge of frolic and silliness.

But no…once Monty and I were out of the house, Gemma settled right in and found the most comfortable place in the  house — my donut bed. Gretchen planned on taking Gemma with her when she walked Oshi and Perrito today, but when she got ready to go, Gemma gave her a sleepy look from the bed and Gretchen knew Gemma would be staying behind.

The only problem? Gemma has never stayed alone in our house on her own so Gretchen solved the problem by scooping up the bed (with Gemma in it) and tucking it into my collapsible dog house, the one I use at the agility ring.

Before zipping Gemma in for an afternoon nap, Gretchen snapped this photo.

That was almost 3 hours ago and little Ms. Gemma is still fast asleep only now with the door unzipped.

Meanwhile, Monty and I are still at the “spa” (I’m using my doggy iPhone to text in this blog!).

The day started, though, with a romp in the rain.  Since we were going to the groomer’s anyway, Gretchen thought she’d let us get as messy as we could with a few games at the tennis courts.

And man, did we play hard!

The moment Gretchen let us off the leashes, Monty and I started wrestling. Within seconds, we were racing around the courts with wild abandon.

In this photo we’re chasing Monty, but it’s rare to see Monty in the lead. Generally, Monty does the chasing. He likes to bark at me and run full out trying to catch me, but I’m a fast little bugger and I’m able to cut the corners a lot faster than Monty. That Gretchen captured Monty in the lead lets you know how wild he’d become.  He raced like crazy with Gemma and me in HOT pursuit.

Usually EVERYONE chases ME

...and I LOVE to be chased!

Monty’s a sly one, though. When he gets tired, he stops and tries to cut me off so we can wrestle! I just bark at him to try and get him running again…he barks back!

Come on! You can catch me!

When we’ve had enough, Gretchen pulls out the balls and starts throwing them across the courts. We fetch them, bring them back, and then Monty, who has recently decided this particular position is the best, perches onto the small bench on the side of the court.

I'm going to rest here for a moment, okay guys?

Maybe I'll lie down, but wait! My ball keeps falling.

Maybe I should just stand up!

...but this is so much more comfortable!

Monty is kind of silly and as you can tell by the photo, he needs a haircut…so do I!

I think I need a bath!

So off we went to the “spa” and Gemma went home with Gretchen who tucked her in for a long sleep (she’s still sleeping, in fact) while Gretchen took the boys next door to the park.

Oshi, as you may recall, thinks he’s a cat and often, when Gretchen opens their front door, Orondo (the other neighbor’s cat) will come running out with the dogs. So it was today and when Gretchen, Perrito, and Oshi heard another cat meowing on their walk, Oshi refused to move forward think it was still Orondo, but it was just another cat meowing to get into his own house.

Don't you hear that? It's a cat!

The only thing that got Oshi to move was visitors — a mom and her young son, Eli.

Why hello there! Did you hear the cat?

Perrito is much more of a greeter than Oshi, though, and he spent most of his time getting love from the visitors.

But then it was time to go and Oshi decided to say goodbye along with Perrito.

Jasper was next on the agenda, though Gretchen had to pick us up from the spa first and then Gemma went home to her dads and well, it’s been a very long day.

Jasper was excited to see Gretchen though he did his usual bark and growl as a warning that a fierce dog lived in the house. Gretchen wasn’t buying it and so, Jasper gave up and wagged his tail and did his happy dance.  And off they went around the neighborhood and down by the lake meeting friends along the way.

Gretchen wasn’t certain how Jasper would do meeting other dogs, but apparently he was quite a gentleman and wagged his tail in glee at the meeting.

They met other dogs along the way, but none of them were are willing to greet as this little guy.

Gretchen tried to take a picture of Jasper’s tail with the white spot at the end (her favorite part of Jasper), but the photos didn’t turn out. Then she tried to take a photo of Jasper smiling, but he’s a rather serious boy and when on a walk, he’s all about THE WALK — not much room for smiling.

Walking, walking, walking...

I walk, I don't smile.

On their walk, there were beautiful flowers — cherry trees in bloom, daffodils pushing through the soil, and euphorbia chartreuse and Dr. Seuss-like!

Still life with Jasper

When Jasper got back home, he threw himself on the ground and tried to rub off his collar. At this point Gretchen noticed, while she was mixing his dinner, that he’d torn up one of his toys. The lighting wasn’t great, but she snapped this (guilty) photo anyway!

The toy's ripped? Imagine that!

You think I did that? Nope, not me!

Next week I get to meet Jasper and from what I can tell, he seems like a nice enough fellow. I, too, like to rip up my toys and look annoyed when Gretchen poses me in front of flowers!

Have a great weekend,

Rubin