Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

Another year has passed. I can’t believe it. Just like that, it’s January of a brand New Year! Wow.

As Gretchen and I finished up last week (aka 2011) we sat down for a moment to reflect upon the previous year (last blog) and look ahead to some big changes in 2012.

Big changes!

I’m pleased to announce that Wags n’ Words is expanding its operations this year. Not only will we continue to walk dogs as we have for the past three years, but we’re moving into Pet Sitting as well. In addition, Gretchen’s going to take her massage skills on the road (so to speak) and while she’ll continue to work (and love every minute of it) at Wellsprings K9, she’s also setting up shop to come to your house (well, if you live in the area) to massage your dog.

And if you have the need, she can do all three at once — walk your dog, massage your dog, and stay at your house to take care of your dog (and perhaps other animals) while you’re away!

Okay, I have to admit I’m exhausted thinking about it all, but Gretchen assures me she can handle it.

So, if you have any interest in any of these services check out our new Rates and Services page for all the de-tails! Of course, we can only pet sit at one house at a time so get your bid in early!

In addition, to the left of this blog you’ll find a calendar. We’ll post times we have available and times we are booked. If you see a date with an underline, it means we’re booked (looks like this: 13). But if it’s not underlined, then we probably have an opening. Give us a call or send an email to make certain. I have a feeling we’re gonna book up fast!

I’m kind of excited about the new changes because it means that I’ll get to meet new dogs, new people, and benefit from all the massage experience Gretchen will be getting. I mean, she’s good at what she does, but I bet the more dogs she works with, the more I’ll benefit. Don’t ya think?

2011 ended with a pack (as opposed to a bang). We took care of Monty over the holidays and just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, our good friend Quillette showed up to bring in the New Year with us. Monty’s Mom is in Hawaii — the land of light and warmth — and Quillette’s Mom went the opposite direction to Berlin, Germany — the land of dark and wet (at least, that’s how she describes it though she’s having a great time spending the holidays with her brother, his partner and their year-old baby, Henry.)

Anyway, New Year’s Eve and Day were spent with my two friends — Monty and Q — and it felt kind of like the best way to say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012. Well, here’s what Quillette thought about it all…she was relaxing as Gretchen gave her a much needed massage!

We also got to spend New Year’s Day with our extended “logicals” as we call them (as opposed to biologicals — biological family versus friends who are as close as family…our logicals).

Of course, we worked as well, though our only clients this week were Rosie and Tyson. But that turned out great because Tyson’s other dog walker was on vacation so Monty, Rosie, Tyson, and I all got hang out on our walks. We unfortunately couldn’t include Q once she arrived because she and Rosie have a girl-dog thing and it wouldn’t have been pretty, but still, each of them — Rosie and Q — got hang with their boys! And it’s all good when Gretchen has treats!

And I did my duty and took Rosie and Tyson out by themselves, too!

And I got a surprise walk with my friend, Olive…

And if that wasn’t enough for the week, turns out we might have a foster dog living with us in January. More about that later, though…

Yep, 2011 well is coming to a good end and 2012 looks like it’s gonna be a brand new adventure. My tail is wagging in anticipation! Happy New Year everyone!

Rubin

That’s Sir David Niven to You!

I should have seen it coming. Yesterday, after we’d finished all our work, walked all our clients, and picked up every last drop of you know what, we drove to Fremont where Gretchen got her haircut.

“Why now?” I asked, foolishly.

“Well, Thanksgiving is coming and we’re going to the grandparents’ house,” she said. “We want to look our best, don’t we?”

I accepted her answer at face value, not questioning the “we” in her statement and continued on with my relaxed evening. But that “we” came back to haunt me this morning because I was the one who landed at the groomer’s for my turn at a haircut.

I should have known. I should have smelled the inevitable. I should have looked at the calendar and seen that Thanksgiving is fast approaching and a trip to the grandparents’ was right around the bend. I should have known that a feast, the relatives, and holiday all combined meant I was doomed for a grooming.

Did I really need it now? That was the question I pondered as I looked out the window upon the gray, gray and chilly day.

I guess it was inevitable and so I make the long trek up the hill and spent the morning in the tub, on the table, under the dryer, and at the mercy of the clippers.

Meanwhile, Gretchen got to spend a rainy, cold morning with Woobie and Ollie, who walked around Seward Park without me.

“Did they miss me?” I asked later.

“Yes,” she said. “Woobie looked for you out over the lake because she knows how much you like to swim…

“And Ollie gave me those sad eyes all the while begging for your share of the treats!”

And then Gretchen came home to eat a warm lunch, change her wet socks, and work a bit on her “assignments” for the pool. I know she had to have missed me. I mean, she had to notice I wasn’t under the desk warming her feet. I wasn’t there to look at her lovingly when she prepared her lunch. I wasn’t there when she rearranged her rain gear in her pack. I know she missed me. She had to. I missed her.

But when the phone rang and the groomer said I was finished, I also know she was surprised because it was so much earlier than expected. She headed back out the door,  thrilled to see some blue sky (though it was still mighty cold), picked up Gemma and then Saber, and made her way up the stairs, then up the hill on her way to me, her faithful (and now fluffy) companion.

I was happy to see Gemma. I was happy to see Saber. But I gotta admit, I was most happy to see Gretchen until she said…”Oh my goodness, you look like David Niven!”

“What? Who’s David Niven?” I asked. But before she could answer, we were off, back to work walking dogs in the cold November sun.

"Saber, look! It's David Niven!"

When I got home, I looked him up and learned that he was a very talented and stylish actor known for his silk ascots and chiseled look. Gretchen caught me doing research and she smiled and said, “Hey, are you finding out all the things you have in common with David Niven?”

Quick-witted as I am, I replied, “That’s Sir David Niven to you!”

We spent the rest of the afternoon laughing. All is right again in the world and if I do say so myself, I look pretty dapper!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

Raking Leaves in the Wind

Sometimes, when I’m out walking with Gretchen and the other dogs, titles for stories come to me and lean close to Gretchen and say, “Hey, write this one down.” She does and then later, when we come back home, I comb through the list,  think back about the day and then choose the best title. Well today, “Raking Leaves in the Wind” was the best title, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what I was going to write about.

I do remember watching a neighbor with a very large rake in her gloved hands scraping the sidewalk of leaves as the wind blew a fury and all those “raked” leaves danced up the street, unraked. I laughed. I felt bad about laughing the second it happened, but still, I was struck by both the courage she had to attempt such a chore and the futility of the continued endeavor. But as the wind gusted and spurted, howled and moaned she lifted, dropped, and drug that rake across the thick pile of leaves over and over.

I suppose I should give her credit for her persistence. If there were not wind, her job would have been completed quickly and efficiently. But the wind was more persistent and extended her chore every time they heavy air pushed up the street. She never gave up, but she also missed quite a few leaves, which I suppose, is the other irony of this story — now the neighbors have more leaves to rake.

“Why do humans do that?” I asked Gretchen.

“Do what?” she asked, apparently not really paying attention to the woman raking leaves in the wind.

And then I was sort of stuck trying to figure out which question I really wanted to ask — why do humans persist when it’s an uphill battle? Why are humans obsessed with cleaning up leaves? Why do humans use those leaf blowers just pushing all the leaves into someone else’s yard? Why don’t humans wait until the conditions are more favorable?

There were more questions then I could hold in my head and so I said, “Never mind. It’s no big deal.”

“Are you sure, Rubes?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” I said, “because some days it’s just too hard to put human behavior into words.”

Gretchen smiled, gave me a gentle rub behind my ears, and said, “Let’s just enjoy that it’s not raining, okay buddy? No need to contemplate the deeper meaning behind humanity.”

No truer words were spoken today and so, like any dog worth his salt, I gave up the philosophy and enjoyed the fact that we missed walking in the rain. All of our clients enjoyed it too…

Ollie (though see the dark clouds behind him above the lake?)…

…Rosie…

Saber and Gemma…

and, of course,  me…

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

My Life

Let me begin by saying that I have a very good life. Very good. I am fed well, loved even more, and every day I get to visit friends, go for long walks, and play and romp more than most dogs.

That said, sometimes I get a bit irritated when I must share my life with another dog in my home. I’m patient, very patient, but around the fourth day, I’m ready to be a one-dog family again with that one dog being me. Now, I’m not trying to make anyone feel bad and I’m really glad they find comfort in our home, but sometimes I just want all the attention to be on me.

I know it’s selfish. I know that makes me spoiled and a bit bratty, but I want to disclose everything. Be transparent, as so many politicians are fond of saying (only I mean it).

Olive went back to her mom tonight and as much fun as I had with her, it was kind of nice to walk around the house knowing I was the top dog once again. Not that Olive hogged the attention or anything, not that she was demanding or ungrateful or pushy or impatient. Quite to the contrary. She was quiet and gentle. She always let me go first (except when it came to dinner time, but she’s a Lab and has no control over how important food is to her). She was polite and sweet and all the things you’d want a dog and especially a guest dog to be.

In fact, she was so pleasant it got to be a bit annoying. I had to live up to quite a high standard that she set and it tired me out. Or maybe it’s been this week that tired me out. The worst rain I’ve ever experienced on Monday followed by the warmed November days I’ve ever experienced on Tuesday through Thursday. I’ve walked miles and miles and then, when I got home, entertained Olive. Whew.

I don’t think our other dogs will feel as I do, though. They are each going to miss Olive.

Ollie thought she was really cute and always wanted to do what Olive did. It was also funny when Gretchen said Olive’s name, Ollie looked up and vice-versa. As we walked around Seward Park, Ollie wanted to be right by Olive’s side and when we posed for photos, he looked wherever she looked.

I rolled around bored with it all (yes, I’ve already admitted that I’m spoiled!).

Rosie never met Olive because Rosie has “issues” with girls. I don’t think she would have had an issue with Olive because she’s so complacent and appealing, but I wanted Rosie all to myself so Gretchen kept Olive at home. (Yes, I’m spoiled rotten!)

Saber and Gemma both loved Olive in their own way and were both a bit disappointed that they didn’t get to see her today, but Olive, who is not used to so much walking, needed the rest.

“Will she come back one day?” Saber asked me.

That’s an interesting answer. Olive and her mom are headed to Mexico for a bit of a sabbatical. I’m not sure Olive is going to like it much because she doesn’t like heat that much, but I know she loves and adores her mother so I imagine they’ll both work it out. Olive will return one day, though, and when she does, she’s free to stay with us for as long as she’d like.

…though four days is about my limit…

…told ya, I’m spoiled beyond the expiration date!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

An Olive and An Apricot

I was thinking a lot about coats today. Not raincoats because it was really nice out — no rain, warm temperatures, and plenty of sun. I was thinking about coats as in fur, or in my case, hair. My coat is curly and consider an apricot color. Olive is a flat coat and considered, well, black. Then it struck me — she’s a “black” olive and I’m an “apricot” apricot. Okay, it was a stretch, but I found it curious that our names were kind of like food. I mean even Rubin could be spelled Reuben, like the sandwich so she’s a black olive and I’m a apricot Reuben.

You know how your mind can just spin out of control, playing on words and their meanings until it gets kind of silly? Well, that’s exactly what I did today and it started with Olive and me, heading down to Ollie’s house.

Olive has never met Ollie so she asked, “What’s Ollie like?”

Where to begin. “He’s bouncy and smaller than me, but curly like me and red.”

“Red? I don’t think I’ve met a red dog,” commented Olive.

So when we arrived and Ollie bounded out to greet us, Olive said, “Wait, he’s not really red. I was thinking he was red like my color, but he’s not that kind of red.”

Nope, he’s not, but still, humans call him “red” even though he’s more brownish red. I guess that was kind of confusing to Olive. Still, it didn’t matter because Ollie LOVED Olive and Olive found Ollie to be silly. “Doesn’t he ever sit still?”

“Rarely and only for brief moments,” I said. “Otherwise, he’s a very busy boy!”

Next, Olive met Gemma. “Now Gemma is red like Ollie red, but her coat isn’t curly,” I informed her.

“Is it like mine?” Olive asked.

“Nope, she’s got a wiry coat.”

“Wiry? Like what comes out of a lamp?” Olive asked with a bit of surprise on her face.

“No, you’ll see, just hang on.”

So we arrived at Gemma’s house and Gemma bolted out the door to meet Olive. Gemma can be a little forward, but Olive, because she used to be a service dog, has learned not to react much.

“See,” I said, “That’s a wire-haired coat.”

“Oh,” said Olive, “It’s not very soft, is it?”

“Nope, but then it kind of fits Gemma’s personality,” I offered.

“What a minute!” Gemma said, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“No offense, Gemsters, but both you and your coat can be a little wired,” I explained.

She didn’t argue. She just lunged down the stairs and was ready for action!

As you can see from the photos, the camera struggles with my light apricot coat and Olive’s black one, so we took a photo of Olive up close so you can see how pretty she is. And she’s nice, too. Very, very nice.

Olive got to rest at home while I walked with Rosie. “Why can’t I go again?” Olive asked.

“Well, Rosie’s a little nervous around new dogs, especially girl dogs,” I explained.

“What kind of coat does she have?” Olive asked.

“She’s a flat coat like you, but her hair is shorter and it’s red, too.”

“Wow,” said Olive, “Red dogs dominate your life don’t they?”

Well, on Tuesdays they do!

“I never thought about that before,” I finally responded. “But you’re right, on Tuesdays it’s redheads…except for you!”

Of course, after Rosie, I picked up Saber and while we were going to pick up Olive as well, Gretchen decided that Olive, who isn’t a dog dog walker in her normal life, needed to rest. So rest she did, while I entertained Mr. Goofball, who MUST have a stick in his mouth before he’ll even think about posing for a photo!

But he actually did better today. He chewed up the stick and then spit it out when Gretchen told him to leave it. He wasn’t too happy about it, but still he posed like a good boy!

“What color is Saber?” Olive asked when I returned home.

“Well, he’s very interesting,” I explained. “He’s called a chocolate lab, but he’s considered to be a silver coated one.”

“What?” Olive was stumped.

“It’s complicated,” I said and then added, “Let’s just go hang out in the sunshine and forget all about these coats, okay?”

“Sounds like a perfect plan to me,” Olive smiled.

I wish we could have stayed there all day, but Gretchen had to go off to the pool to work and Olive and I had to wait until Ann got home to take us on another walk. Oh, and she fed us a yummy dinner. I guess I shouldn’t complain — I had sunshine, no rain, good food, good friends, and I never even saw my raincoat even from afar today. That’s a perfect way to spend this November day if you ask me!

Until tomorrrow,

The Olive and the Apricot!

Haunted Thoughts

I woke up this morning from a frightening dream. I was being chased by pumpkins. Big, orange, carved pumpkins. I jumped out of my bed, raced down the stairs, and ran barking out into the backyard. It was 5 in the morning. Everyone in the house tried to comfort me. “It was just a dream, Rubin,” Gretchen said in a soothing, sleepy voice. “Come up on the bed,” offered Ann, “And we’ll protect you.”

And so, for the next few hours I slept on the flannel sheets curled between the warmth of my two moms.

But then, when we went on our walks today I kept seeing pumpkins!

“It’s almost Halloween,” Gretchen told me.

“Hallo- what?” I asked.

“It’s a long story,” she began and then told me all about the pagans and the church and the candy and the costumes and the whole thing just made me more confused than I already was.

“But what about the pumpkins?” I asked. “Why are there pumpkins with spooky faces every where?”

“Why don’t you look it up?” she suggested. I tell you, once a teacher always a teacher only now she’s worse because she’s a teacher without a classroom.

So, I got on the internet and found the following explanation from Halloween.net:

There are several different stories about how pumpkins came to be part of our Halloween traditions. They are all interesting, and although pumpkin carving was first done in the Americas, all of the stories come from Europe.

Halloween originated almost 3000 years ago with the Celtic people of Western Europe. In those times, the end of summer and the beginning of winter was considered to be the end of the year and a special, magical time. The Celts held a festival, called Samhain to recognize the end of summer. There were many traditions associated with the Samhain festival, and there were many beliefs about the power of that night. Most Celts believed that on the night of Samhain, the recently dead souls were permitted to walk the earth.

It was traditional to attend a big bonfire on top of a hill to honor the gods. This was called the Samhain fire festival. On the way home from the fire, people would dress up in scary costumes to frighten away the dead souls roaming the earth. They would also take an ember from the bonfire to light the way. As the story goes, people would hollow out gourds or turnips, or even potatoes and place the lit ember inside. To help them scare away the marauding spirits, they would carve scary faces into the ember holders.

Once they returned home, the lit gourds (or other vegetables) would be set in the window or outside of the door. This is thought to have been done either to scare away the malevolent spirits or to welcome benevolent spirits. The Wiccans and some other neopagan religions are still based on the ancient beliefs of the Celtics and the Druids, and some of these religions still participate in the Samhain fire festival.

Carving pumpkins at Halloween time almost certainly has roots in these ancient rituals. However, farmers started carving faces in pumpkins soon after coming to the new world. This practice had nothing to do with Halloween but was instead associated with the harvest. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that carved pumpkins became a part of the Halloween tradition.

Irish immigrants started to call the pumpkins Jack o’ lanterns after an Irish folk tale about a wandering spirit named Jack. The story on Jack is that he played a trick on the devil and won back his soul. However, he had been such a bad man that heaven wouldn’t take him whether the devil claimed his soul or not. Being banned from both heaven and hell, Jack was forced to spend eternity roaming the earth. He did this carrying a piece of coal either that he had received in hell or that the devil had thrown at him. He used a hollowed out gourd to carry his coal and light his way.

The reasons that pumpkins are a part of Halloween are a combination of all of these traditions. The ancient Celtic holiday is certainly part of the reason that we carve pumpkins, but it is important to remember that there were no pumpkins in Western Europe at that time. The first pumpkin ever carved was most likely in the United States since pumpkins are a native fruit. Calling the carved pumpkins Jack o’ lanterns most likely did come from the Irish folk tale of Jack. However, there is another story that in the early factories of the United States, the night watchmen carried lanterns and that those lanterns became known as Jack o’ lanterns.

So I guess it explains why the pumpkins are kind of scary, but that doesn’t help me much late at night when those big, round, orange lit-up frightening faces haunt my dreams. Maybe I can sleep on the human bed until it’s all over? Hm, it’s worth asking now isn’t it!

But as you can tell from today’s photos, I wasn’t the only who was on alert about spooks and pumpkins. All my friends where just as jumpy as I was.

Until tomorrow,

R-boo-bin!

NoWindRain/NoRainWind

There is amazing weird weather happening around these parts. First, the temperature dropped and finally, FINALLY the furnace at home kicked in. (I, for one, am very thankful!). Next, the wind blows like Harpies howling all night long and banging the trees against the house. And if the wind’s not blowing, the rain is pounding, coming down in huge drops that bounce off the back deck like popcorn.

But the weird observation of the day is that when it’s windy, it’s generally not raining and when it’s raining, it’s generally not windy. I’m not sure which I like more (or perhaps least) — the wind or the rain — but it’s clear they don’t like each other much because they’re rarely around at the same time.

On our first walk with Ollie, it rained. Ollie wore my old raincoat and I kind of, sort of wished I had mine on. It was wet, but more than that, it was cold and my curls ran a bit thin this morning!

Next up was Gertie and while it rained in the beginning of our walk, the wind picked up and whipped our curls about as we posed in the park on the cement “thrones”…

well, I sat on a throne…Gertie didn’t like the marble finish so she sat on the ground.

By the time we picked up Rosie, the rain was a mist and the wind was swirling and twirling and lifting the leaves across the pavement!

Rosie watched with interest…

…and when we got back to her house, she tried to hide from the wind in the back of our car. A side note: Rosie doesn’t like riding in the car, according to her owners, but when Gretchen went to put me in the car before taking Rosie home, Rosie jumped right in with me. The problem was trying to get her out! She wouldn’t budge, but when I left, Rosie followed and Gretchen and I had to chuckle. I guess that means that Rosie really likes me!

Originally, I wasn’t going to walk with Gemma and Saber, but Gretchen figured I was already wet and it would just as easy to wipe me dry when she wiped herself off at the end of the day, so Gemma, Saber, and I watched as the sky grew lighter, the wind kicked up and the rain stopped and then did all of that in reverse — the rain kicked up, the wind stopped, and the sky darkened…amazing.

Of course, none of it deter us when Gretchen asked, “Who wants a treat?”

I usually don’t mind the weather, but I have to say, I’m kind of glad that I’m home and dry and warm tonight. I sure hope all of you are, too!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

Oh My Dog!

So, I’m sitting at the computer (yes, sitting), my paws clicking away at the keyboard when all of the sudden I hear this sound. “Meow!”

Uh, what? Gretchen was in the kitchen and the back door was open to let in the last of the warm fall air. I jumped from the chair, headed to the kitchen at the same time Gretchen raced from the sink to slide the back door closed.

But in that split second between my arrival at the back door and the sound of the lock clicking into place, I saw a white butt and gray tail.

IT WAS A CAT!!!!! IN OUR HOUSE!!

It took quite awhile for Gretchen to settle me down, but after much cajoling, I came back to the computer. “I’m going to write about it in my blog today!” I announced with quivering glee.

“You do that, buddy,” Gretchen called from the kitchen. And now that I’ve written it down, I’m not sure what else to do. I mean, how can anything else top a stray cat in your house?

Okay, nothing can, but still I worked today and though we had a much calmer schedule than yesterday, I would be doing a disservice to my canine pals if I let a cat take precedence. So…

The day started later than usual, which was fine because I was kind of tired from the eight dogs we walked yesterday. Our first dog was Ollie and while we usually pick him up earlier than we did today, he wasn’t disappointed by our late arrival. “I’m so glad you’re here!” he squealed and then we piled into the car and drove to Gertie’s house.

It was kind of a doodle morning, you could say since Ollie and I are both Labradoodles and Gertie is a Whoodle — a Wheaten Terrier and Poodle mix. I knew Ollie and Gertie would get along fabulously because they both have the same dog-a-nality — bouncy and silly.

We went for a walk down to Genessee Park where we posed in the colorful leaves. Of course, it’s hard to see Gertie’s black face against the reds and golds, so Gretchen took close ups of us to demonstrate that we each have faces under all of those curls.

I even asked Gertie to look up so you could see that she does, in fact, have eyes.

We walked along the lake, back to Gertie’s house, and I watched as Ollie and Gertie bounced and giggled  happy to have met each other!

After we dropped Ollie back at his house, we took a wee break so I could eat my breakfast. Of course, it was now lunchtime, but it still tasted pretty darn good because today was sardine day. Twice a week, I get half a can of sardines though I have to train Gretchen to give it to me at dinner time because I think that’s why breakfast looked/smelled so unappetizing. Fish for breakfast? Not this boy.

Next we picked up Gemma and headed over to Saber’s house. Since they got a big romp yesterday, we just went for a walk, but it’s never as simple as it sounds when we’re walking those two together. We headed through the tunnel and for Gemma, this is an invitation to poke her nose into Saber’s neck and beg for a rowdy wrestling match. On leashes, it’s a bit dangerous so Gretchen did her best to get Gemma to behave, which included barking at her to get her attention.

It worked beautifully because the echo in the tunnel amplified the bark making Gemma worried that there was a HUGE dog scolding her.

That huge dog was none other than Gretchen who smiled at the genius of her new training technique!

We posed above the tunnel with the beautiful red trees behind us. Of course, it took a bit of work on Gretchen’s part to get this shot…

…because Saber wanted to chew on a stick and Gemma wanted to jump into the bushes after whatever was rustling in there.

And then Gemma decided chewing on a stick was a good idea, too.

Meanwhile, I’m behaving. It seems I’m almost always behaving.

But I was rewarded later when Gretchen took me back down to the lake after we dropped off Saber and Gemma and I got to go for swim!!! The wind was picking up and the waves were rolling in, but I didn’t care. Yahoo!

Of course, the cat in the house tops it all! Oh, if only I’d been faster to the door than Gretchen! Catching a cat in my house would have made this the best day ever!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

As Luck Would Have It

I’m not sure what’s changed. I’m not even sure if I’ve changed or everyone else around me, but all of the sudden, I’m allowed on the couch. Since I was a wee one, I’ve been told that I will be allowed on the couch when I turn ten. I’m three now and in February I will turn four, which even I know is a very long way from ten.

I should clarify. I’m not allowed on the couch in the living room, I’m only allowed on the couch in the TV room. And I’m not allowed to go on it any old time I want (like when I’m left alone), but only when invited. I’m even allowed, at times, to go on other people’s couches. Like last night, when Gretchen took me to the pool where she works and after I went swimming (divine!), I was allowed up on the couch while she worked in the office.

Of course, I haven’t asked to go on other people’s couches in other places and I’m not sure I’m actually brave enough to even think it might be a possibility, but for now, I’m enjoying the bit of couch freedom I’ve been given and trying not to press my luck.

I wasn’t sure being allowed on the couch was a privilege many dogs get so when I went out on my first walk with Ollie today, I asked him, “Do you get to be on the couch?”

“Yeah,” he said matter-of-factly, “Don’t you?”

I sputtered, “Uh, yeah, now I do, but never before now.”

“Really? Shock and surprise,” he gasped.

“Why?” I asked.

“You’re Rubin!” he said if that answered it all…and then he kissed me and got all embarrassed about it. Silly boy.

Gertie is new to us (we’ve only been walking her for two weeks now, with only two more to go) so her answer was a bit muddled. “Couch? Where’s the couch?” You see, Gertie bounces everywhere and it’s hard to hear as she flies by. And then, when it’s time for the photos, she plops down and looks at me.

“Is that the couch? It doesn’t look like a couch!”

I know Rosie gets to go on the couch, but she says she doesn’t do it that often.

“Would your parents agree?” I asked.

She just looked at me innocently. Of course, she was also surprised by my behavior today. “What are you doing, Rubin?” she asked.

“There’s nothing like a pile of autumn leaves on a green lawn,” I said and promptly rolled around!

Rosie didn’t see it that way…she thought I was pretty silly and I guess I am! But seriously, who can resist a romp in the leaves?

Gemma and Saber have opposite couch experiences. “I go on the couch all the time,” Gemma said. “Who’s gonna try and stop me?”

“The couch?” Saber looked at her guiltily. “Oh me, never, never, never do I go on the couch. I am a very good dog, a very good dog. No couch for me.”

Maybe when he’s older, eh?

As for me, I’m enjoying the couch, but I still don’t trust that it’s a long time event. I mean, out of the blue they let me onto the couch. Just as quickly they may keep me off of it. I have to play my cards just right or who knows what I may or may not be allowed to do!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

The Angle of the Sun

Today I noticed that the sun was lower in the sky. It started this morning as Ollie and I walked around Seward Park. All the places where we like to pose for photos were in shade, which really isn’t how I remember them this summer. So I asked Gretchen, “Why is the sun sinking?”

She said: It’s not sinking, really, it’s just the angle of the sun in the sky in relationship to the earth’s rotation during the fall and winter. That’s why it’s getting darker earlier.

Ah, yes, darker earlier. There are many things I like about Autumn, but the getting darker part isn’t one of them. And while I like rain, the constant, continuous rain can sometimes get me down. Luckily today, it was sunny and warm and the rain that was predicted didn’t come until we were done with our work. Yes, it’s raining right now as I type and it’s not that gentle rain of spring or summer. It’s a hard, cold rain and as the skies grow darker, I’m lamenting the changing angle of the sun.

But I’m not going to lament for long because it was really a wonderful day, which started, as I’ve mentioned, with a walk around Seward Park with my buddy Ollie. We posed on the wall right by the lake and the sun, as you can see, warmed us. It felt so good, I just had to roll around and Ollie looked at me in disbelief. “Wow, Rubin, you’re being so disobedient. You never do that!”

“It’s the sun, buddy,” I told him. “It makes me do crazy things.”

“Crazy? I think you’re just being silly,” he laughed.

Our walk was really fun not just because it was sunny and warm, but also because I was feeling pretty good — my body is slowly healing and for that I am very grateful.

Next, I got to walk with Rosie again and that, too was fun because she was excited to see me. She wagged and danced and because she was so happy, I wagged and danced too.

We enjoyed the angle of the sun as it warmed not only us, but the glowing trees behind us!

Woobie was next on the docket, but it took a bit of maneuvering. You see, Woobie is spending the weekend with us so we had to load up her bed and food and then drop it all off at our house before heading over to Gertie’s house. Gertie has never met Woobie, but I knew the two of them would get along really well. After all, they’re kind of similar — Gertie is just a curly version of Woobie in many ways.

All of us enjoyed the sun’s angle from our various perches throughout our walk. And yes, once again I had to roll around and feel the sun on my belly.

Our final walk of the day was with Saber and while we walked in the sun for a majority of our time together, we did walk through Frink Park and posed in the shade where Saber did what Saber always does — chewed on sticks. We just watched and chuckled.

Now Woobie and I are getting ready to curl up on our beds and hang out for the evening. Woobie got on the computer and printed out more information on the earth’s changing rotation, which she’ll share with me soon. I’m doing what I can to convince Woobie that reading on my bed might be more comfortable, though really it’s just a ploy to be able to sleep on hers.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin