There was a time when I went to school, but now that Gretchen is no longer a teacher, I am no longer a school dog. I have mixed feelings about it all, but when I was out with my friends/clients today, I was happy about where my life has landed me. What I miss about school is hearing everyone say, “Good morning, Rubin!” the moment I walked through the door. I think Gretchen felt a little put out since rarely did anyone greet her with such enthusiasm, but it’s something I really miss these days.

I also miss the way I could wander around the classroom and lick up any food droppings on the floor. I usually don’t do this at home, but the food at school was a lot better than what we eat around here (no offense).

I thought that I wouldn’t miss the getting up early, but it seems that’s not going to change. We got up early this morning to make breakfast for Ann’s first day back in the classroom and then we raced home at the end of the day to make dinner for her too. I guess, since we both know what it’s like to be a teacher, we need to support her in every way that we can, but still, it would be nice to sleep in late.

But our day was busy, too. True, Ann has 29 kids in her classroom and we don’t have nearly that many clients, still we walked a lot today and I for one, am as tired as if it were my first day of school.

First up was Monty and I was kind of dreading it. Not because we were going to be with Monty. I LOVE hanging with my BFF. No, what I dreaded was the rain. Gretchen looked out the front door and then looked at me and I knew something awful was about to happen. When she headed to the closet to get my raincoat, I raced upstairs and tried to hide.

I guess it was kind of turning out like the first day of school. “Mom, don’t make me wear that! My friends will all laugh at me!”

But wear the coat I had to and I was none too pleased. Especially when Monty decided he needed to shake off the rain at the pea patch. He didn’t wear a coat and I suffered, as you can see, the consequences!

Rosie and Tyson didn’t have to wear their coats on their walk, but lucky for them, the rain stopped about halfway through their walk. Unfortunately, the clouds were pretty heavy and the light was really dark as they headed down to Leschi and then up through Frink Park. Only one photo turned out okay, but still, you can see they are without raincoats!

By the time Gemma was retrieved from her house, the rain had gone away and the sun actually came out. Oshi and Perrito were happy about that — Gemma could have cared less. She was far more interested in the squirrels that kept racing across the telephone wires behind Gretchen and her camera.

Still, no one got wet and no one had to wear a raincoat.

And I didn’t have to wear one either when Monty and I picked up Saber from his house.

Instead, we got to walk in the sunshine and once again, Gretchen headed down to Leschi for a sweet shot of us by the marina.

Of course, Saber was disappointed that he wasn’t going to go swimming so he refused, at first, to look at the camera, but once Gretchen said the word “treat” he behaved.

Monty, too, who was slowing getting up from his sit/stay to see if Gretchen really was really going to cough up a cookie!

By the time I met up with Paige, there was actual blue skies and man, was I ever happy because that raincoat dogged me all the way to Paige’s house (Gretchen left it in the back of the car RIGHT NEXT TO MY BED!).

When I was a dog teacher, exciting events would happen occasionally, but basically, not much changed from day to day. I liked the predictability of it all, but I also like the variety of my work now. Take, for instance, going on a walk with Paige. We visited Jack Block park and then walked up onto this high tower to view the city.

What Paige and I  saw in the distance over our shoulders(the black spot in the water) was a seal munching on some sweet seafood…

…the Seattle skyline in the distance…

….and the LONG WAY down from the tower to the ground. It might not look like it, but I was totally freaked and when Gretchen asked me to sit, I sat as close to my friend Paige as I could get. Paige, being the good friend that she is, let me lean into her and I really appreciated the support. Finally, she told me just to line down and the world would stop spinning. She’s so smart!

But things got even more exciting on our way home. Paige and I were walking side by side, gently bumping into each other when all of the sudden, with the force of a powerful huntress, Paige stabbed into the bushes and emerged with something big in her mouth.

I jumped. Gretchen jumped and immediately reached for Paige’s mouth to pull out what she thought was going to be a hamburger wrapper or some garbage. But no…the “garbage” had a tail…a really, really long tail and the whole thing wriggled in Paige’s mouth. I ducked behind Gretchen’s legs, my eyes as wide as they could get and Gretchen jumped back realizing that the thing in Paige’s mouth was a LIVE RAT!

Not just any rat, but a huge wharf rat about the size of a small cat. Gretchen yelled, “OUT!” and with a swift shake, Paige shook that ugly thing and then dropped it onto the path.

OH MY DOG! Gretchen checked Paige who, with blood all over her mouth, smiled proudly. I stood by in amazement and just kept saying, “WOW!” over and over again. The blood didn’t really belong to Paige. Nope, it came from the belly of the rat she’d killed (yippee, one less rat in the world!) and a slight cut on her lip.

All the way back to Paige’s house I kept asking her questions, “How did you know it was there?” and “How did you learn to be so fast?” Paige just continued to smile, her ears on alert, and finally said, “Shucks, Rubin, it was easy. I’ll teach you how if you wanna learn?”

Oh my dog! Stuff like this NEVER happened in the classroom.

So, while I’m sad not to be curled up underneath of a student who needs some dog love, I’m really happy to be out in the “wild” spending time with my friends and learning all sorts of cool stuff I never even dreamed of when I was a teacher.

Until tomorrow!

Rubin

This is the time of the year when it’s really easy to be fooled. Take this morning, for instance. I looked out the window and saw gray clouds and rain. By the time we headed out the door on our first walk of the day (with Oshi and Perrito) there was no longer any rain, but the gray clouds looked threatening.

Still, we headed over to the tennis courts because when it rains, they’re usually empty and we get to play!

Well, Oshi doesn’t play…

Gretchen walked Rosie and Tyson both today (not a usual event, but apparently they are on the schedule for the whole week, an hour each day!) and while I rested at home and then ventured through the many trails, even the gray clouds started to part!

Gretchen was so fooled by today’s weather she wore long pants and then, after she’d dropped off Rosie and Tyson and picked up Gemma, she swung by our house to change into her shorts. When I saw that I was pretty excited!

Gemma was really excited because she got to go see her old friend Ollie and by the time we got to his house, there was actual sunshine!! You can kind of see it as we posed in the shade of the trees, yes?

But the best part of the today’s fooling around was by the time we picked up Saber, it was warm enough to GO SWIMMING!

Of course, Saber went swimming after the ducks instead of the ball and while there was a moment of worry (“Will I have to go in after him?” Gretchen asked me) Saber spun around and headed to shore whereupon he dunked his own head. Silly dog!

Then we dried off on the bench before we headed home in the bright sunshine of the day.

As you can tell, neither of us wanted to head home. We wanted to hang out on the beach and play in the unexpected sunshine, but Gretchen had to go to work at the pool tonight so no extended play dates for me!

Still, I guess I should count my blessings because sometimes, as I know to well, the fooling can go in reverse. I could have woken up to sunshine and then been fooled into thinking the weather would be grand and end up in my dreaded raincoat! Let’s hope that doesn’t happen tomorrow.

Until then,

Rubin

I took today off. I’m not supposed to be walking dogs or taking photos of them and technically, I haven’t and I didn’t, but since we went away for the Labor Day weekend and since we flew out of here Friday night like Wendy and the Lost Boys out the window, I didn’t get a chance to post the blog on Friday. So I’m posting it today.

Technically then, I am not working. Right?

Not like anyone is going to pay me overtime now is it? In fact, I need to talk with Gretchen about my “cut” of the profits. She claims I eat them in my food or play with them whenever I get a new toy or bed. Hm, something feels fishy and since it’s Labor Day, I may have to protest about my “free” labor.

But I’ll save that until later because right now I should tell you about Friday.

Surprisingly, it was hot on Friday. Why that’s a surprise is because right now (the Monday following), it’s darn chilly and the rain has washed away pretty much any memory of summer. But I digress. Friday was warm. Warm enough, in fact, that Tyson, the first walk of the day got to go to the lake and swim. Clarification. Tyson doesn’t really swim, but since Gretchen didn’t know that she threw the ring-toy out a bit too far for Tyson who had to use his best problem-solving skills to figure out how to retrieve it.

As you can see, while Tyson used some clever moves, he ended up swimming to get the toy, which pleased Gretchen to no end because if he’d let it float without retrieving it, she’d have to wade in and get it. She was not at all prepared for that!

Gemma got to walk with Oshi and Perrito and while no one really wanted to look at the camera (there were little soccer players everywhere and all of them wanted to run and play with the kids and not pose for photos), eventually they all submitted to the will of the camera…sort of!

Monty was with me the whole day and we’d taken a long walk in the morning, before it got too warm, and then another walk with Saber which lead us first to the tennis courts…

…and then up to the Bradner Gardens where we dined with some children who were celebrating their last weekend of freedom before they were “forced” to go back to school. Only these kids weren’t worried at all about returning.

It was a short day, as you can tell, but still one I didn’t want to miss. And even though it’s taken me until today (technically a day off) to get this post done, I can now wash my paws of the obligation. Whew.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

The conversation at the breakfast table this morning was all about September being the official start of a New Year versus the traditional January. I was uncertain as to why September was substituted for January, when I got what can only be described as an educator’s optical reprimand. You see, before Gretchen was a dog walker, she was a teacher and after 24 years of teaching, the beginning of the school year has always marked a beginning of a new year and much like the January New Year’s, many of the same events occur — resolutions, taking stock of the previous year, and hoping that the upcoming year will be a bit better than the last.

Of course, only Ann (my other mother) is a teacher now, but Gretchen says she still feels the September-New-Year pull and has this incredible urge to go shopping for pencils and pens, lined paper and glue sticks. I did my best to walk those urges out of her today!

First up were Oshi and Perrito. While Oshi had some inkling of the school year just beginning, Perrito was oblivious until we stopped by the school and he saw all the people (teachers) milling about. “I wanna go to school!” he squealed.

Oshi just rolled his eyes and said, “I just wanna go home.”

Next up were Rosie and Tyson who earlier in the morning (on a walk with their Mom) spotted a cat across the street. When Gretchen took them out they were both eager to find the cat again, but she did what she could to discourage them. “So, what do you think about the new school year starting up?”

They both just looked at her stymied and then Tyson practiced some yoga.

Gemma, Saber, and I got to walk together and they both had lots to say about the school year. “I wanna go, I wanna go!” wiggled Saber.

“You’re too young,” chided Gemma.

“You’re both too young,” I mumbled so only Gretchen could hear me. Gemma was constantly bumping into Saber, trying to bite his jowls while we walked and Saber, who was trying to be a good boy, kept trying to get out of Gemma’s way. When we stopped for our photo shoot, I riled them both up by rolling around and while these photos look like we’re calm and under control, it was mayhem for the first five minutes (of which Gretchen only captured a millisecond of the chaos!).

After everyone went home, I got to play some fetch, but only for a short bit because Gretchen was off to work at the pool. Funny — school (with two o’s) and pool (with two o’s). Cool!

Oh, before I forget, I met a new dog this weekend. Her name is Eloise and she’s 16 years old! I guess that’s why she curled up on the chair and fell asleep!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Rubin

I was worried the yesterday that I’d missed September. Thursday felt more like October and less like the end of August then I’d ever known in my 3 and a half short years. It was worrisome. But today, all felt right with the world. August’s warmth returned, but with September humming all around its edges. I sighed with relief because if you didn’t know by my post yesterday, I really like September. I like October, too, but September has sort of a special place in my heart. I don’t really know why, but it does.

Our day was full, but not too full, which gave me time to really enjoy the final days of August and contemplate the fun I’ll have in September. Our walks started with Monty and as we strolled through the park, up on the hill, and through the gardens I felt content. That’s when it struck me that September feels like contentment — that all is right in the world because the seasons are shifting and Mother Nature is in control.

I like knowing she’s in charge because sometimes humans need to be reminded. Sometimes humans think they have complete control and they need some subtle (and not so subtle) nudges. September is a nice nudge, letting humans know that all those hot days are in the past, the earth is spinning, and seasons will bring rain and wind, snow (I hope so) and chilly temperatures and then spin back around to bring green and warmth, gentle showers and bluer skies.

But I digress. Monty and I enjoyed our walk and rested (after a nice brunch) while Gretchen walked Rosie and Tyson. The nice thing about cooler weather is that the tennis courts are open and boy, Tyson and Rosie were each pleased about that!

Gemma kind of reminds me of autumn (must be her amber coat) though I’m not sure she pays any attention to the weather. She walked with Oshi and Perrito and as you can see by the photos, Gemma is always scanning the horizon for activity (read trouble) while Perrito is focused on Gemma and Oshi is focused on home. For Oshi, the changing seasons means curling up under the covers for a longer time each morning.

Gemma came by to play a bit with me and Monty. I wasn’t into playing much, but boy Monty was! I let them chase me or at least try to find me to chase me and then Gemma and Monty romped while I watched and laughed.

After we took Gemma home, Monty and I got to play some fetch. We’d played on Wednesday, too, but the weather was a lot warmer then and it was hard to sustain the romp. Mostly we just hung out in the shade. Today we played hard, though mostly Gretchen took photos of us hanging out in the shade, which is equally as fun as chasing after the ball.

It’s great to be off leash!

We picked up Saber then and he helped me walk Monty back to our house. Monty’s slowing down a bit as he gets older so he needs to rest a bit more. So we walked the long way home and while Monty rested, Saber and I played in the pool and wrestled on the lawn.

I took Saber home after that and then Gretchen walked Monty home because she is working tonight at the pool. Me? I’m resting and keeping my nose in the air for the scent of sweet September.

Have a great weekend,

Rubin

There are days when the views around here just take my breath away. Today was one of those days. We had rain this weekend and while many moan and groan about rain, it does one thing very well– cleans the air.

Clean air means great views of the mountains, of the city, of the gardens and parks and all the great places where we live.

When this kind of weather rolls around (cool in the mornings, warm in the afternoons), a big smile races across my face. I just know that on our walks, the views will be spectacular. All of our dog walking clients noticed the views as well, so though we don’t have a ton of photos today, you’ll notice that everyone is paying attention to the view.

First up, Rosie and Tyson and while Tyson knew to look at the camera, Rosie kept trying to get him to look over his shoulder at the Cascades, the lake, and Mt. Rainier.

“Hey Tyson,” said Rosie, “If I look this way, all I see is grass!”

“Yeah, but Rosie,” said Tyson, “If we look at the camera, we always, and I mean ALWAYS, get a treat!”

“Good point!”

While it looks like Perrito is the only one looking at the view behind us, Gemma and I are actually scoping out the view over Gretchen’s shoulder. Okay, so it’s not a view of the mountains or of water or even of a garden. Nope, we were watching three dogs playing fetch in the field. Perrito, meanwhile, is checking out the view of the open field behind us — the open field he LOVES to run in — and Oshi, well, he’s doing what Oshi always does — he’s figuring out the shortest route back home!

By the time Saber and I went for a walk, the view of the city was pretty amazing. So amazing, we both had to check it out!

But then, with the promise of snacks, we posed both sitting…

and lying down…

And yes, we got some treats for being so well behaved.

Tomorrow’s weather promises much of the same. Hopefully we’ll actually get shots of all the beautiful things we’re viewing!

Until then,

Rubin

I was sleeping soundly this morning when Gretchen reached over the bed to pet my belly. “Wow, Rubin,” she said, “Your legs look so long.”

I was still half asleep and replied, “That’s because my ears are short.”

She laughed. Then I laughed and for most of the morning, we couldn’t stop laughing.

What I meant to say was — with my ears shorter since my grooming, it makes my legs look longer. In other words, it’s all a matter of perspective and I really haven’t changed in height or leg length. Still, it was fun to laugh this morning and realize that life doesn’t have to be all serious. Not that it has been of late, but laughing first thing in the morning was a great way to start our Friday.

Another great way was to spend the first part of the day with Monty, my best friend in all the world (no offense to any of my other friends, it’s just that he was my first true friend and has been my steadfast buddy ever since!).

I think that’s how Rosie must feel about Tyson — they’re two siblings, but from what Gretchen tells me they’re really best friends. For instance, when I need to feel okay about the world, I turn to Monty. Rosie, Gretchen says, does the same with Tyson. It’s kind of cute, don’t you think?

Oshi and Perrito are buddies as well, but Gemma has kind of adopted them has her special buddies as well. Whenever she walks to their house to pick them up (they live next door to us), she gets really excited, races up the steps, and today, even made herself comfortable on the couch! No one seemed to mind, except Gretchen, so on the walk, they recreated the couch pose on a bulkhead!

The final dog of the day was Saber and Monty and I are both grooming him for buddy status. He’s more than ready for the job, don’t ya think?

Of course, he’s young still and there’s a lot to teach him, but luckily we get to spend a lot of time with Saber so we have lots and lots of teachable moments!

The day began with a laugh and ended with a big yawn. Yep, it’s Friday and I’m one tired pup. We sure hope you all have a great weekend!

Until then…sweet dreams,

Rubin

"Feels like another hot one, Gretchen!"

Going Slowly

There’s record-breaking heat all across the country and while everyone seems to be focused on the East Coast, Seattle is getting its fair share of hot, hot weather. So hot that the only way to survive as a dog dog walker is to go slowly.

That’s exactly what we did today though we also employed some other strategies. For instance, on my own personal walk this morning, Gretchen got up early so we could walk in the relatively cool air of the morning. We’ve also been heading to the lake where we both take a swim, which is the most refreshing way to begin a hot day that I can think of!

But our schedule doesn’t always allow early morning walks or trips to the lake. Some dogs have to be walked later in the day and unfortunately, in the heat, but we do what we can to keep them cool. First up today were Rosie and Tyson. Luckily, they were first on the docket so they didn’t have to walk in the real heat. Still, it was warm so Gretchen took a route that guaranteed nice patches of shade and rests under big trees. Rosie and Tyson really appreciated it!

With Gemma we had enough time to head to the lake, which I really appreciated and while I think Gemma liked it, she’s kind of funny about the water. When we arrive, she walks right in and refuses to come out, but she doesn’t ever swim. Well, that’s not exactly true — she wades out until all of the sudden she’s floating and then she panics a bit and splashes back to shore.

Meanwhile, I swim out and fetch the ball that she has no interest in retrieving and Gemma watches in awe.

Since I had a play date with my friend Ben and his cousin, Bailey at their outdoor pool later in the afaternoon, I didn’t go on the next walk with Saber and Alice.

Yep, Saber and Alice walked together without me. Gretchen said it all went well though Alice was a tad bit hesitant to walk anywhere near jolly Saber until about halfway through the walk.

Of course during the photo time, it was almost impossible to get Alice to sit next to Saber because, as you know, Saber has a hard time sitting or lying in one place for very long. His fidgeting makes her kind of nervous…

But then they met a nice young man, who loved petting Saber…

…and who helped them pose for their “lie down” photo!

Alice didn’t seem to notice the heat much, but Saber drank a bowl of water at the end of the walk and when he got home, flopped onto the cool floor panting heavily. I may have to take him to the lake tomorrow!

Until then…hope you all survive the heat!

Rubin

We were walking through the park today and there was a crew of people cleaning up after this weekend’s many festivities! One man complimented me on my new haircut (he didn’t think that I looked like a meerkat!) and then I asked him how much fun he had at the festival in the rain.

“Oh, I’m used to Seattle’s mood swings!” he said.

“Mood swings?” I cocked my head his direction.

“Yeah,” he answered, “Seattle’s weather is moody to say the least. You never know which way it’s gonna swing.”

I laughed out loud. Today Seattle’s weather was in a gray mood. After all the warm, sunny moods of late, the rain and clouds of the weekend felt like kind of a relief. But I thought for sure the mood would change back to sunshine for our walks today only it didn’t. It was warmer, but the gray clouds stayed with us until well into the afternoon when Gretchen headed off to her job at the pool.

The first walk of the day was with CATS! Wait, what? Did I just write CATS? Well, it’s true. While I didn’t have to walk them, I did get a walk around Genessee Park where there were work crews cleaning up more festivities. Then I had to wait in the car, while Gretchen and Ann checked in on our friends’ cats. Yep, CATS! Man oh man, what has Wags n’ Words come to? I didn’t get to meet them (not sure why?), but I did see the photos — most of which were blurry and only this one turned out any good.

Friends, meet Jude and Rita (to the left)…and don’t even think about saying they are adorable.

I heard that!

Then Gretchen got to walk Rosie and Tyson. I know they wouldn’t have tolerated cat sitting on our agenda today if they were in charge!! But I guess it begs to question, WHO IS IN CHARGE?

Apparently, not me.

Next, Gemma walked with Oshi and Perrito and all of them were on the lookout for CATS! They even found one on Oshi and Perrito’s porch (the neighbor’s cat who likes to hang out at their house) and Gemma had the same reaction I would have — CATS!!!!

Finally, the day ended with Saber who would like to meet a cat, or so he tells me. Yikes!

I need to educate that boy…which is exactly what I tried to do today by showing him how to be a bad boy while posing for a photo…

…the best he could do was flip his ear.

By the time Saber went home, the mood of the weather was better, but my mood was worse since Ann had to go back and check on the CATS! Talk about mood swings. When I see a cat or know one is nearby, my mood goes wild! Who knows what it will do tomorrow both in terms of CATS and the weather!

Until then,

Rubin

Some would call our week off a vacation. I’d call it torture. But we’re back and I, for one, am not going to live in the past, thank you very much!

I shouldn’t complain. I got to go on long walks in the morning and sometimes we’d play fetch. Then I’d go swimming or more long walks with my other mother, Ann. In the evening, when Gretchen returned from her day at massage class, she’d practice what she learned on me, which I enjoyed very much, but still…not working is something I can’t handle very well.

And I missed my friends (aka: clients). Gretchen told me she missed them too and so last night, when we finally went to bed (after a wonderful day with the grandparents) we had a hard time falling asleep thinking about how much fun we’re going to have getting back to work today. Of course, it didn’t help that this morning, our smoke detectors ran themselves through a series of tests — beeping loudly every half hour or so — waking us up way too early.

Still, I was excited to get to work even though our first walk of the day was one I didn’t go on. Yep, Gretchen walked Rosie and Tyson and the “greeting” and “welcome back” for all involved was lively! I know, it’s hard to tell from the photos, but really, they were both very happy to be out walking with Gretchen…they were just distracted by all the crows!

As you can see, Tyson is still wearing a thundershirt to help him with his anxiety. It seems to be working. He also got some acupuncture and I’m hearing rumors that I might have to see the same doctor that he’s seeing. I wonder why? Do they think I have anxiety issues?

Hmmmmm…

Next up was Gemma who first got to walk with Oshi and Perrito…

And then she came over to our house to try and play with me…instead we hung out in the backyard! It was very nice!

We took Gemma home and then picked up Saber and the two of us rode along in the car to Alice’s house. She was happy to see me, but she wasn’t so pleased that silly Saber came along. I’d forgotten how silly he is and kind of ADD. Every time we tried to take the photo, he kept getting distracted by all the smells and Alice did her best to get as far away from Saber as she could and therefore wouldn’t look at the camera very much! Oy! I’d forgotten all the social dynamic situations, too!

In fact, after looking at these photos, you’d never know the three of us were all sitting within five feet of each other! Luckily Gretchen took a photo to prove that yes, we all were on the same walk!

It’s funny though because halfway through the walk, Alice is walking side by side with Saber, her tail up, her ears happy, and an actual smile on her face. It’s hard for Gretchen to get that photo, though seeing as how she has to control three leashes!

After our walk, Saber came over and we played hard in the backyard! So hard, even Saber got kind of tired!

Well, he might not look too tired here, but when he piled back in the car to head home, Gretchen says he flopped down in the back of the car, draped his big paw in between the front seats, and let out a big, happy sigh. I was doing the same (sans big paw) at home.

Yep, not only did we go back to work today, but Gretchen went back to work at the pool again too. She said she really missed it and while her hands are tired from massaging dogs and my paws are sore from hitting the pavement again, both of us are happy and content.

Very happy and very content.

I sure hope we don’t go on vacation again any time soon…

…truly, it’s torture for me!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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