Crossing Paths

Gretchen often tells her students that what goes around, comes around. I think she’s trying to tell them that if they are kind to everyone, they’ll receive kindness in their lives. But in many ways, what goes around, comes around can be more than a lesson in kindness and karma. It can also be a lesson in the beauty and brevity of life.

I’ve been reading a lot of philosophy lately (in my spare time while Gretchen is working at Wellsprings) and I am constantly fascinated by human obsession with eternity. Even today, as we were driving to our work, we heard an author talk about his need to believe that there was something after this life, something more wonderful than the aches and pains and tragedies of each day.

“Do all humans believe this?” I asked Gretchen.

“Not all,” she said, “But a fair amount believe that there must be something after we no longer exist.”

I was shocked by this information. As a dog, I believe the world of now is far more entertaining and glorious than the world we cannot see, in the world we hope will be there when we no longer are in this moment, this life. I believe that all time is now and that my passing (whenever that may be) is not about the extinguishing of a life force, but about my life force moving into a bigger sphere.

Take, for instance, my predecessor Chester. He was a beloved dog who spent 14 years in a living form. When he passed, after a yearlong battle with a brain tumor and subsequent seizures, he was not forgotten. In fact, his photos still perch on shelves all around our house and his ashes sit on the nightstand right by where I sleep.

Occasionally, I’ll hear stories about Chester — about how he ate chicken bones and never got sick, about how he snatched up some dried duck legs off the beach and Gretchen tried to get them out, how he ate a hot dog on the day he was found by Ann, how he had the nickname Mr. Pajama Pants because of his pantaloons, and how, after a seizure, he tried to eat his way through the glove compartment in the car to get to the dog treats he could smell within. He loved the snow, but wasn’t fond of the water. He loved long walks, but was a bit testy with other dogs. He loved to look in your eyes long and serious while you petted him. And he loved to clean up the floor if someone spilled cheese.

See! He’s not gone. He’s here and every day, I can feel his presence. Our paths cross, as it were though technically I never really knew him.

But there are also little ways in which our paths cross. Not necessarily Chester’s and mine, but with all the people and places I’ve known in my short, but rich life. What got me thinking about all of this –aside from my time reading Plato and Voltaire– was that Gretchen told me she got to see Wilson. Wilson was a dog we walked last year while his Dad served in Iraq and his Mom worked nights as a nurse. Wilson and I played in the yard…

…swam at the lake…

…and played fetch at the little field…

Until Gretchen mentioned his name again, I hadn’t realized how much I missed Wilson, but when she came home on Saturday from her work at the pool, she smelled like Wilson (and chlorine, too) and all these wonderful memories of my time with Wilson came flooding back.

“How is he?” I asked.

“He had surgery awhile back on his knee,” she told me, “But he’s recovering well and I’ll be working with him at the pool.”

See how paths cross? And it doesn’t even stop there. Nope, the pool where Gretchen works is on 25th Ave. SW. We live on 25th Ave. S. The cross street is SW Dakota and today, while we were dropping bread off at our good friends’ house, I noticed the cross street was S Dakota. We teach at a school that’s in the same zip code as our house and all the dogs we walk have interesting connections — like Woobie’s Dad works at the same place as Saber’s parents (just to name one interesting coincidence).

Gretchen says it’s called six degrees of separation, but I’m beginning to think it’s more like three degrees and sometimes it’s just one degree.

Anyway, Wilson had his first session in the pool and though he was nervous, he soon relaxed in the warm water and enjoyed the massage.

When he’s completely healed, we’re hoping for a play date, but even if it doesn’t happen, I know he’s with me both in memory and in my universe. I don’t need to think about meeting him in some beyond time. Instead, I’m happy to have had him (and still have him) in the circle of my life even if it is just his scent at this point.

So today, while we walked our current clients, I tried to hold the memory of our moments in the beauty of the now in which I live, though I must admit, I’m glad to have this blog so I can look back at all the fun times we’ve had.

And even though there are some dogs I may never actually meet (like Rosie and Tyson…though I’m still hoping we’ll meet one day), their scent is a part of my life every time Gretchen comes home from walking them (as she did today).

Others — like Gemma, Oshi, and Perrito — are IN my life and though I didn’t walk with all three of them today, I can tell from the photos they had fun at the field chasing the ball and rolling in the freshly mowed grass.

Saber is in my life almost on a daily basis and today, as we passed the off leash dog park and saw that it was empty, I let loose and got Saber to play a rousing game of chase, which creates some of my favorite memories that will stay with me for my entire life.

I only see Alice once a week and I have to admit, at first I didn’t think she liked me much, but today she was almost beside herself with excitement. In fact, Alice didn’t even bark when Gretchen entered the house (something Alice often does even though she knows it’s Gretchen) and when Alice and I got to run on the grassy boulevard, she actually smiled and nudged me as we ran side by side.

Of course when we stopped for a photo op, I kind of freaked Alice out by rolling around in the cool grass. She thought I was kind of cuckoo and for a moment, I suppose I was, but still, Alice is someone who will remain in my long term memory because she, like all of our clients, is unique and connected to me through scent and our time together.

I don’t know if I believe in god, but I do know that I believe in DOG and in all the possibilities and opportunities to have our paths cross whenever and where ever that may be.

What goes around, comes around and so…

…until tomorrow, when it comes around once again…

Rubin

Excuse me, but it’s wet out here!

Unpredictable. That’s what today has been. Rain first, then no rain. More rain, then a rainbow. Wind followed by sun and then more rain. It was comin’ and a-goin’ today like rats at a cheese party. I have to say, it wore me out.

It was a full day and so full I’m going to take the easy road and post all the photos without much commentary. I know you’ll forgive, but frankly, it was kind of hard to take photos with the rain coming at us sideways and the wind trying to knock us over. Yes, we were surprised when the sun came out, though the rainbow came first, but still, it rained and therefore Gretchen didn’t pull out her camera to capture the moment, albeit schizophrenic as it was.

In fact, we didn’t take that many photos because the rain made them all a little blurry or unpredictably blurry, which I suppose is fitting since everything was unpredictable today. But on the docket (which could actually be “dog”et”) were Monty, Oshi, Perrito, Saber (twice though we only took photos once), Gemma, Bella and Wilson. We’ll leave it to you to fill in the commentary!

Have a great weekend and we’ll see you on Monday (if that’s when we’re suppose to see you!).

Rubin

Recharged

First, our apologies. Well, it’s really Gretchen’s apology, but since I’m in charge of this blog, I get to make it. The apology, that is. Here’s how it went down:

Every morning we get up. Really early. In fact, too early, but that’s a whole other story. Gretchen makes breakfast — mine and hers — though I refuse to eat mine while she eats hers while reading the news. Then she packs up the dog backpack after she takes a shower and gets dressed. I love watching her pack the bag because all my favorite things go in there — treats, the orange and blue ball, sometimes a tug toy or two, and the camera. Yes, I like the camera because it means we’re going to work and I like work.

So today, I watched her do all that stuff that she normally does for the morning routine — treats, ball, toys, camera. Check, check, check, check. Off she goes to school and then returns with Ollie and Gemma in tow. Boy, are we all excited to see each other. We head out for a nice long walk, searching for a place to play but the tennis courts are being used by tennis players (the nerve!) and our favorite field at the park is getting mowed. So we head through the tunnel and down by the lake on our way back to Ollie’s house.

Gretchen pulls us off the side of the road for what she thinks will be a really nice photograph — the three of us by some flowers in bloom. We sit, we wait, she pulls out the camera and turns it on. But it doesn’t go on and instantly, we remember — the battery is still in the charger. Darn it. Darn it. Darn it.

Now our apology to Ollie and Gemma’s families. We are so sorry we didn’t get photographs of your canine companions. Instead, we took them for an extra long walk and promise we will take lots and lots of photos when we see them again. Instead, we pulled up two photos from this summer when Ollie and Gemma were playing in the backyard. Enjoy.

Okay, I feel a bit better, but I sure wish we’d put that battery back into the camera.

Live and learn.

We did put it back in once Ollie and Gemma went home and we were on our way to pick up Alice. Maybe because Gretchen hadn’t taken too many photos earlier in the day, she felt compelled to take a lot of Alice –that and Alice was having so much fun at the tennis courts (no more tennis players) that she just couldn’t stop snapping photos. Whatever. We had a blast, that’s all I know, and Alice had a great time playing fetch, chasing me, and letting me chase her. Woo hoo!

Not only did Alice have fun chasing me and letting me chase her, she really had a great time playing fetch.

Only she’s kind of a ball hog. I mean, really.

After Alice went home, we picked up Saber who was excited to see us, too. We headed back to the tennis courts for some fun times before we headed over to the school where we met our good friend, the young student. If you’re counting, that’s three good days in a row. Gretchen says it’s because he gets to use the camera and then, after he takes photos of us, Gretchen prints out the photos and gives him to the next day. “He likes that,” she said, and I think she just might be right. I mean, he took photos of Saber and me, but when Lulu came by with his mom, Cecilia, well, Lulu got her photo taken too. Nice.

When we finished at the school, we took Saber home and then were planning on walking over to Wilson’s house only Gretchen thought that I might need to rest since I’d been on every walk today. So back to the house I went. I even gave her my sad eyes, but she insisted I rest while she walked Wilson. They played fetch at the big field, which Wilson really enjoyed…

…but then Gretchen felt bad that I wasn’t having as much fun so she came back and got me and the three of us headed to the recently mowed field and played more fetch. Wasn’t that nice of her?

And yes, that made me officially worn out. So worn out I ate my entire dinner. That’s rarity around her, but I’d worked hard and really felt like I needed it. It actually tasted pretty good.

Tomorrow’s Friday. I’m pretty excited about that. And tomorrow, we won’t forget the battery!

Until then,

Rubin

Some Days it Do and Some Days it Don’t

We meet a lot of people (and dogs) on our walks. Many of those we meet, we see many times throughout the week. They say hello or comment on the number of dogs in our pack or comment on Monty’s black and white hair or Gemma’s spunky prance. Often when we meet the “regulars,” as I like to call them, we talk about the weather. Today’s weather, while not anything out of the ordinary, seemed to be the topic of much conversation.

There’s an elderly man that we see probably two or three times a week. He walks through the park using a cane to assist him. He tips his hat to us often and says things like, “Nice day, today,” or “Better get your raincoat ready.” And then he laughs. I like when this man laughs because it’s like the laugh is so large, it’s another person altogether. It carries it’s own weight, so to speak, and so, when I see the man with cane and the hat coming, I perk up a bit because I’m always ready for the other man — the laugh man — to pop out and say hello, too.

Our day started in the rain. Lots of rain. So much rain, in fact, Gretchen didn’t pull out her camera. Instead, Monty, Saber, and I went for a nice long walk (albeit wet) while the camera stayed safe and dry in Gretchen’s bundled up backpack. We knew, of course, that we’d be together at the end of the day so Gretchen wasn’t worried that we’d wouldn’t have any pictures of Saber and Monty.

We ran into the man with the cane and hat on this walk. “Do you think it’s going to clear up?” I asked him.

“Some days it do,” he said, “And some days it don’t.”

Wow. He’s a very wise man who has a laugh living in his belly.

The rain was really coming down and the horizon looked bleak and gray. We dropped Saber off at his house, then Monty and I got lunch while Gretchen walked the boys next door, Oshi and Perrito. After she leashed them up, she couldn’t believe it, but the rainclouds parted and the sun, yes the sun, actually came out. Lucky them!

They headed over to the other park where Oshi refused to do anything — run around, come when called, chase a ball –except lick for treats though when Gretchen offers them, he never eats them. Perrito, on the other hand, ran around and wondered why he was being chased by his leash.

Next up was Gemma who was a bit disappointed that Gretchen came to her house without any dog pals for her to play with. They went for a walk up the hill to get a shot of the rainclouds in the distance. Gemma feels about the grate at the overlook the way I do. She hates it. From the photos, it almost looks like she’s going to get sick waiting for Gretchen to snap the photo. She didn’t, of course, but still, you can see those gray clouds hovering in the distance. Luckily for Gemma, they didn’t show up to rain on her walk.

Nor did they show up for her walk with Bella. In fact, the sky sort of came alive while Bella and Gretchen played fetch at the tennis courts before they went on their walk.

That Bella, she sure knows how to pose, doesn’t she?

Once Bella went home, Gretchen fetched Saber again and then picked us up as well. We went for a walk through the park before checking in at the school to see if our student had had a good day. Guess what? He did! So we went for a short walk and the student used Gretchen’s camera again to take photos of all of us, each of us individually, and most importantly, the sun. See those shadows?

After we left the school, we took Saber back home and then Monty and I made our way over to Wilson’s house…right when those pesky rainclouds decided to hover over us again. It didn’t matter really because we headed over to the park to play fetch — all three of us. Do you know how difficult it is to find an orange ball among orange leaves? Let me tell ya…it’s hard! Gretchen probably played more fetch than we did every time she had to search for a lost ball among the leaves. But that’s why it’s good to have Wilson around. He can sniff out a ball under a mountain of leaves and over and over again, we called upon him to save the day.  Good job, Wilson!

It didn’t rain as hard this afternoon as it did this morning, but still, it was nice to get home — after dropping off Monty and Wilson — to a warm, dry house. The weather is a fickle thing around here. You can never quite tell which way it will turn. As my wise man friend with the laugh living in his belly would say, some days it do and some days it don’t. Ironically, today it did both!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

A Fog in My Throat?

We woke up to fog this morning. Thick, cool fog that made me realize our sunny days are numbered. Plus it was dark. Like dark dark. You know the kind that makes it really hard to get out of bed in the morning? Yeah, that kind. Gretchen says she’s living with a teenager these days. That would be me. I don’t get up on time, she has to nag me in the morning to roll out of bed and eat my breakfast, though I often refuse to eat anything. This morning was no different. I mean, would you want to get up when you’re all nice and warm in your cozy bed?

That’s what I’m saying!

But out I got and soon we were making our way through the fog and the dark to school. Yep, I got to go again. Not sure why, but maybe it was because the students still needed my help on writing. But by the time we left school, it was still foggy though not very dark. Gretchen had a bit of a cough and when I asked her if she was feeling okay, she said, “Sure, buddy. I just have a fog in my throat.”

Say what? I mean, yeah, it was foggy, but it can get into your throat? Weird. Humans are definitely weird.

But the fog in her throat didn’t stop us from a full day of dog walking. First up was Ollie who is sporting a whole new collar system that took us a moment to figure out. Funny, too, because the harness Ollie has is the same one Saber just got. By the time Gretchen got the harness on Ollie, she had no trouble putting the same one on Saber and off we went for a nice, long walk. See the fog in the background?

After our walk, Saber and Ollie dropped me off at my house, Ollie escorted Saber back home and then he and Gretchen picked up Gemma who also wears a harness though slightly different than everyone else’s! Gemma was very excited to see her buddy Ollie, though Ollie’s excitement revved him up all the way to Gemma’s house. Gemma then walked Ollie home where they posed for some photos at the park.

By the time Ollie got home, it was just Gretchen and Gemma. They had a nice walk before Gemma headed home. Next up, was Bella who was equally excited to see Gretchen. I was resting at home and yes, finally eating my breakfast. Ironically, I was very hungry. Imagine!

Gretchen and Bella went for a long walk and on the way back, the stopped for some fall and fog shots. Yes, still socked in. I wonder if that fog was still in Gretchen’s throat?

Once Bella went home, Gretchen came to get me and then it was Saber’s turn again. We got to play at the tennis courts, which were now free. Earlier in the day, despite the fog, people were playing tennis so no dogs got to play there, but ironically, as the sun burned away the fog, the courts cleared up too and Saber and I had a great romp.

We also got to see our student friend at school and Gretchen showed him how to use the camera so he could take some photos of us. Gretchen rarely gets her picture taken with dogs because she’s always in charge of the camera. But the student really enjoyed snapping photos of us. He did a pretty good job, too!

We took Saber home after that and then I got to rest at home while Gretchen took Wilson out for a game of fetch. I was bummed to know they were playing fetch, but then Gretchen swung by the house to let Wilson and I play a little in the backyard. I teases Wilson with the ball and Wilson did a lot of barking to try to get it back. Sorry, Charlie!

It was a busier day today than yesterday, but after my rest, I was prepared for it. I was hoping we’d get to go to agility class, but Gretchen still has that fog in her throat. Or maybe she said frog in her coat. Hard to say. Whatever it is, I sure hope it leaves so she doesn’t talk so funny anymore.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

She Did What?

I love Gretchen. I love her dearly, but she came home tonight with over a hundred and fifty photographs from our work today. What am I supposed to do with that? Does she know how long it takes to write the blog AND insert pictures? I know, I know. We walked 9 dogs today. That’s a record, so no wonder there are so many photographs. I mean, I’ve winnowed it down to 53 (more than half), but still this will take me hours!

Hey, Rubin?

Yes? (And I have a very skeptical look on my face!)

I think you can just insert all the photographs all at once if you want to and not have to do each one individually.

Really?

Try it.

But what about my witticisms? What about my golden tongue, my poetic license, my gift with the human word?

I think everyone would completely understand if you just inserted the photos of the day.

Are you saying they don’t read this blog?

Oh no. They read it. What I’m saying is they’d understand that after walking 9 dogs you’re a little tired and need some rest. I’m sure they’d forgive you for taking a blogging break.

Hmmmm…okay, I’ll give it a try…

That wasn’t too hard, was it?

No. I could get used to this.

(Yawn!) Goodnight everyone!

Rubin

All This and Agility, Too?

Let me tell you about my day. Full. Full. Full. So full my paws are sloppy on this keyboard. Truly, I’ve walked dogs all day and then, as a treat, I got to go to agility class. Oh how I love agility class. It’s been awhile since we last attended, but Gretchen was impressed by how much I remembered. I can’t say I was as impressed with what she remembered, but I’ll forgive her. She walked every dog today. I just walked a few.

She was really nice that way because she let me rest up because she knew I had class tonight. So I shouldn’t complain. I might be tired, but she must be wiped.

And here’s why…

First up was a busy morning at school. Both of us went. I helped the students get settled down to work and Gretchen read to them from this novel they’ve been working through. Oh, the kids love that book and so do I especially after I curl up under one student’s desk or another. Gretchen’s voice just puts me to sleep.

But then it was down to walking and that job started with Ollie who we picked up on our way to Saber’s house!

Ollie and Saber always like to see each other, but then Ollie spends his time looking for squirrels and Saber spends his time trying to figure out where we’re going and when those treats are going to come out of Gretchen’s pocket.

Well, today we went for a nice walk and then came back to the house for a bit of a romp. Truth of the matter, Saber and I mostly romped while Ollie, being of a more delicate nature, watched us. Oh, don’t get me wrong. He stepped in every now and then — I call it play wrestling — but all and all, Ollie likes to stay clean.

The weather report warned of heavy rain and lots of wind. No such thing on this first walk, but by the time Gretchen took Saber home (after Ollie went home) a few sprinkles came down. Enough sprinkles that her next dog, as I was rest at home, had to wear her raincoat. Better her than me!

The next dog? Sweet Rosie!

Isn’t she pretty in the leaves? Gretchen had to take this shot under the trees because of all the dogs that got walked today, Rosie’s was the wettest. Good thing she has a nice raincoat. Good thing I never had to wear one!

Next up was Gemma, who also got to spend some times in the leaves!

Now, if you’ve been paying close attention to my dog blog, you’ll notice something new and different about Ms. Gemma.

Yes, she isn’t wearing a cast, but that’s not it. She has a new collar — a spiffy braided collar with a bone clasp. Sweet.

Gretchen kept expecting more rain, so much more that she put my red coat onto Bella when they went for a walk. While it rained some, the rain really started to wane by the time they were under way. Me? I’m resting comfortably at home in a dry house without wearing a raincoat! Yippee! Bella first went to the tennis courts before her walk. According to Gretchen, she’s really got the hang of playing fetch. You go, girl!

Doesn’t Bella look good in that coat? So good, I think we should donate it to her.

Wait one minute, mister!

Sorry, Gretchen. I didn’t realize you were reading over my shoulder. Let’s look at some of those other photos you took today, okay?

Okay, now that I look more closely, that coat doesn’t quite fit Bella now, does it? Oh well. I guess I get to keep it. Yippee (limp yippee, that is!)

After their play time, Bella and Gretchen went for a walk up to the gardens where there’s a dog bowl so Bella can catch a drink after playing fetch. On the way, Gretchen saw this!

Yep, that’s a hawk. Gretchen thinks it’s a Cooper’s hawk, but she couldn’t get too close because…well, this happened!

The lighting wasn’t the best – all those gray clouds — but Gretchen was thrilled to have snapped these photos. Usually the hawk flies away (yes, we’ve seen it before) when she’s trying desperately and quietly trying to get her camera out of her backpack.

Bella went home fairly dry and by the time we picked up Saber again, the sky was clearing up, though Gretchen’s camera had drops of rain still on it from the shots of the hawk.

Aside from chasing me and following me everywhere I go, Saber LOVES to go under me. I kind of hate it, but what’s a dog to do? Of course, Saber is getting the hang of fetch, too, and in fact, is doing a great job catching the ball in air…or trying to!

Saber and Gretchen walked him home for more rest and then Saber got to rest as well, but at his house. Gretchen headed over to get Wilson who got to play fetch by himself, though on his way back to his house, they picked me up for the rest of the walk. That was nice.

Those leaves still capture the camera, don’t they?

I wish I’d gotten to play fetch with Wilson, but I guess it was important for me to rest up for my agility class. Oh boy, that was really fun, but it’s way too dark to take photos of me flying over jumps, weaving through the poles, and making the teeter-totter go down. Besides, Gretchen is too busy telling me which way to go and when to stop. It would be impossible for her to take photos at the same time.

Oh well.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

And So It Begins

All those photographs we’ve been taking of the beautiful colors on all the trees in our neighborhood are making their way down, down, down. I call them “The Fallen” since the slow, but steady downward spiral begins. It’s sad, in one way, but in another, it’s a reflection of nature’s constancy. Nope, there’s no stopping that mother of all mothers.

Not only are the leaves starting to fall, but the temperatures as well. This weekend, the highs were in the mid-60s and then just like that, the mornings are in the upper 30′s and the thermostat rarely peaks above 55 degrees. And the wind, don’t get me started on the wind. It picked up a lot today — blowing in some kind of front, they say — and so the leaves have moved from the tops of trees, to a blanket of color underneath the soon to be barren trees.

But I don’t mind. Okay, I mind a little because now the back door doesn’t stay open and I can’t go in and out at my leisure. Now I have to ask. Not fun having to ask. People are busy around here and sometimes they don’t think I really need to go out. They might be right, but it’s still kind of bummer not to have that freedom.

And now the threat of that red raincoat looms large. No rain today, but the threat is there. Trust me.

We started our day at school. No kids, though, just me and Gretchen doing work. Well, she works and I watch. Intently. Then she dropped me off at home while she took out Rosie and Tyson.

They headed up over the hill to check out the views and report on how the other side is doing on foliage depletion. It’s amazing, but on our side of the hill, the temperature is always a bit colder, the leaves turn quicker, and the views, well the views are nearly as magnificent. Okay, we get the beautiful trees, but not the wide expanse of the lake or the mountain to the south. Yes, Mt. Rainier was out today and she looked mighty cold.

Rosie and Tyson weren’t. They’d hiked up over the hill and back down and checked out the scenery (I-90) from the viewpoint. Tyson was the first to look. Rosie was a bit nervous about the drop. Tyson convinced her it was okay to look.

Then Gretchen decided to head back home through the tunnel. Oops. Rosie wasn’t into that so much. She got about a quarter of the way into the tunnel and then stopped dead in her tracks. Even treats didn’t work. The only thing that worked was tying Rosie’s leash to Tyson’s. When Tyson moved (confidently) Rosie did too. It usually takes about four minutes to get through the tunnel. It took the three of them about ten minutes. But they did it and that’s a great accomplishment for Ms. Rosie. Way to go, girl!

Next up, Gretchen got me and then we picked up Perrito and Oshi. Perrito is still wearing his lamp shade because of his hernia. Yes, dogs can get hernias. Go figure. Anyway, we went for a frisky walk and then stopped by the pretty leaves spread all around. And guess what happened? I told you they were falling!

Oshi didn’t seem to care, but he wouldn’t look at the camera no matter how much Gretchen called to him. So, maybe he was too embarrassed to look. Hard to tell.

I got to get warm and rest up while Gretchen took Bella out for a romp and a walk. She had intended to do the walk first, but once they past the little field, Bella begged to play fetch. This is her begging face!

Luckily, Gretchen had the long line in her pack so they played lots of fetch before they headed out on their walk. Oh, and the practiced their commands like sit and down and drop.

Bella’s really good at the sit command when Gretchen is holding the ball. Sometimes she’s not the greatest at the sit command, though. She gets easily distracted. So Gretchen ends up waiting.

That’s what happened with this shot. Gretchen put the ball behind her back and asked for Bella to sit. No go. So Gretchen waited. Bella looked around for a bit, sniffed the ground, and did everything she could think of not to sit.

But then she did and gave this most perturbed look as if to say, “Okay, I’m sitting. Where’s the ball?”

She’s lucky Gretchen has a sense of humor!

After Bella went home, Gretchen picked me up again and we went over to Saber’s house. He’s a sleepy little guy when he first comes out of the kennel, but it doesn’t take him long (and a trip to the tennis courts) for him to get silly fast!

Even though we both have a ball to play with, Saber always wants mine. Gretchen says he reminds her of me at that age, but I have no memory of stealing anyone else’s treasured toys. No memory whatsoever.

Saber likes to get me to be interested in his toy by pushing it at me every chance he gets. Good thing I have some fancy dance moves!

While I can stand the colder weather and the falling leaves, the wind, and the coming rain, what I don’t like about this time of year is that it’s getting darker and darker, earlier and earlier. This means that our evening walks with Wilson are going to be harder and harder to document, but luckily Gretchen’s fancy camera comes with a flash. Of course, the only thing the flash could focus on were our glowing balls and so we got some pretty eerie and funny shots! Gretchen kept calling me Rudolph for some reason and Wilson looks like he has a very long, green tongue!

Well, Halloween is on its way!

It’s unavoidable, I guess, this changing of the seasons. All we can do is sigh, watch the leaves fall and say to ourselves yet again, “And so it begins.”

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

The Trouble With Squirrels

Let me just say that I think squirrels are just about the dumbest animals on this earth. I’m not trying to offend the animal world, but it amazes me day in and day out the ways they put their lives in danger. Take, for instance, today. Monty, Quillette, and I are walking along, minding our own business when a squirrel, on the right side of the street, decides to run across at the very moment we’re walking by. Are we just supposed to ignore him?

I think not. We all lunge forward, which is probably why Gretchen’s back hurts tonight and my neck hurts (from the pull back on the leash). Still, if you knew, I mean if you KNEW that three big predatory dogs were walking by would you risk your life and run right in front of them?

It’s unbelievable, and trust me, I could tell you story after story about their nonsensical escapades. It’s like they see us coming, turn to their rodent buddies and say, “Okay, watch me. I’m going to fall from the branch of this tree, right in front of those big dogs, scurry under their legs, and race up that tree right over there!”

Okay. I’m getting carried away, but that’s probably because the only sign of autumn around here is the voluminous increase in squirrel activity in our neighborhood. Gretchen tells me they’re collecting nuts and hiding them in secret places for the spring so that when they wake up from their dormancy, they’ll have food. Again, I say how stupid is that? They live in the city where food is abundant all around them all year long!

Alright. I’m stopping. But let me just say one last thing — if I ever catch a squirrel, I’m going to sit him down and have a talking to him. “What are you thinking?”

We saw a lot of squirrels today and a lot of dogs. Gretchen came back from teaching with Monty and we all went for a walk (Monty, Quillette and me).  Yesterday was hot, but today was hotter even though it didn’t say so on the thermometer. I think it was because of the humidity, so while we usually average about 6.5 miles a day, today we only walked 4. Well, Gretchen walked 4. What with my running and playing chase, I most likely did double that, but I’m not complaining.

Well, I’m not complaining about the play time. I will complain about the heat. Gretchen promises it will be cooler tomorrow, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

So let me begin. After our walk, the three of us stayed home while Gretchen walked over to pick up Gemma who, if you look closely at the photos, got a new cast on her broken toe. No more orange, this new cast is green and it looks mighty fine. Because Gretchen felt sorry for Gemma, she walked Gemma back over toward our house (though they didn’t stop by) and picked up the boys (Oshi and Perrito) next door. Gemma was happy to see some canine friends, but once again, those squirrels made for some serious leash macrame what with Gemma racing after the varmints and Perrito in hot on her tail. Still, they made it to the park whereupon they posed, surprisingly, for some photos.

With these three dogs, it’s really hard to get them to all look at the camera all at the same time. Oshi is always looking back toward home and Perrito is looking for new friends, while Gemma is wondering if there is something she can chase all the while knowing she really can’t chase anything with that heavy anchor on her leg.

Still, they had a nice walk albeit slow because of the humidity and heat hence the hanging tongues.

Gemma dropped the boys off at their house and Gretchen walked her back home where she flopped on her bed tired from the adventure of it all.

Next up was Bella who didn’t notice the heat for the first 30 minutes. Gretchen said they had to have a serious training session as Bella was all over the place with energy. To burn some of it off, they made their way to the tennis courts where finally the heat and the endless games of fetch even got to Bella.

Gretchen said that Bella does a much better job than I do of dropping the ball once she retrieves it, but that I’m a better retriever. I didn’t take offense. I know I hold onto the ball and I shouldn’t, but a guy can’t be perfect all the time, can he?

At one point, Gretchen found another tennis ball on the court and tossed it out to see what Bella, who already had the first ball in her mouth, would do. Bella was heard to exclaim, her mouth full of ball, “Wa I do wit thith one?”

Eventually though, all the energy drained out of Bella and she flopped down in the shade and just chewed on the tennis ball for awhile. Doesn’t she look like a deer?

After their romp, Gretchen tried working on Bella’s commands again and this time she was spot on. She heeled by her side, she sat when commanded, and when a squirrel raced by, Bella ignored it.

IGNORED IT?

What was she thinking? That shows some serious restraint…restraint I certainly don’t have. Good job, Bella!

Bella was happy then to get a drink at Bradner Gardens and even happier to go back home where it was cooler and she could rest. Gretchen then moseyed on down the street to pick up Saber who was sound asleep on his back when she arrived. Funny boy. She brought him back to our house where the four of us — Monty, Q, Saber, and I — tried to muster up some energy in the ever-increasing heat.

Monty took a little while to engage in the play and once he did, he tackled me, which sent Quillette into a barking frenzy. With that, Monty was put inside and once Gretchen got Q to obey, she went inside, too. That left me the only one left to entertain Saber.

Saber may look all innocent, but trust me, the boy can be a pest. I mean look here. I’m resting in the shade and what does he do? He bite me in the bottom to see how I’d react!

Eventually, Gretchen came to the rescue and let Monty and Quillette back out after they’d settled down. Of course, by that time I was racing around getting Saber to chase me and Quillette and Monty, too tired to engage, just watched from their corners of the yard!

And then Monty and Q hung out on the deck while Saber and I rested some, too. Monty, as is his style, sniffed Quillette’s ears. You can see by the expression on Q’s face, she’s tolerant of our friend’s weird habit.

Monty and I escorted Saber home, though along the way we stopped at the school and helped a student receive a reward. The reward was walking Saber and let me tell you, this kid thought that was the absolute best reward his principal could offer him. According to Gretchen, there might be more rewards in the future and I might get to be involved. We’ll see, but for now, Saber got all the attention of an 11 year old boy and they were both very happy about the new relationship.

After Saber went home, Monty and I walked over to pick up Wilson. Thrilled to see us, Wilson, Monty and I walked through the park and met up with Lucy (the dog in the first photograph at the top of this page) and we got to do a little romping and fetching. Lucy’s kind of shy, but eventually, she got into the act!

After our visit with Lucy, we headed towards Monty’s house where we dropped him off for some cool water and a bit of rest. Along the way, we ran into Lulu who was off to the park for a romp. Wilson and I joined in. Well, I joined in the romp. Wilson enlisted anyone he could find to throw the ball for him!

But we soon all tired out — that heat, humidity, and long day finally got to us all — and that’s when Gretchen really snapped the photos.

I sure hope tomorrow is cooler. If it is and if I get to bed soon, I hope to have enough energy to catch me one of those squirrels so we can have a good talking to!

Good night!

Rubin

You’ve Got to Have Shade

The first day of fall and it’s 88 degrees. You’ve got to be kidding me! Not that I don’t like the sun, I do, but 88 degrees is hot and frankly, I’ve had enough of hot for awhile.

That’s why today has been all about the shade. When Gretchen came home from teaching with Ollie in tow, we all looked at her and said, “Take us to a shady park!” and that’s just what we did.

We walked along the lake — Quillette, Ollie, and I –and then moseyed on up through Frink Park where we leisurely spent our time smelling where the wild things are.

Along the way we met a very big dog ironically named BIG. Ollie and I got to meet him, but Quillette was all huffy (most likely from the heat) so Gretchen kept her at bay.

I’m not sure why he was called Big because he’s really not that much bigger than me, but he was cool and after a sniff, went on his way down the trail. So did we.

As you can see, Ollie stuck close to Gretchen probably because she had a pocket full of treats, though I did get him to indulge in a cool muddy drink along the way.

Ah, that tasted so good on this hot day!

After we dropped Ollie off at his house, Quillette and I rested at our house while Gretchen walked Rosie. Rosie’s like me. She doesn’t like this heat very much, so Gretchen headed straight to the shade of the park, attached Rosie to the long line and let her run, run, run!

Soon enough, she got hot and looked to Gretchen from some treats!

The finished their time together with a walk around the park and then Rosie got a cool, cold drink of water at her house. I bet that tasted good!

Next up was Bella and she got a nice long walk along the ridge. In fact, she got to visit Lillianna at Dog Mania where Gretchen needed to stock up on doggie bags (you know the kind!). Bella LOVED meeting Lillianna and her little dog Tikka, who gave Bella a lesson in manners.

After their visit, they headed over to Bradner Gardens for a photo shoot and a romp on the long line.

As you can see, there were some beautiful blue skies out there today. It made for a nice backdrop for Bella’s portrait.

And then she played and played and played avoiding the hornet’s nest the sign in the garden warned about!

But not avoiding the camera…she bumped into it a number of times in her enthusiasm!

Bella did really well today, Gretchen says, with her leash work and her heeling. She’s definitely growing up and I bet the heat of the day made her a little less rambunctious. I sure felt that way.

After Gretchen dropped Bella off, she picked up Saber and walked him to our house, but frankly, I was too hot to play. Not Saber. He was all over my toys and bugging me to play with him. I was not in the mood. Neither was Quillette, but he kept trying!

As you can see in the last photo (though you can’t hear and that’s really what you need to do to really understand the moment), Saber is howling at me. The first time he barked (the other day) I thought for sure a strange dog had entered our yard. It was such a deep, manly and throaty bark I was certain a big, bad dog had come to eat us up. But guess who it was? Yep, Saber. A 4 month old puppy with a bark like Bull Mastiff! So in this last photo, he’s using that Bull Mastiff bark and trying to get me to play. As you can see, I was having none of it much to his dismay!

So he hung his head and moved away and tried a softer approach!

This next photo is my favorite. While he’s got those sad eyes in the previous one and he’s watching me from afar in the last one, in this photo he’s getting a little miffed and you can see the ridge of anger on his back — his hackles raised — desperate to play with me!

As you can see, I gave him my special snarl telling him to back off, but then I gave in and we with the red tug while Quillette looked on.

We walked Saber home down through the park and then rested in front of the fan before heading out to pick up Wilson. Quillette decided to stay home. “It’s too hot,” she said and for her that’s so true. I mean, just look at her think coat!

Because it was so hot, Gretchen took us to the lake and for that, I must thank her profusely. It was exactly the day for a swim in the lake!

Wilson and I both swam after balls thrown way out in the lake. I’ll admit it, Wilson is a stronger swimmer than I, but sometimes things got a little confusing.

Wilson is so ball focused that sometimes he’d swim out after my ball. Gretchen would have to point out my ball, though today, Wilson got to it first only he had his ball in his mouth as well. As far as I’m concerned, that means I’m done so I swam to shore while Wilson tried to get the second ball in his mouth. Gretchen didn’t think it was going to happen so she took everything out of her pockets, ripped off her shoes and socks, and started to go in after Wilson and the two balls only guess what Wilson did for the first time? He got both balls in his mouth! Amazing!  Unfortunately, Gretchen couldn’t get a photo of it because, well, she was up to her shorts in the lake without her camera.

By the time Wilson got to his house,  I was dry. Wilson was still wet. Lucky him. We went back to our house where I spread out in front of the fan and prayed that the sun would find another place to shine besides on me. Don’t think it’s going to happen, but soon, soon.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin