Wags n’ Words

Dog Walking & Pet Care – Seattle, WA

Category Archives: Zoe

July 21, 2010

July 21, 2010 8:38 pm / Leave a Comment /

Not a good start…

Gretchen woke up grumpy. She had yucky dreams then woke too early. I tried to ignore her, but then weird things started happening. She dropped stuff a lot. She forgot things. She was in a hurry. She forgot to eat breakfast. She forgot to take her blood pressure meds.

You get the picture.

The day improved once we started walking. Good thing because she was starting to make me grumpy. When I realized she had to go to the dentist, I worried that the improvements in her mood that I was sensing, would be about to end when she showed up at the dentist, but luckily Gretchen really likes her dentist so I was relieved that the appointment lifted her spirits a bit.

And then we walked around Queen Anne. Actually, we walked up Queen Anne and Gretchen’s mood shifted from grumpy because she forgot her camera and there were all sorts of great photo opportunities and happy because the sun was coming out, the view was incredible, and she was with me AND with Monty.

But the appointment made the day kind of packed and while she got a stellar report from her favorite dentist, she felt rushed most of the day. Good thing Monty and I stayed back while she ventured off to walk Oshi and Perrito. Luckily, they lifted her spirits a bit as well because the brothers were very laid back and happy to go on a walk. They even complied for the photos, which is something that’s often hard to get them to do!

Since Monty had just eaten lunch, he hung back at the house with Ann, while Gretchen and I picked up Saber and headed to Zoe’s house. Saber was excited to see us — since we arrived earlier than usual — and even more excited to meet Zoe who was, in turn, thrilled to meet Saber! Luckily their liveliness subsided on the walk and we all complied in the shade for our photos.

And then Saber got to come to our house and this is when Gretchen’s dark cloud of a mood lifted, though at first she was really worried. She opened the back of the car, told us to wait, and like a good boy I obeyed. Saber usually obeys, too, but today he leapt out of the car, jumped over the parking strip, and barreled his walrus body down the sidewalk. “Oh no!” I barked, worried that Saber would take off, which he did, but right to the gate of our house where he pushed the gate open wide and raced to the back gate to the backyard. Once there, he woofed and woofed and woofed waiting for Gretchen to “open up the gate!” so he could barrel into the backyard for fun and frolicking.

Oh my. I guess he likes hanging out with us. I like it and even though Monty has to stay relaxed and not get into the fray, Monty likes it, too!

The day ended with a surprise. Quillette and her mom, Jessica, joined us for dinner and while they dined on salmon, asparagus, potatoes, and frozen custard for dessert, Monty, Quillette, and I ate dinner and chewed on marrow bones on the lawn. Yum, yum, yum!

It was nice hanging out with my two best friends. It felt like the perfect ending to a rather grumpy start.

And you know what? Gretchen’s bad mood was no where to be found! Whew.

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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Posted in: Monty, Oshi, Perrito, Quillette, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News, Zoe / Tagged: , , , ,

July 14, 2010

July 14, 2010 9:13 pm / Leave a Comment /

Chiaroscuro

In my studies, I’ve been fascinating of late by the use and term of Chiaroscuro. It’s Italian and means the interplay between light and dark. For example, painters use strong contrasts between lightness and darkness to make images stand out or to highlight certain aspects of their paintings. I was thinking a lot about Chiaroscuro today as we walked amid the shadows and light of a beautiful summer day.

Yesterday Gretchen took this photo of a hydrangea in our backyard.

We both liked the way the shade of the old cherry tree cast mottled shadows over the variegated purple blossoms of the hydrangea. So today, as we walked, I looked for similar contrasts in everything we passed.

Our first walk of the day was with Monty who is, if I do say so myself, a contrast in black and white, a walking example of Chiaroscuro. Passersby often stop us and remark on Monty’s interesting markings wondering what kind of dog he might be. His cheerful personality and interesting coat make him quite a conversation piece and since I’m shy about strangers, it’s kind of nice to have Monty there to block the unwanted attention.

Though I didn’t get to go on a walk with Oshi and Perrito, they also saw examples of light and dark on their walk. As the sun rises up over the hill in the east, the trees that line our many parks over interesting interplays between black and white. Of course, Gretchen often finds it difficult to get just the right photo — who’s in the shade, who’s in the light? — sometimes the beauty of the contrasts makes for their own unique photographs.

There are contrasts in energy, too. Monty’s is always light and mine can sometimes be dark and moody. Zoe, on the other hand, is beaming with lighthearted cheerfulness and her ebullience is enough to make me forgo my shadowed disposition and bounce gaily along beside her. I think that’s why Monty is so attracted to her — she shines so brightly!

Gemma and Saber pay no attention to the pondering of art and Italian vocabulary, though today they were filled with light that they got to not only play with each other, but with Monty and me as well in the light and shadows of the backyard.

My life is filled with Chiaroscuro I’ve decided — somedays it illuminates the bright spots of joy in my life and other days it brings me the calm of shadowed happiness. I am a lucky dog!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Monty, Oshi, Perrito, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News, Zoe / Tagged: , , , ,

July 13, Tuesday

July 13, 2010 5:47 pm / Leave a Comment /

Blogged Paws

I was comparing my paws to Ollie’s today. We are both Labradoodles and though he is a smaller version, I wanted to see if being a blogger has changed my paws significantly. While they look very much the same, Ollie had to agree that my paws are a bit stronger.

“All that typing,” Ollie said in awe, “How do you do it?”

I’ve never really thought about how much I type, but lately, I’ve reviewed all the postings not only on this blog, but also on my Rubinations blog in addition to my help with Gretchen’s new blog for her work — Front Paige News. I type a lot! I’m not complaining. I really like to tell stories (or Tails as I like to say), but it certainly has developed my digits!

And then there’s the walking. We walk a lot as many of you know and well, my digits get a workout there as well. So I’ve concluded, I am a dog with mighty paws or what I like to call, Blogged Paws!

There was quite a bit of walking today and though it started out cloudy, the sun finally made a wonderful appearance in the afternoon. Our morning started with Ollie (as I mentioned) and Ann came with us so we decided to tour the flowers of Seward Park.

Of course, Ollie’s interest wasn’t so much on the flowers as on the treats he gets for sitting and waiting (only he’s not very good about the waiting part — well, not as good as me!).

Ann and I then rested at home while Gretchen walked Rosie. While Rosie doesn’t keep a blog (though she should), she has very strong paws and while they played “Fetch the Treat” in the park today, Rosie started to get a little demanding about the treat coming out of the hand a bit quicker.

But then she saw a crow and she turned her attention to the possibility of chasing it.

Luckily for the crow (and for Gretchen) Rosie never got the chance!

Instead, she got another treat for showing some amazing restraint!

Gemma got to walk with Zoe today and when I uploaded the pictures from Gretchen’s camera, I was shocked to see that they walked to a pet store where the owner gave them free samples!

Sure wish I’d gone with them, but my blog paws were still resting.

Of course, they woke right up when Saber came over for a game of wrestling…

…then of chase…

…followed by tug…

…a splash in the pool (though not photos of that)…and finally a rest in the shade (notice who won the game of tug!).

My blog paws are in fine form after today’s exercise and though I might be a bit tired, I heard “tails” that I might be playing fetch with Monty at the park tonight. Better stop typing now so I can have enough digit power to steal Monty’s ball!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Ollie, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News, Zoe / Tagged: , , , ,

July 7. 2010

July 7, 2010 9:01 pm / Leave a Comment /

This HOT!

And yes, there was much more to our day (see below), but today the tongues said it all.

It was hot. Tomorrow will be hotter still.

Oh my.

I’m gonna go lie in front of the fan now. I wish I had more energy to write about our day, but frankly folks, I melt in this heat.

Stay cool if you can!

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Monty, Oshi, Perrito, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News, Woobie, Zoe / Tagged: , , , ,

July 6, 2010

July 6, 2010 8:36 pm / Leave a Comment /

Bring Out the Fans

We have new curtains in the bedroom, which is nice because now the sun doesn’t wake me up at 4:30 every morning. Of course, until today we really haven’t had much sun to complain about, but after looking at the weather forecast for the week, I’m happy we have curtains. Yes, temperatures in the 60s (what we’ve been having of late) are about to be swept off the record books making way for temperatures in the 90s.

IN THE 90s!!!!!!

I’m not really looking forward to this, but since there are only a few things I can control in life I’m going to have to grin and bear it. I knew things were going to heat up when the fan from the basement made its way to the bedroom. I love the fan particularly when it gets so hot there’s not much I can do but lie in front of it all day.

Of course, the best way to get the best cooling effects of the fan is when I lie on the human bed, which requires a bit of finagling on my part. Luckily, this isn’t so hard when the fireworks of the Fourth of July keep exploding past the date of celebration. I am not a big fan (ha ha) of fireworks (I want to say that I “hate” them but I’m trying to be a bit more accepting of those who enjoy them), but when they go off well past the legal day I really struggle with them.

Take last night, for instance. They started up as soon as the sun went down and after three phone calls to the police, they eventually stopped late last night. Because I don’t like them much (I bark and get that worried look on my face) I am usually able to win over a place on the human bed and once there, I don’t bark or shake or whimper. Instead, I cuddle in and lie perfectly still so as not to lose my prized place.

When the fan comes out, I’m in dog heaven — sleeping on the human bed in direct line of the cool flow. Oh, how I love it when I can manipulate my humans! And after looking at this week’s weather forecast, I’m going to have to manipulate like a pro. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Meanwhile, there are dogs to walk after a 3-day weekend. Yes, I took yesterday off and spent the long weekend at my Uncle’s house in Oregon. I love my Aunt and Uncle and when I got there, I was even more thrilled to see that my cousins (Hope and Ringo) had a visitor — Darwin. Unfortunately, Gretchen’s camera battery died and she only got two usable photos of our trip.

Even though there is little photographic documentation of our time in Oregon, let me tell you, it was a joyful time especially the time I got to spend with Darwin. We even went for a hike up to the large wooded hill next to my Uncle’s house. Darwin and I raced in the fields hunting rabbits and rodents and bounding over the tall grass with happy tails. Oh how I wish Gretchen’s camera was working, but I’ll just have to create the pictures in my mind of my time with Darwin in the wild.

So it was back to work today and because of the increasing heat of the day, we took it slow and had many breaks to lap up some cool water.

Rosie was the first dog. Gretchen took her out earlier because she struggles the most in the heat. Rosie appreciated it.

Then we drove to Ollie’s house, picked him up, and made our way to Zoe’s house. They hadn’t met yet, but since both of them have joyous dog-a-nalities, they were fast friends within seconds!

Gretchen posed us on this big log and we were all really good about waiting and staying!

Gemma and Saber ended our warm day and while Saber’s tongue gets longer and he slows down with each increase in temperature, Gemma doesn’t seem to notice as much. Still, we were all feeling the effects of summer finally arriving. Too bad we don’t have portable fans to carry with us throughout the day! Instead, we went for a walk and then…headed to my house for a pool party! Yahoo!!!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Ollie, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News, Zoe / Tagged: , , , ,

June 30, 2010

June 30, 2010 9:20 pm / Leave a Comment /

Day in the Middle

The flow of my day is dependent on a variety of ever-changing factors. I guess the same could be said for the flow of my week or my month or even the year, but since I like to live in the now, I’ll just talk about today.

First, since it is officially summer (and the weather is finally catching up to the name!) I rarely get left alone. Ann (my other mother) is on summer break and she is a flurry of project activity these days. She ripped out all the cupboards in the downstairs bathroom yesterday while Gretchen was at the pool. I tried to help, but Ann swinging a hammer makes me want to curl up on my bed and cover my head.

And Gretchen going off to work in the afternoons and evenings has been quite a change, too. It means that while I’m not alone (Ann is here), we are sort of alone and all those adventures we did together on summer evenings don’t happen. I’m okay with it — I mean, someone has to pay for my food and toys — but it’s a change nonetheless.

Of course, our daily schedule is always different depending on who is supposed to be walked and who isn’t. Throw in the occasional boarder and I’m never quite sure who I’ll be sharing my day with. For instance, we’re expecting Quillette some time today, but no one is quite sure when.

But there are routines within the varying schedules. Like today is Wednesday, the day in the middle of the week and the day when we always pick up Monty for the first walk of the day. I like that routine!

Of course, Monty always makes me feel a little frisky so it’s hard to contain my joy when I see him.

Take for instance the photo above — I am being a good dog, sitting, staying, and not playing with Monty, but let me tell you, I really, really wanted to play with Monty and so after a moment of being good, I busted loose and Gretchen caught me in the act!

Talk about disruptions in a routine, though and the first thing that comes to mind is Oshi and Perrito. Now that they have a newborn baby in their house, routines have gone out the window! They haven’t seemed to notice though. They were just as happy to see me today as usual!

Rosie is a creature of habit and routine, far more than I am. She loves to check her schedule and know exactly when something is happening, what exactly will be happened, and what’s coming on the agenda next. There are many things I like about Rosie even though I’ve never met her in dog-son and this is one of them — she doesn’t like change nor do I!

But I’ve learned to adapt and though I really enjoy walking Zoe, it appears that the schedule dictates that job now be in the paws of Ms. Gemma. Trust me, neither Gemma nor Zoe mind. They really enjoy each other’s company and as Gretchen says, they make a nice color combination. But today, Ann helped us out and we got to walk with Zoe…we ALL got to walk with Zoe! And Gretchen got to feed us all treats…what good dogs we are!

My work days, though, always end with Saber — our most regular of regulars — and for Monty and me, that’s a pretty nice punctuation mark at the end of an unpredictable day…though Monty didn’t want to pose for the photo…he wanted to smell all the good stuff happening at the pea patch!

And yes, off Gretchen went to work at the pool while I waited for Ann to pick up her hammer again. It didn’t happen, but trust me, there is never a dull moment at this house!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Monty, Oshi, Perrito, Quillette, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News, Zoe / Tagged: , , , ,

June 29, 2010

June 29, 2010 8:43 pm / Leave a Comment /

Confidence

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.”

Dr. Seuss

I woke this morning, stretched my noisy stretched, saw the gray outside and reminded myself that I have the best life I could possibly have. My cheery outlook on the gray day comes not from some hidden knowledge about the mysteries of life, but from reading Dr. Seuss books. I found a stash last night in the basement — a stack so tall I think it qualifies as an earthquake hazard.

Simple books to read, Dr. Seuss offers anything but simple wisdom. In fact, he is quite profound. And his poetic, sing-songy approach stuck in my head all day today as we went about our business. I’m tempted to try and duplicate his writing style, but I know I can’t do it justice. Still, reading his work has given me a new perspective on the world.

Lately, Gretchen and I have been having deep and meaningful conversations about confidence. I find confidence a curious human attribute and have come to realize that confidence in dogs is as complicated as it is with people. For instance, there are days when my confidence feels like a balloon expanding in my chest. I head out on a walk, see a squirrel, and am convinced (despite past experience) that I can catch it. Inside of me the balloon fills rapidly and full of its energy, I burst forth with such a belief in myself that I know nothing can stop me.

Other times, there is no balloon. Instead, there is a quivering hole inside my belly sucking any belief in myself right out through my toes. I worry that I am not brave enough or trusting enough or smart enough or strong enough to face the thing that I worry about — like a stranger’s hand coming to pet the top of my head or the big Rottweiler slobbering toward me or the unexpected bone-shaking boom of (illegal) fireworks.

Gretchen says she has the same insecurities and that her confidence waxes and wanes throughout the day and has done so throughout her lifetime. I’m not sure that gives me a lot of confidence that I might overcome my fears, but she assures me that as I get older the gripping fear that sometimes makes me bark or tremble will diminish and not have any power over me. I can tell, now that I’m three-years-old, that it’s already starting to subside, but still there are those times when confidence alludes me and I must contemplate why I feel so uncertain and doubtful.

On our first walk of the day, Ollie and I discussed confidence at length. Younger than me, Ollie is skittish about certain things. When I asked him about his confidence he said, “I try, Rubin. I really, really try not to jump at weird shapes and sounds and people, but something inside of me reacts before I can contain it.”


I know how he feels, but I tried to reassure him. “That happened to me, too, Ollie, but as I’ve gotten older and seen and experienced more of life, I am less jumpy. Be patient with yourself.”

Rosie, according to Gretchen, has her confidence and insecurities all tangled together. “She had a rough start to life,” Gretchen told me, “And so there are instances and experiences where the past flares up and grabs and shakes her confidence at the neck.”

“Is she getting better?” I asked.

“Yes, much better and she’s very lucky to be with such a wonderful family.”

That made me smile.

Now Gemma is probably the picture next to the dictionary definition of “confidence” since everything about her vibrates confidence. “But sometimes that gets her into trouble,” Gretchen warned.

“How so?” I asked, curious.

“Well, she boldly steps into situations that can sometimes be dangerous — like putting her face into the face of a muzzled dog.”

“Oh, yeah, that would be bad,” I agreed.

“Wait a minute,” Gemma interrupted, “I take umbrage with that comment.”

Umbrage? I rest my case about Gemma and her confidence!

Where Gemma has a cocky confidence, Zoe has a goofy confidence. She bounds through life confident that everything and everyone is going to like her. She approaches each new situation like it’s an invitation and then proceeds to curl up next to it waiting for the love to ooze forth. If I were to bottle up confidence and drink it for breakfast, I’d bottle up Zoe’s.

Or maybe even Saber’s because he’s a lot like Zoe. He has a few more fears — like umbrellas and weird garbage in the street — but overall he is liquid confidence that wiggles hilariously at the hips. And that tail!  I think Gretchen and I have both been happily bruised by that tail wagging with such joy it sends out vibrations into the world.


Yes, today — despite the philosophical undertones — was good and fun and tomorrow, yes, will be another one!

Keep your chin up!

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Ollie, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News, Zoe / Tagged: , , ,

June 23, 2010

June 23, 2010 3:39 pm / Leave a Comment /

Good Friends

This is our neighbor, Dely, and she is a very good friend. I like Dely very much and even though she’s not the biggest dog fan, she is still friendly and kind to my friends and me.

Today, as Monty and I walked down by the lake, Dely was ahead of us. I could smell her. “Let’s catch up to Dely,” I said to Gretchen.

“Oh, Rubin,” she replied, “It’s too warm to be running after Dely. We’ll just let her have a quiet walk by herself.”

And so Dely went her way and we went ours. Too bad, because as I’ve said, I really like Dely.

Then later, while Monty and I were resting, Gretchen took Gemma and her friend Cooper down through the same route we’d traveled that morning. And guess who they ran into again?

That’s right, kind and helpful Dely. Cooper really liked her. You can tell because his little whippet paw is resting on her shoe. But Dely is an extremely humble woman so she’d be quite embarrassed to know that I’ve written about her so much. Still, we must thank her for her wonderful help today. She is a good, dear friend!

Come to think of it, I have lots of good, dear friends. Sure, most of them are canines, but many are humans as well. For instance, Gemma’s dads are good friends. I like seeing them when they are home and they always come to greet me.

I don’t know Zoe’s family, but Zoe is such a friendly gal I can only imagine her family would be my friends, too. Zoe got to go to the lake as well, but unlike the rest of us, she got to go into it. Lucky girl. As you can tell, that made her happy.

Saber’s parents are really nice people too and whenever I see them, I make sure to give them my best wiggle greeting. On our play date with Saber today, Monty and I had a good time playing fetch, but every time Monty and I tried to catch our breath and rest in the warmth of the day, Saber figured out how to disrupt the slumber!

Okay, sometimes he joined us…

…but mostly he just tormented me.

Finally, Monty is my best friend and his mom is one of my favorite people of all time.

I guess there is quite a connection between my dog friends and my human friends. Good thing I realized that because it made my life all the better today!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Monty, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News, Zoe / Tagged: , , , ,

June 23, 2010

June 22, 2010 9:16 pm / Leave a Comment /

Solstice

Sunday, the day before the first day of summer was, according to the experts, one of the darkest days in 15 years. Um, what does that mean? I know I was happily playing on a beach and oblivious to the weather, but when Solstice rolled around yesterday — the longest day of the year — I was happy it didn’t rain. In fact, the sun came out long enough to make my tongue flop to the side of my mouth in a hot and bothered pant.

Today it did the same and that sun — the thing that has lost its way in our skies of late — made a beautiful and friendly appearance. I must say that I was very happy to feel the warmth and the light on my skin. I think everyone we walked today was happy as well.

The day started with Ollie. He was very happy to see me, though I suppose he’s always jovial when company arrives. Jovial is a perfect name for Mr. Ollie. He expects every day to be sunny and doesn’t seem to notice when it’s not. That’s an attitude I wish I could maintain, but since I can’t, I just make certain to hang around Ollie — the bubbly ray of sunshine. We walked down to the lake, but never got to go in. I looked longingly at the water most of the time, but Gretchen said we didn’t have time. Shucks. We should make time for swimming despite the chilly June.

On the way back up the hill (and it’s a big one, let me tell you) we stopped for an impromptu drink and then a pose on the hot rocks.

Rosie was next and her name sort of sets the tone for nice days like this. Unlike most of us, she’s not particularly fond of the sun because she overheats quickly. But Gretchen just takes it slow and Rosie likes that because aside from treats, the thing Rosie likes the most is sniffing everywhere! And posing with the blue skies behind her!

Gemma still has a house guest (Cooper) so they loaded into the car and all went over to Zoe’s house. Gretchen says it was a contrast in personalities — Gemma, the confident, bossy Terrier, Zoe the laid back and joyous Bernese, and Cooper, the timid and skittish Whippet. But they all got along just fine and Cooper even found comfort hanging close to Zoe.

Finally, I got to play with Saber at the end of the day. Since no one was at the dog park, we played there for awhile, but it was hot so while Saber busied himself with a large stick (dare I say a log), I looked for shade!

After our mini-romp, we headed on a walk up to the ridge where Saber proved once again that he is much braver than I lying down on the grate looking at the view. I was just holding on for dear life!

So this may be the only Solstice we get according to the weather reports. I tried to back in the glory of it…hope you did too!

Until tomorrow,

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Ollie, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News, Zoe / Tagged: , , , ,

June 15, 2010

June 15, 2010 8:32 pm / Leave a Comment /

What you don’t always see

We take a lot of photographs, as many of you know. We comb through them every afternoon and winnow out the ones that are too blurry or show only half a dog racing through the frame. We try to focus our blog on interesting topics and often those topics revolve around the photos we shoot. Well, that Gretchen shoots and I often participate in.

But a lot happens behind the camera and unless you are good at reading dog body language, you may never know. So here’s my attempt to explain some of the things that happen that you can’t see. I’ll start with yesterday. I posted this photo of Woobie and me getting rowdy at the tennis courts.

But I won’t to focus more closely on Ms. Woobie who is, by her own account, performing a happy dance. Unfortunately, we didn’t get her dance fully in the frame, but with a little help from iPhoto, we can zoom in on how happy this happy dance was…

…did you notice that yesterday? You may have, but sometimes our lives are too busy or we focus our attention elsewhere. Anyway, this is just the kind of thing that happens that you don’t always or can’t always see.

Today it started when Woobie and I went to walk Ollie. We found a nice little bench in the garden and we waited to have our photo taken. Actually, we waited for Woobie to look and the camera and Ollie to stay put (he’s always trying to get close to Gretchen so he can get a treat…doesn’t want to miss out on the treats!).

But what was happening behind Gretchen was that a whole carload of preschoolers was piling out of the van and racing up the stairs to somebody’s house. It’s amazing we held this pose so well.

On Rosie’s walk, she posed beautifully…

…until she saw a crow behind Gretchen and off she went, but luckily she came right back when called. Of course, she was expecting some kind of reward!

Now when Gemma walked with Zoe, they both looked in opposite directions — Gemma focused on a barking dog off in a distance and Zoe looking forward to the continued walk.

Eventually they looked at the camera…

…but while Gretchen was trying to get a photo of just Zoe, Gemma climbed up on Gretchen’s arm asking for a treat…which they both received.

Gemma also got to play with Saber, but what you may not notice in these photos is that Saber is no longer on a leash drag. Gretchen thought that since I wasn’t there and Saber wasn’t always trying to steal my ball that he might be better on his recall command…

and he was…

…when he wasn’t being held back by you know who!

Now something you may not also really notice here is that Gemma is wearing her raincoat on a perfectly sunny day. When Gretchen picked up Gemma it was raining just a bit and so Gretchen thought, “If Gemma wears her raincoat, the sun will come out” and it did.

We got to see Saber, too, but what you may not be able to see in this photo is that Woobie and I are exhausted. In addition to our work today, we went for a really long walk down by the lake this morning. Both of us are ready for a nap, but we had to finish our obligation and Saber was the last of the afternoon.

There’s a lot more that happens behind the camera, but this tired pup is going to rest up for tomorrow.

Until then,

Rubin

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Posted in: Gemma, Ollie, Rosie, Rubin's Buddies, Saber, Tail Waggin' News, Woobie, Zoe / Tagged: , , , ,