Who's Your Daddy?

We have always suspected Buddy is not a purebred Lab. He seems to be missing two important genes, “retriever” being one and “water dog” being the other. He will chase a thrown object, but forget to bring it back. He just flops down and starts chewing. He does not care for the water and is reluctant to get in and anxious to get out. This behavior puzzles Purebred Princess who retrieves everything not permanently attached to the earth and who swims in her water dish.

Buddy also has vocalizations that are atypical of Labs and more reminiscent of a hound at bay. He does, however, look like a Lab, although he is slightly smaller than Princess. 70 pounds to her 85. Whoever he is and whatever his lineage, we love him.

Four months after the hip surgery he is a normal dog in appearance and gait. His only limitation is jumping and he still needs the ramp to get into the car. He willingly jumps out however. He runs up and down stairs with nary a care. His shaved hair has grown back. (Another sign of suspect parentage is the hair on his butt grew in curly!) He has forgotten the pain he once knew, and is lively and happy. What a wonderful transformation! We are still making payments on the bill, but it’s money well spent and we are glad we made the decision to have the surgery.

Meet My New Doggie-In-Law

This is Scout, a little wire-haired Jack Russell, that belongs to my Uncle Andy's new bride Laura. Scout's a feisty little thing but lots of fun. She knows how to do tricks like rolling over for a treat.

She has tricked her people into thinking she can't jump very high, but when they are gone she can leap several feet in the air and hang out on the bed.

She had a part in the wedding and walked with Laura when she started down the aisle. Scout had her own little corsage that she tried to eat. She's pretty sweet and we are glad to welcome Scout into the family.

Little Buddy Beats the Heat

Out back, in a corner of the back yard under the rhododendron bush, is the hog wallow. Oh…make that the dog wallow. A carefully scooped out depression that just perfectly fits Buddy’s body shape. He has spent quite a bit of time getting it just so and it is his place of preference on these uncharacteristically hot days in Portland. Often, when Princess is more than happy to come in the cool house, Buddy chooses to stay put in his nest.

From there he has a good view of the side yard, the mail boxes (where there is a lot of action), the back yard, and all the traffic (foot and car) going by. It is so deep, he barely shows over the top and he seems to love secretly observing life on the Circle. He turns off his hearing aid and pretends he doesn’t hear me calling.

As temps head toward triple digits I am considering scooping out a dust bowl for myself. When he comes in, his coat is cool and it does seem he has found an effective way to beat the heat.

Home from Camp

The kids are home from camp and seem to have had a good time. The kennel owner said that Princess was very well-behaved but that Buddy tried to bamboozle them at every opportunity. He is a little devil now that he has literally got his legs.

They were delighted to get home and raced around checking to see if all their favorite spots and toys and smells were still there. Then a check of the perimieter of the yard and ditto the deck. After that, they stretched out on the carpet and took a long snooze.

Buddy lost a couple of pounds which is good, but leads me to believe Princess may have grabbed some of his food. They shared a box kennel. She was supposed to have the upper bunk and Buddy the lower, but they chose to sleep together on the bottom.

At exercise time, they did their Fierce Face Act where they pretend to be fighting. Realistic enough to frighten the teen-age dog walker. She ended up taking them one at a time. All in all, the stay went well and I made a good choice. If there is a next time (another wedding?), they will go back to Fletcher's Kennel.

It's Off to Camp He Goes

Since the advent of Sharpies, it is no longer necessary to stay up late the night before, sewing little name tags into all the stuff campers will be taking with them. But there is quite a pile of blankets, towels, chewies, lovies, food, snacks, sunscreen, etc. Buddy and Princess leave today for Fletcher's Resort and they are excited. Twelve days of fun and fraternizing.

The place has been in business 43 years and is quite rustic compared to some of the more expensive kennels. Great reputation, though, and very nice "cabins" for the dogs. They will bunk together in a 12x12 space with a 20' run where they can socialize with other campers. Twice a day they will get out into the exercise field and run around and sniff butts and play tag.

This will be Buddy's first time away from home other than his stay in the hospital for his surgery. He was pretty doped up then and probably didn't notice. Plus I visited him twice a day. This time he will be with his "Mom" and Princess will hopefully reassure him that I am coming back.

She is an experienced boarder having stayed at Kate's Canine Resort in Kansas City many times. She loves meeting new friends and playing games and taking walks. It's hard for me though to leave my precious companions with strangers. I will miss them.

The whole family will be in Colorado for Andy's wedding. So no dog sitters this time like when I went to Alaska. They will be fine, though, and I am sure I picked a good place. We've been working all week so they can sing Kumbaya. They are ready to go!