― Christopher Hitchens
Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.
― John Grogan
I made myself a snowball
As perfect as can be.
I thought I'd keep it as a pet,
And let it sleep with me.
I made it some pajamas
And a pillow for it's head.
Then last night it ran away,
But first - It wet the bed.
― Shel Silverstein
As might be deduced from the title of this post, I’ve been house/pet sitting for the daughter the last several days while she’s on a family vacation in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Actually, they’re due back tomorrow.
If she just had cats, I’d only have to go over a couple of times a day to make sure they have food and water, maybe stay awhile to see if they’d be interested in playing. But she has a dog. Not a little lap dog that I could bring over to my house, but a big goof of a dog that needs to stay in his own home, which means I get to stay there with him.
He’s a purebred yellow lab, in case you’re wondering. And I have to admit, I’ve never met a better behaved dog in my life. I had a special bond with his predecessor, Bishop, but despite his size, Omega is much calmer and quieter. I’ve heard him bark exactly once in the entire time I’ve be with him.
Just look at that face!
How can you resist that face? He’s trying to convince me that he doesn’t really have to wait an hour after eating before running around. But not wanting to have to clean up dog puke because he’s too active after eating, I can resist just fine! LOL
At night, and when no one is home, he stays in his crate. And he is really good about going into his crate – I just have to reach for the dog treats, or the peanut butter (which he gets before bedtime) and I’ll turn around and he’ll already be sitting in his crate, patiently waiting. He is SUCH a good boy!
His routine has let me go home early in the morning long enough to feed my cats, work out, and have a quick shower. Ever the gentleman, he’ll let me choose which toy to throw inside the house, but outside he likes his chuck-it – which is the greatest invention ever, especially for someone who sucks at throwing balls.
The daughter also has a pair of house panthers. Spec is a ghost tabby, which means he has a white undercoat to his black fur. He’s a little standoffish, but he does love to snuggle when I’m in bed reading.
And this majestic floof is Fantome, or Fanny, for short. She isn’t as aloof as Spec, and she likes to “talk” to you. She also likes her love-ups, but it has to be her idea. And she will definitely let you know if her food dish is empty!
I have to admit, this is kind of a weird situation. We only live a couple of blocks away, and Omega is used to being alone for a few hours a day (when the daughter and her hubby’s work schedules overlap) so I’ve been trying to keep to his schedule by coming home for a couple of hours a day.
I think my favorite part of the day is in the morning when Omega and I go outside. The temperature is comfortable and the neighborhood is quiet. The daughter has a large, multilevel deck with a gazebo (with a fire table in the center) on the lowest part. I can sit there with my morning coffee and just relax.
I’m going to miss it when I’m back home for good. I have big-time gazebo envy!
What I will not miss, however, are the bugs. Due to the row of fir trees lining the long side fence, the daughter has one of the buggiest back yards I’ve ever been in. You could play connect the dots on my arms, legs, and back.
I wonder how much After Bite it would take to fill the bathtub?
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