Posing as a Puppy

By Fred

A picture of Dewey waking from a nap,
his face snuggled into a towel.

Dewey has almond eyes that light up whenever a surge of happiness hits him, which is every five seconds or so. He has very good house manners, a perfect disposition, perfect to the point that I almost suspect he's not a puppy at all but some sort of human shape-shifter pretending to be a puppy, some graduate student making money for the summer, maybe.

But this phase of puppy goodness and light is temporary, as we know from experience. He will be growing up fast. Too bad for Cheryl, who is not here this week--she's missing the fun part.

For example, yesterday on a walk Dewey and I came upon a neighbor lady walking her pit bull. But Dewey couldn't have cared less about them. He just walked along with his head up, not struggling to get closer to (or away from) the big dog, not sniffing and scouring the ground for every little scent, not listening to that puppy head-banger music in his head (the music that's turned up so loud they can't hear a word you say). For now Dewey is a joy to walk--of course, the treats help quite a bit.

Dewey and Jam looking up and laughing for no reason

Dewey has the tip of Jam's tail in his mouth

Willow and Dewey are getting along. I don't have any pictures of Willow here because she doesn't like to be posed. When I point the iPhone at her she glares at me and turns around or just stares at the ground as says Arghhhh.

But Jam loves the camera and he seems to love Dewey.

Jam has become more affectionate in general. He misses Cheryl and often goes to the window to look for her car, which is parked in its usual place, so where the heck is she? I shrug my shoulders because the truth (that she's taking a crochet class in California) would be too strange a notion for Jam (or any dog) to process.

So I look out the window with him, and we sigh.

I've staged photos before, but this one happened for real,
with no encouragement from me. Jam is using Dewey as a pillow

Center of the Universe

By Fred
There's something special about Dewey. He's all legs and ears and a wagging tail that's always wagging, even while he is eating. After just a few days he knows the routine, he knows the house, he knows the yard, he knows where and when to busy (and wags his tail about it), he sleeps through the night. He's almost perfect. Kudos to the staff at Southeastern for raising such a good and happy little puppy.

But last week I wasn't sure how Dewey would fit in with the other dogs. I was worried: what if they don't like each other? What Jam is jealous and mean? What if Willows disowns me permanently for bringing home yet another one of these? What if Dewey is homesick and sad? And could I be more like a 14-year-old girl for worrying about stuff like that?

Jam is on the floor, allowing Dewey to chew on his face.

It turns out that Jam has adopted Dewey as a brother. I've notice a change in Jam now, as if he is happy with a new sense of purpose. He plays with Dewey for a while and then comes to me and gives me a look that I haven't seen before, a kind of proud smile.

And yesterday I heard Willow barking at Dewey, I guessed, to make him go away. But when I went to investigate, I saw that her tail was wagging and her barking was to get his attention so that he would play. Very unusual. Willow just doesn't do this, especially not with new puppies.

A picture of Dewey asleep at his favorite new restaurant,
his big ears flopped in different directions.

For centuries people believed that the earth was at the center of the universe. The belief persisted longer than it should have, partly due to pride, partly to fear.

A picture of Cheryl holding Dewey, both of them smiling.

At a time like this when Cheryl is away for a few days, it would be tempting to believe that I'm at the center of the universe for these three dogs, but it isn't so. They have worked out a good relationship all on their own. I'm just the concierge.

No word yet about Coach. Hope he is doing well at school...

Bamboo Politeness

Today we visited the wonderful bamboo nursery: Bamboo Gardens in Palm Harbor.  If you haven't been there, and you want some bamboo, you should make an appointment.  Yes, I did say make an appointment.  You can't just drive up and go in.  

Close up of some big bamboo.

Bamboo Gardens is on 4.5 acres on Jerry and Mary Ann Smith's backyard.  And what a backyard it is! It is filled with the most amazing varieties of bamboo that you will find.  And they know their business too.  Your name and the bamboo you buy will go into their database, so that when you call later and wonder what it is you bought and can you have some more, they can tell you.

Why do I tell you all of this?  Because in addition to being an amazing nursery with great bamboo, Mary Ann was also the most accommodating and friendly person I have met when it comes to welcoming a guide dog in training into her business.

When we walked in with Coach in his blue coat, she took one look at him and started to tell us about the neighbor's bulldog she had just met.  Then as we walked to the barn, she turned to me and asked, "Do you think he would like to meet some chickens?"

"Why, yes he would!"  She told me where the chicken coop was and I took Coach over there for a chicken exposure.

A photo of the back of Coach's head as he stares intently at the chickens.

 Coach was thinking maybe we were having chicken for dinner, but I was prepared for a lunge.  I had a firm grip on the leash and as we got close to the coop, I had Coach sit down.  A chicken appeared.  Coach jumped up.  The chicken flew off with a squawk.  Coach looked at me.  "It's a chicken, buddy.  They do that."

We went around to the side and sat down to see if they would come closer.

You can barely see a chicken down at the end of the row by the fence.

You can see the back of Coach's head and some of the chicken as he stares down the fence row.

 The chickens never got any closer, so we ended up leaving.  I didn't want him lunging and scaring them.

We walked all around the bamboo gardens and looked at cool bamboo while Fred and Mary Ann decided on what to buy for the yard.  Then, as the three of us were talking, Coach started to twirl in  front of us.

"He's starting to poo!" Fred said in an elevated whisper, which is as close to a shout as Fred ever gets.  And this is where I really take umbrage with the poodle man last night, because in mid twirl I grabbed the leash and made tracks away from Fred and Mary Ann and went behind a bush so they wouldn't have to see or smell Coach.  And they WEREN'T eating and I was able to do this.

And then I bagged it all up and tossed it in a trash can.  After all, it's polite to take care of your poo!

Fred bought three bamboos, and he is out planting them now. If you need bamboo, go to Bamboo Gardens, and take your guide dog puppy in training with you.  The chickens won't mind.