A Weekend On The Estate

Totally Exhausted

I am completely exhausted.  I mean, I am beyond tired.  This weekend was Dog Days at Old Westbury Gardens (AKA my estate) and I spent a few hours there each day perusing the grounds, socializing with the two and four legged guests, and mooching lots and lots of treats (I'm particularly skilled at this enterprise).  Now, I'm sure that my loyal readers will agree that that's an awful lot of responsibility and work for one little dog to do, but, let me tell you, I had an absolutely wonderful time doing it and I can't wait for Dog Days Weekend in the fall!

Here's some of the fun I had:

Saturday: 

Mecki and Me

Ma, Sister, and I met up with my bff Mecki and his mom Karin right outside the Old Westbury House.  Actually, I could hear Mecki long before I could see him; he was barking greetings to each dog as he or she passed by.  Karin noticed me coming up the path before Mecki did, so she drew his attention to me.  With our ears and jowls flapping in the wind, we each ran toward each other, dragging our humans (they are so incredibly slow!) behind us and bunked noses.  Then, after Ma and Sister rubbed Mecki's belly and Karin fed me carrots, Mecki and I decided that it was time to start exploring the estate.

Chillin' with Mecki

We had a great time and  played lots of fun games while we explored.  First, Mecki and I took turns playing "Follow the Leader" (Sister said that Mecki looked like my shadow when he was following behind me).  Then, we played "Sniff the Tree" (Mecki sniffed a tree then I sniffed the same tree).  Next, Mecki and I played "Grub Food from Karin" (no explanation of the rules needed).  And finally we took turns marking the same bush in turn.  Can't get much more exciting than that!

A Rare Head-Shot of Mecki

Then something utterly disturbing happened.  Karin picked Mecki up and put him in a tree to take pictures!  I was horrified (as was Mecki).  Sister even helped Karin by ducking down behind the tree and holding Mecki's leash so he couldn't jump down or turn his butt to the camera (Mecki's a bit camera shy).  I felt so bad for Mecki!  After the photo shoot was done, Karin helped Mecki back down onto the floor and Sister came out from behind the tree.  Mecki, surprisingly, did not growl or bark menacingly at his mom (I sure would have), but I gave Sister "the death stare" to warn her not to get any ideas.  There was no way I was going up in that tree.

In addition to Mecki, I also got to meet Razzle Dazzle and Dakota, a couple of Old English Sheep-Dogs (and I thought I had a lot of fur!) and two cousins (AKA Golden Retrievers):  Bo who is blonde like me and my friend Emma Rose who I bunk noses with at every Dog Day weekend.

Sunday: 

Smile!

Posing with a Statue

On Sunday, Pa joined Ma, Sister, and I at the estate, but
Mecki was nowhere to be seen.  I was disappointed, but Sister explained to me that Mecki's mom had to work and that's why she and Mecki weren't there (after all, if a dog's human doesn't work, he/she can't buy the dog treats, and when a dog's human can't buy dog treats, the dog is not a happy camper).

Sister and Me Checking the View

Anyway, Ma, Pa, Sister, and I walked all around the estate taking pictures and sniffing plants (well, Sister and Pa took pictures and I sniffed the plants).  When we walked around the lake, I stopped briefly to sniff the tree that Karin perched Mecki in the day before, but I moved along quickly when Sister approached.  I also got the chance to bunk noses with a lot of dogs including Sophie, a super friendly mutt who kept giving Sister kisses and channeled Mecki by jumping all over me.  I especially liked Sophie's mom; she gave me lots of pats and treats.

Mean Pa!

So, as you can see, I was super busy this weekend and, I think, have earned a much needed nap.  Sadly, however, Pa appears to have never heard the saying "let sleeping dogs lie."