Dog Day Weekend

Two weekends a year, a wonderful thing happens:  Old Westbury Gardens opens its doors to canines and humans alike in an event known as Dog Days.  Over the years, I have made it my business to take part in the festivities and this year was no different.

Saturday: 

An Extreme Close-Up of Mecki

On Saturday, Ma, Sister, and I met my bff Mecki and his Mom and Dad at what has become known as "Rigby's Wall" (it's the wall I'm standing on in my profile picture at my very first Dog Day weekend).  Mecki and I exchanged hellos with our humans (sorry, Karin, for almost taking off your hand when you gave me that treat, but did you notice that I actually ate the entire cookie this time rather than simply chew it apart and spit it out?) then we turned our attention to playing.  Mecki rolled over me multiple times in greeting and I swatted him with my paw.  We also chased each other as far as our leaches would allow.

Then something strange happened.  A nice Japanese family came over and asked if they could take a picture with me.  I wagged my tail with glee!  "I've finally made it," I thought, "I have groupies!"  Basking in the thrill of being a celebrity (okay, I realize that the chances of this family recognizing me from my blog is small, but a dog can dream), I positioned myself in the grass and smiled at the camera while they posed next to me. 

Mecki and I

After the impromptu photo session, Mecki and I wandered our way through the gardens.  Along the way, we bunked noses with some dogs (including Emma Rose, the Golden Retriever cousin we bump into at every Dog Day event), took some pictures, sniffed some bushes, and Mecki's Mom put him in a tree for the second year in a row (Mecki was not thrilled by this...I was just happy that I'm too big for Mom and Sister to do the same to me).

Having checked out all the dog friendly spots in the garden (for some reason dogs are not allowed in the formal gardens...not sure why) we all headed back to our cars, said our goodbyes, and headed our separate ways (and I got into the car without Karin's help--I learned my lesson last time).

Sunday:  

Hanging Out IN the Garden

This time, Pa joined Ma, Sister, and I at the estate.  As soon as we exited the parking lot, a big commotion started from within the vender's section and suddenly everyone was screaming and running toward us.  At first, I thought all the hubbub was a result of my celebrity status and I cursed myself for not remembering to bring an ink pad to sign autographs with, but the crowds ran right past me.  Turns out, they were chasing after a little spindly dog that had gotten loose and was running toward the wooded area.  I won't lie, I was a little disappointed, but I reminded myself that I would never want to become such a celebrity that I wouldn't be able to enjoy Dog Days without a huge mob forming around me.  So, I lifted my head up high, and continued into the gardens with Pa, Ma, and Sister.

Johnny and I

A little later on, I ran into a cousin named Johnny.  Johnny and I got along right away.  It turns out, we both play the exact same way...we cheat at every opportunity.  He was very mouthy and kept grabbing my ears and my paws and tugging while routinely rolling over top of me.  I, on the other paw, kept trying to go up and under him and eventually used my secret weapon, the atomic butt, to subdue him (yes, I sat on him).  Johnny and I had a great time pouncing, rolling in the grass, and tying our humans up with our leashes and we were both quite disappointed when our humans said it was time to move on.  With a parting sniff, Johnny went home and my family and I continued through the gardens where I bunked noses with a number of other dogs who, while nice, were not fun like Johnny.

Checking Out The Estate

When we were done, Ma, Pa, Sister, and I walked back to the car and started home.  Totally exhausted, I slept the entire way on Pa's lap.

I can't wait for next spring's Dog Days!

The One That Got Away

My family has learned something new about me over the last couple of months.  They have come to realize that, thanks to the big back yard out east and the newly installed fence, I am a natural born athlete.  True, I am not a ball dog nor am I a Frisbee dog, a swimming dog, or a dog who can scoot around on a skateboard (though it does look like fun).  I am, however, a runner.  I can run very fast and, when properly motivated, I can run for a relatively long stretch of time.  My athleticism was tested today, and thanks to my training, I almost caught the prize.

Sister and I were hanging outside in the backyard.  Sister was talking with the next door neighbor while I alternated between bunking noses with the neighbor’s dog Honey, snoozing in the sun, and trying to inconspicuously dig a hole under the forsythias (I only managed a small hole...Sister was keeping a very close eye on me because she said Ma and Pa would skin both of us alive if I got muddy so soon after getting a bath).  Anyway, eventually Sister decided that it was time to go in and offered me a cookie to agree with her decision (what can I say, I'm easily bought).  Overflowing with puppy energy and the promise of food, I scurried toward the side door of the house.

But as I reached the side door, I noticed something hunkered down in the grass by the front gate near the remnants of the hole I dug almost a week ago.  With a warning bark, I bounded over only to discover a squirrel.

I will admit that I was shocked at first.  I really didn't expect to see an interloper on my property while I was outside.   The squirrel, on the other paw, was downright horrified (hey, he trespassed on my property!) and quickly tried to make a break for it.  But rather than just slip under the fence and off my property, he decided to try running past me (just like the lizard in my first post).  So, I did the only thing I could do:  I chased after him.

A Map of What Happened

The squirrel ran directly in front of me, up and over the side steps, past Sister who was screaming (I believe she was shouting "Rigby, leave it" but I can't be certain because I was kind of preoccupied and did not pay much attention to her), into the backyard, and onto the fence separating my property from Honey's (I was inches behind him the entire way).  Running toward the front of the property via the top of the fence, the squirrel came face to face with Honey who gave chase steering him back in my direction (while Honey's mom screamed something as well).  The squirrel panicked, jumped to the ground, scurried toward the tree, jumped back onto the fence, jumped onto the tree, stumbled and fell down about a foot (leaving him about a foot above me), then hot-footed it up the tree while Honey and I barked hysterically.

I almost had him.  This was the closest I've ever gotten to catching one of those stupid little furry animals that routinely trespass on my property, and I owe my success to all the practice I had out east!

Well, That Backfired

"Maybe next time they'll think twice about cleaning my ears!"

Yeah, perhaps I spoke a little too soon.  You see, after expressing my displeasure at having my ears cleaned by digging a spectacularly large hole in the middle of the grass and dragging my head through the mud, Ma and Pa got back at me yesterday by giving me a bath.  Talk about over-reacting!

Sister (who wishes to be exonerated from all guilt because, she argues, she was not at home for either event) has spent the day trying to make me feel better.  She's reminded me that my ears no longer smell like the stinky liquid Ma and Pa used to clean them.  Personally, I don't find this comforting.  You see, now my entire body smells, as my family has repeatedly reminded me, "like a rose."  Sister has also brought to my attention that now that I'm all nice and clean and fluffy, my striking good looks and model like physique have been accentuated.  Well, what can I say?  She's got me there.

The Cute Puppy Look

The Deep Soulful Look

So, I leave my loyal readers with the one good thing that came from all the suffering I've endured over the last few days:  a photo-shoot!

The Wind Blown Look

The Hole

I don't like having my ears cleaned.

Wait, allow me to expand on that thought:  I really, really don't like having my ears cleaned.

Think about it from my perspective!  There you are, lying quietly on the floor dreaming about chasing bunnies, and lizards, and squirrels, when all of a sudden, someone jumps on you, pours a stinky liquid in your ears, sloshes it around, then starts fishing gunk out with a cotton ball (sorry for the graphic nature of this description, but the truth had to be told).  And, if that wasn't bad enough, the person cleaning your ears is seemingly oblivious to the fact that you are shaking like a leaf and thinks that half of a slice of American cheese is compensation enough for all the pain and suffering you've endured.  But it gets worse!  The final sentence uttered is always "See, that wasn't so bad."  Yeah, it kind of was!

Well, a couple of days ago I had the misfortune of having my ears cleaned.  It was everything I expected:  it was dreadful!  But, while I dragged my head along the living room floor howling in protest of what had just happened to me, it occurred to me that my yelps were falling on deaf ears.  In fact, I realized that they had been for quite a long while now.  I decided right then and there that it was time to ramp up my displays of displeasure.  For people to notice that I was annoyed, I was going to have to go big.

My opportunity came a little while later when I was let outside to do one last check of the perimeters for the evening.  All by myself in the dark, I allowed my scheming mind to wonder, and, after a surprisingly short amount of time (what can I say, I'm good at what I do), I came up with the perfect way to show my displeasure at having my ears cleaned.

Quietly I slunk to the side of the property--to the grassy patch right outside the side door.  True, it was risky to be mischievous so close to the house, but the location of my crime was just far enough away from the side door to avoid being lit by the gleaming porch light.  I took one last cautionary look over my shoulder at the door, then began digging furiously.

The grass came up easy, as did the dirt.  In no time at all I had created an impressive hole; a hole which I immediately plowed my head into and rubbed my stinky liquid filled ears against.

By the time Ma and Pa found me, my head was complete caked in mud.

Maybe next time they'll think twice about cleaning my ears!

Water Is So Bland

Water has a tendency to get a bit boring.  Think about it from my perspective.  Every time I stick my snout down into my bowl, I am faced with the same flavorless liquid I saw the day before and every day for as far back as I can remember (don't worry, it's not the same water--that gets changed out multiple times a day--it's just always water).  How boring is that?  I mean, yeah, occasionally the water in my bowl is spiked with dirt and blades of grass, but I have to add those myself and, frankly, they don't really give it much flavor. 

Now, I know that the humans have many different kinds of drinks (I know this because I've casually stuck my snout in quite a few glasses in my day).  There's ice tea, milk, juice, soda, and coffee to name only a few.  But what does the dog always get?  Water.  It just isn't fair.

Well, this morning I decided to take matters into my own paws.  I had just finished eating my breakfast and was feeling nice and full and feisty (I have a long history of being a little too exuberant after eating--now a days I wipe my snout on the furniture and howl, when I was a pup I'd jump and nip at whoever was in the house with me).  With energy to kill, I decided to circle the first floor of the house in search of trouble.  Taking note of a couple of potential trouble-making activities (one mustn't peak out too soon and blow through all the troublesome things one can do for the entire day in one single sitting), I returned to the dining room to see if my food bowl had magically refilled itself (it never does, but I'm always hopeful).

It was then that I noticed it; something sitting in the corner of the dining room, peeking out from behind Sister's work bag.  It was a shiny green one liter bottle of lime seltzer water.  "That looks good" I thought, my mouth watering at the thought of the fizzy bubbles and limy taste.

Stealthfully, I scurried over to the bottle and nudged Sister's bag off to the side. Careful not to knock the bottle over with my snout (the noise would distract Pa from his breakfast and clue him in on my actions), I grabbed the bottle by its neck and hurried into the living room unnoticed.

"The bottle is mine!" I thought gleefully.  Finally, I would have a refreshing beverage that was not water!

But my victory was short-lived; very short-lived.  So short lived, in fact, that I never got a taste of the bubbly liquid.  You see, I accidentally dropped the bottle on the ground once I was in the living room and the resulting thud alerted Pa to my mischievousness and sent him hurrying into the room to investigate.

Crestfallen, I slunk back into the dining room and got a boring drink of water from my bowl.  It's just not fair!

A Guest Blogger: Ralphie

I had a bit of a scare this weekend.  For a brief second, I thought that my family was auditioning other Golden Retrievers for my spot in the family.

You see, I spent a peaceful weekend out east with Ma and Pa, but when I returned to our house on Sunday afternoon I was greeted by Sister and another dog!  I won’t lie, at first I was horrified.  But then I realized that it wasn’t some strange dog at all.  It was my friend Ralphie who had spent the weekend with my Sister while his human Sister got married.

Upon realizing that my place in the family was secure, I was relaxed enough to begin enjoying Ralphie’s company.  We checked out the backyard together and Ralphie tried to teach me some pointers in playing with a tennis ball (yeah, I still don’t get it).  Then we raced inside the house, turned around, and raced back out again (I tried to scoot under Ralphie as we came down the side steps…not the smartest idea on my part).  Next we took turns trying to muscle each other out of the way to collect the most pets from Pa, Ma, and Sister.

The fun was short lived, however, because Ralphie’s Mom came over to take him home (of course, we spent some time trying to muscle all the pets from her as well).

Before he left to go home, Ralphie asked if he could share all the fun stuff he did over the weekend with my readers as a guest blogger.  With a wag of my tail, I whole-heartedly agreed that he should.

So, without further delay…

Ralphie’s Awesome Adventure 

By Ralphie

There has been a lot of hustle and bustle around my house lately and it is all because my Sister Laura was getting married.  Yay Laura!

Saturday was the big day and Mom told me that I was going to spend the day at my friend Rigby’s house so that I wouldn’t be lonely.  “Oh boy!  That sounds like fun!” I thought.  Then she said that Rigby might not be home, but that his Sister would hang out with me.  “Yay! More pets for me!”

Mom packed my overnight bag and escorted me to the car.  Then we drove a couple of blocks away, got out, and I dragged Mom toward Rigby’s house (I’d never been there before, but his Sister was standing in the door and I’ve visited her at the Library many times).

Baby

I was beyond excited when I stepped foot in the house.  Rigby’s Sister was there and the entire place smelled like Rigby.  I ran through the living room sniffing the floor, the dog pillow, and the plants.  Next, I ran into the dining room, scurried around the table, and stuffed my nose in the empty water bowl.  I turned to head back into the living room where Mom and Rigby's Sister were talking, but stopped short when I saw a small plush toy lying by the table leg.  "Yay!" I thought as I picked up Baby and bounded into the living room vocalizing to show off to Mom and Rigby's Sister.

Then Mom left.  I was very sad to see her go, but I reminded myself that I was in a fun new place and that Rigby's Sister was a sucker for dogs that like having their heads rubbed (and I just so happen to be a dog that loves to have his head rubbed). 

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of fun!  I...

Watching TV

• ...broke into the "Land of No" (a fun adventure).
• ...watched the Diving Dog Competition on TV (I was rooting for the Golden Retriever of course).
• ...met Rigby's Aunt B (a nice lady who was quite impressed with my happy-go-lucky personality).
• ...chewed on a tennis ball (Rigby collects them at the park...sounds like a good idea--I should ask Mom if I can start a collection).
• ...bunked noses and ran up and down the length of the fence

  

  Saying "Hi" to Honey

  with Honey, the Yellow Lab who lives next door (I showed off by barking with two tennis balls in my mouth).
• ...had many hours of quality ear scratches including a twenty minute belly rubbing session (I heard Sister say that she's amazed that my family gets anything done during the day because I only had to look up at her with my big brown eyes to make her drop everything and rub my ears).

By night time I was completely exhausted, but Rigby's Sister was still wide awake (though she did say that she was developing cramps in her hands from petting me--she assured me that she would feel better by morning).  When she finally did decide to go to bed, she declared that if I was camping out so should she.  "That [yawn] sounds like fun [yawn]!" I thought.  So that evening, Rigby's Sister and I camped out on the living room couch and floor respectively.

Rigby's Sister and I woke up bright and early the next morning.  "You're going home today!" she told me as she cooked my breakfast.  "Yay!  Mom's coming back and I get to eat my breakfast!  How can today get any better?!" I thought.  A little while later (after a quick nap--Rigby's Sister is not a morning person) Rigby's Sister and I went outside and I got to play with Honey again and meet Rigby's other neighbor who at first mistook me for Rigby himself.

Me and a Tennis Ball

A little while after lunch (Rigby's Sister ate lunch...I got a tasty treat that Mom had packed in my overnight bag) I heard a rustling outside.  Rigby's Sister opened the door and when I rushed outside I found Rigby, his Mom, and his Dad waiting to greet me!  Yay!  Rigby and I ran around and showed off our play stances, then Rigby's Mom gave me a scratch on the head and allowed me to lean on her leg, and Rigby's Dad patted me on my side and told Rigby that he should take notes on how to be a ball dog (I was vocalizing with a tennis ball in my mouth at the time).  Then Mom arrived and the party got even better!

What a great 24 hours!