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!