Visiting My Estate with Baci

Baci

We had been friends for a while, Baci and I, even though we had never actually met snout to snout.  Sure, I'd hear tales of him from conversations his Mom and my Sister would have (and I'm sure Sister shared quite a few overly exaggerated stories about my daily forays into mischief because she's that kind of person), but Baci and I were, essentially, unknown to each other.  But then, a couple of weekends ago and after nearly a year and a half of listening to stories, I was beyond happy to hear that I was finally going to meet Baci.  And even better, I found out that I was going to meet him at my estate (AKA Old Westbury Gardens) at their Fidos at Four event.

For those of you who don’t know, Baci is a 16-month-old Silver Labrador Retriever who calls Sister’s friend Gina "Mom."  From day one, I knew that Baci was a really cool guy even though I most certainly did not understand his love of swimming or why he got eggs for breakfast and I never did (I only get my kibble, a small pretzel, a single Cheerio, and maybe a blueberry if it's in season).

Anyway, as soon as I found out what was going on, I went into my normal routine of excitement overdose (pacing, barking, whining, running in and out of the house, stealing shoes and socks as Sister tried putting them on, and, of course, drooling all over the place).  When I got in the car I paced, huffed, drooled, and generally drove Sister (the driver) crazy.

Baci Leading the Way

Needless to say, by the time we reached my estate, I was pretty much exhausted.  But me being me, I dug deep and managed to find enough energy to drag Sister from the parking lot to “Rigby’s wall” located directly in front of the house (see my profile picture featuring a very young yours truly and his namesake wall).  Not that long after arriving, Sister knelt down next to me and whispered “There’s Baci” in my ear.

And there he was, pulling his Mom up the path just like I had a few minutes earlier.

With a wag of the tail and a nose bunk, Baci and I said our hellos.  Then I said hello to Gina while Baci said hi to Sister.  Gina tried to give me a treat in greeting, but as my loyal readers know, I’m very suspicious of freely offered food and immediately spit the cookie out onto the ground and walked away (Baci then swooped in and ate the cookie himself).

Art of Water Bottle Drinking

Once our greetings were over, we set off to explore the estate.  I took Baci to all my favorite spots, we bunked noses with a whole bunch of dogs (there was an especially large number of cousins present), I taught Baci how to drink out of a water bottle, and we were good boys and didn't cause too much drama when either Gina or Sister held both our leashes when the other stepped away for a moment.

Overall, a grand time was had by all (though I did notice Baci looking longingly toward the two ponds and one reflecting pool we passed on our travels).

Baci and I Twining

 

Outtakes