It's another Doug-dog day, but unfortunately I am coming to the end of my time here with Doug. As you might be able to tell by the expression on his face, we seem to have bonded quite well since my arrival.
So what happens on a typical Doug-dog day? Each day begins with the sleep-in trick. Doug seems to sense when I am awake, and he comes in from the other room to greet me, as I lay in bed. I pretend to be asleep as he walks up to the side of the bed. Doug is so big, his head rests right upon the bed when he arrives. He sniffs, then gives me a lick, but I remain still with my eyes shut. After a few moments, Doug resigns himself to the fact that he must have been mistaken, and so he plops himself down beside the bed, lets out a huge sigh, and falls back to sleep. I remain still for a few minutes, and when I finally do appear to be awake, he's back up on all fours, licking my face, while his tail wags rapidly back and forth. The human is awake, and so our day begins.
Doug's first order of business is to head outside into the back yard, in order to do his morning patrol. There are new fragrances to discover each day, and he makes sure to find all of them. In between sniffs, there is ample time to pee and poop, and it's that last function of his, where the human gets to participate. Lucky me. Actually, the set-up here is very easy. The owner has dug a hole in the ground, and this is where the freshly minted poop is headed. A simple scoop with the shovel, and my work is done. Doug's happy, I'm happy, so we can now head back inside where I put the kettle on for my morning coffee, and get Doug's breakfast prepared. Two scoops of kibble, with a bit of warm water mixed in and he's good to go.
Once I have finished with my routine, it's time to head out for a walk in the woods. I learned early on, that Doug isn't a big fan of other dogs, or cats for that matter. He's so strong, that it is a real effort to try and hold him. I found a solution to the problem. Not far from here, there is a secluded road that we now go to each day, where we can walk uninterrupted by other boneheads, out amongst the trees. Most days we are treated to the sight of multiple eagles flying overhead. I appreciate this sight way more than Doug. He's more interested in the smells along the way, and being a lab, if we find the occasional water hole, he's more than happy to walk into it. Once we're done, we either head straight back home, or if I have some shopping to do, we drive to town which is only a short distance away.
At this point, it's probably mid-afternoon or so. Where does the day go, I always wonder? There is now time to head out into the back yard once again, and throw the "chuck-it" ball around. Doug loves this part of his day, and I have to admit that I agree with him. A variation on the ball throwing, is when Doug chooses to roll over on his back, and play with the ball as I scratch his belly.
On some days, we take the opportunity to have an afternoon nap. I'm a big believer in afternoon naps, and Doug seems to enjoy them as well, as you can see.
Doug's day is beginning to wind down now, and even though there will be round two of ball throwing in the backyard, before long, it's time for his evening kibble, and my dinner.
Some evening play inside with what's left of his toys,
and before long, Doug has had enough fun for the day.
His face says it all. Time for bed, Paul, so that we can get rested up for tomorrow's activities, which will be a repeat of today, but Doug doesn't seem to mind the routine, and I have to admit that neither do I.
Only a few more days to go here, then I'll be off to my next sit, as I transition from a bonehead to a furball.
maximizing my moments,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
No comments:
Post a Comment