Dogs

Gracie and Jake on my bed, looking out the windows. Normal morning activity.

This is either Merlin or Kaiser with their mom, Joy.

The brats and I at Dogtona, 2016

There are all kinds of dog parents out there. Some are mean, cruel beyond belief, and should be locked up. I firmly believe that if a person, male or female, can intentionally harm an animal, then they are capable of intentionally harming a human. Usually a weaker human, as in a senior or a child.

I have met some outstanding dog people by taking my two to the local dog park. In the middle photo above is Joy. Sorry, I didn't get Joy's face, just her arm, when I took this pic. It was crowded and noisy, and I was struggling to stand upright while holding the leashes for my two dogs. Joy has always rescued Weinheimers. Most dog folks have a favorite breed and that is hers. She is down to two that are getting up in years. They are very sweet dogs, and one has arthritis in his back. We haven't seen Joy at the dog park this past winter, so I was surprised when she wheeled in at Dogtona, a fund raising event for the Humane Society.

Let's pause and think about this for a moment. That is one big cart. I'm sure it folds, or reduces in size so you can transport it in an SUV. She then must take the cart out of her vehicle, set it up, and coax or lift a large dog into said cart. Then push him around. That takes a lot of devotion to her dog. It also requires a lot of love. And it does my heart good to see this.

What would you do for your dog?
Linda

Dogtona

Jake, me, and Gracie

Every March the Hendricks County shelters have a dog show, appropriately called Dogtona. This is a large open indoor area at the fairgrounds, with vendors set up along the walls. There are games, treats, and contests. I don't enter any of the contests with these two. Frick and Frack would probably be more of a distraction than anything else.

But this year there was a local photographer set up for pet pics. It was only $5, and she had a newer digital camera that sends the photo to a color printer, and you received the print immediately. This turned out cute, didn't it? Let us briefly discuss what I had to go through to get to this point.

First of all, I am on my knees on the ground. I had to wrap my body around Jake's to keep him in one spot. There are places to mark, people to bark at. He was super excited, and we had been there for an hour at this point. Gracie, in her infinite wisdom, would not look at the camera. THIS shot is number 6. The photographer, a woman my age, had the patience of a saint. You would have to, to do this at a gathering of barking dogs.

To get the dogs to look forward, not to the side or at the other dogs, she finally had a cohort stand behind her and make cat sounds. At least I think they were sounds a mad cat might make, not sure. Whatever it was, it worked and the brats looked at the camera. I was gazing into the distance wondering how the hell I would get up.

One of the games is an assortment of old shoes with treats stuck in them. Jake didn't really bother with that, but it's one of Gracie's favorite games. She dives right into it, sticking her nose into every shoe, because she KNOWS there is food somewhere. Jake did walk up the down the agility ramp, perfectly. Gracie sat down and looked at me. You want me to walk up a narrow platform, mom? Are you nuts? Neither dog would go into the enclosed chute, no matter what the guy on the other end was waving around.

A lot of butts were sniffed, and a good time was had by all. To top off the day, we went to the dog park where they ran with Max and Ben.

And they still bugged me to death last night. Go figure.
Linda