We are sharing our lovely summer with 2 Westie dogs.  They have been entrusted to us by Janine and Vedran as they are living in temporary housing in Ohio.  (I am sure that anyone not affiliated with the family will have pre-conceptions about what that situation means.)

It is the equivalent of taking care of two young grandchildren.

Now I do like the dogs but it has taken some time for me to develop a relationship with them beyond feeding and walking.  As Pat would tell you, I am the crusty grandpa, but  that is because I am not big on being kissed on the lips by a dog that recently tasted deer droppings in the back yard.

Jackes wants to spend the evening as we watch TV on my lap, while Reese wants to be cuddled by Pat.  Problem is that Jackes weighs 20 lbs and after awhile I feel the circulation going and fearing gangrene I push him off to lay on the floor.  For some reason he still loves me.

 

This has been a wonderful summer where Pat and I have most of our dinners out on the patio.  We make sure to feed the dogs with their cup of kibble before we sit to dine or I fear they would chew on our legs.  They are fed which keeps them from crawling on our laps as we dine but they hover around us hoping we drop food particles to augment their boring diet.

I have been adamant about not feeding from the table so the dogs have learned a routine to walk 10 feet out onto the lawn, turn their backs to us and excravate (whatever the term is) .

Fortunately Pat and I have learned to ignore this obvious attempt to intimidate us, so they eventually come back to the patio and lay down waiting for their late night treat before bed.

Two months and you would think they would learn a new routine.