Happy Howl-o-ween!

"What the...?"
"Another one?"
"And a kitty, too? Eeeeeeew...."
"Ok, all you little goblins, I'm ready for some treats!"
"Have a spook-tacular Howl-o-ween!"

 

Love the One You're With

Sometimes, when there's no one else to play with, you have to make do with who's around...

"Wanna play?"
"We could play Roo..."
"Pleeze, pleeze, pleeze, pleeze, pleeze??
"Mom... he's bothering me!"
"Who, me?

 

Good Neighbors

Being in the process of replacing our back fence, this week we had the opportunity to meet the neighbors who just moved in behind us. These neighbors are so quiet, we've hardly known they're there. I did find a bone and a dog toy last week that I thought had been tossed over the fence, perhaps as a peace offering to Charlie to keep him quiet while they moved in. But that's been almost the only evidence that we even have new neighbors.

So it was nice to meet them and quite a surprise to learn that the bone and stuffie (which I had returned because Charlie's not good with such things unsupervised) were not a gift to Charlie at all. At least not from the humans in the house.

Meet Frankie. An 11 month old golden retriever service-dog-in-training and Charlie's new neighbor!

Today was their first play date, and I think they had a blast! They chased and sniffed and explored, despite the pounding and sawing and general disturbance.

"Chase me?"
"Hey, you fence guys! We're big tough goldens; don't mess with us!!
Happy neighbors

Lying Around with a Friend

The Postman Doesn't Have to Ring Twice

We've had various mail carriers; some have ignored Charlie and some have been afraid of him (in truth, he does sound like a police dog on the attack when he guards the house). But sometime this summer, a mail carrier arrived who likes him.

I think it started when the carrier had something to hand in through the door and, seeing Charlie babygated upstairs, asked to meet and pet him and give him a treat. Then, when we were out walking, he went out of his way to come over and pet Charlie, say nice things about him, and let him rummage for treats. Then at some point, whenever there was a package to be left by the door, he'd add a treat on top:

And now... oftentimes after the mailman's come and gone, look what's been left in the middle of the welcome mat:


What a great mail carrier!

 

Some Days are More Interesting Than Others

"Humm humm humm... la la... nice morning..."

"Joggers - check... pups-on-a-walk - check..."

"squirrels - ... whoah... whazzat?!"

"Momma! That's one big squirrel in that tree!!"

 

Lunching Out

One of the great things about Portland is that there are dog-friendly places to eat. I don't know which one is Charlie's favorite, but I suspect Hedge House is high on his list, since getting there involves going for a walk, he can lie in the sun, and friendly people pet him.

"Sniff. Sniff. Yes, this place will do nicely."

"Are you about done with that sandwich?"

Making a new friend.