AKA: The Doggie Addendum

Toby:  Our doggie parents started a blog about the adventures of finding a home – but we’re here to give you the low down — about 3 feet lower down – our point of view. I’m a 13-year old gray muzzled Lab…

Rey: I’m the 5-year old German Shepherd. Don’t forget about me! I may look like a police dog but I’m the one who will always jump on the bed when no one is looking…

Toby: … and I basically live for treats. If it falls on the floor, it’s mine. Don’t you love these hotels we’re staying at where the front desk people give us Milkbones? Yum! I love doggie junk food.

Rey: That’s okay for you, but I have more class than to eat anything. In fact, while we are on the road, I sometimes refuse to eat.

Toby: I saw. How COULD you!

Rey: It was fun at first when they took away all that extra furniture from the house. Much more room to romp and play. Then I missed my rug in the front hall. And they wouldn’t let us back in the house after those cleaning people came. 

Toby: I know. The parents weren’t getting it. We sat by the back door and they wouldn’t let us into our house. OUR house. Where I’ve lived 12/13 years! 

Rey: I miss chasing the guinea hens and sitting on the hill and looking out at the bay. At least we could run around the house while they were frantically packing things. I made a loop around the downstairs in 5 seconds flat! That was fun.

Toby: No, it was not. I can’t keep up. My arthritis, remember? Even trotting around gets me to a full on pant. I just wanted to sleep on my warm dog bed in the kitchen. The parents just weren’t getting that I was sad. The upside is that they are with us all day now.

Rey: And traveling is fun. We get to sleep in the back seat of the crew cab. I get to look out the window and see new things. And the smells at the rest stops when we pull over – AMAZING. I love sleeping all day right behind the parents over the rumbly engine. It’s the BEST sleep. Except that you take up a remarkable amount of room for a smaller dog.

Toby: It is good sleep. And any time I can be with the parents is good. Even when they were making those funny noises and wiping their eyes a lot after they came back from the lawyer’s office. And then we didn’t go back to our house.

Rey: Yeah. That was unusual. I haven’t ever seen water come out of their eyes before. Maybe it’s just something they do when they’re not around us? I’ve seen it a few times since, but mom doesn’t really do a good howl.

Now they seem to be having fun. They were smiling and laughing when we went to Grandpa Mitchell’s house. And then Brianna arrived with the other Shepherd, Karma. I had LOTS of fun running around with her! We watched the cats through the glass door. I don’t know why they didn’t respond when I was talking to them. I tried so many different yips and barks and all I got was stares and crickets.  I ALMOST got to them once because I pushed down on that lever handle. Why can’t our parents put those in our house?  It would be much more convenient.

Toby: After we left Grandpa Mitchell and Aunt Nancy’s, we got to see another dog at the Smalls house for a short bit. 

Rey: Yes. Bailey was a lot of fun because he is young and likes to play – unlike SOME dogs I know. And they had a cat! I got to sniff it and wait until it stopped growling to sniff it some more! So much fun!

Toby: Then we got a nice relaxing drive. Ah! sleeping in a moving car with the engine rumbling under us — Heaven!

Rey: Except when I have to tell on you. “Mom, he’s touching me!” I love when mom makes the bed for me in the Airstream. That’s where I get good sleep. 

Toby: Did you notice that we get to go into more stores away from home? Dad always took us to Home Depot, but now there are so many more that let us in. The people at the front door or the register always give us treats. So much fun. 

Toby:   Listen youngster: you’ll see that the farther we get from home, the more people want us around. 

Rey: Remember that night last week when the parents stayed up late watching a comedy show and laughing? That big rectangular thing is great because they snuggle with us on the ground while they laugh at something called Jim Gaffigan Comedy Monster and a movie called Don’t Look Up.  Then they watched fireworks and ball dropping and kissed.

Toby: I loved it ‘cause mom made that braided bread thing called challah. I know when they finish singing that song,  they throw me a piece! I’m drooling just thinking about it. They also ate some weird tiny black balls on bread and this raw tuna thing I’ve seen in Sag Harbor. And they didn’t give me any! So rude!

Rey: But the next day, we got to ride in the truck again and go to Grandma Cynthia’s farm where we get to say hi to her dog Dani in the kennel. We got to go inside the house when all the people left.  I like it there too, especially by the fireplace. 

Toby: The next day, Dad and mom spent so much time in the black trailer. I think they were organizing or something. It looked like they were just moving things around all the time. Not sure why. But later we got another ride back in the truck. Dad was in that small car so mom drove by herself. 

Rey: The brought in all those boxes from the back of the truck. More boxes! They must really like those things. I thought they were done already. And then late that night they went out and came back with this red shovel.  It must be a good luck charm because the next morning it SNOWED!!! I love to roll in the snow!!! It’s so cold and wet and pretty!!

Toby: It hurts my feet, but I remember how much fun it is. Listen, we could go on and on, and maybe we will in the future. Right now I’m tired. We only slept 16 hours so far today. It’s time to go to bed.