Lambiedog

Attachment theory

       [Note to followers of my weight travails:  The dog pictured above is not me!] 

It is well known that I like to be carried and can become quite relaxed in this state.

    But I am not that unusual, at least within a select population.  Here's a little gallery of other fluffy white dogs who appreciate a close human connection:

       

There's just something very relaxing about close proximity to your owner.

Not everyone gets that. Sometimes people seeing me at ease with my head hanging down think that I am feeling ill.

But I'm not.  Just at ease.

 

Dolce in Surf Dog competition

        My neighbor Dolce headed for Coronado earlier this month to participate in the 6th annual Surf Dog competition, a charity fundraiser for the San Diego County public schools.

     With more than 50 dogs competing, this was no lightweight event.  Dolce had an official vest and an entry heat.  And, through family member Brett Rolin, she even had a sponsor: Banfield, The Pet Hospital.

     Although Dolce swims daily, she did not have surfing experience.  Luckily, the tournament provided some crack surf instructors who helped her pick up the rudiments of the sport.

    In the end, Dolce did not win the competition -- that honor went to a French bulldog -- but her performance was amazing for a dog who had never surfed before.  

    Her family was very proud of her.

 

I dreamed I was at Dairy Twirl

          There were dogs and people there.   I was the only white dog.

Of course, I was with my family.

 

 I got a vanilla twist cone.

 

It was a good dream.

Fern Dell walk

     Griffith Park in Hollywood is popular with people enjoying their holidays, so it was appropriate that we did the short Walk #32 of the Secret Stairs book there on the Memorial Day holiday.

     The book promised us a Disney-esque scenario to begin with, and it was there, if you squinted a little.   Then the walk went past some Los Feliz mansions (behind me in photo at right) and some bums (cropped from foreground).    

     Continuing along Fern Dell Place, we passed in quick succession:  a Tudor mansion named High Trilling Manor, a property owned by the American Film Institute, and Immaculate Heart High School. 

    Next came a quick staircase up to Tryon Road, which we followed to an outlook with a nice view of Griffith Observatory in the distance.

Some brief interactions with passing dogs, a final descent back to Fern Dell, and we were done and on our way back to the car.

 

     We've been knocking these staircase walks off at a good clip.  Bizarrely, however, my girth seems unaffected.  In fact, there almost seems to be an inverse relationship between exercise accomplished and weight lost.  It's quite mysterious, really.

Rest in peace Trudie

         Trudie died today, a week shy of her eighteenth birthday.  Her vet said he had never known a dog to live as long.  

To the left is a photo of her from ten years ago. From this photo and the undated family photo below, you can see that she kept up her good looks over the years. 

 

    Trudie was a cool character who did not easily show her emotions.  But she was a linchpin of her family: two young men whom she first met as little boys, and their parents, who were devoted to her and faithfully tended her through her final illness. 

    Trudie is also survived by the family's other dogs, Oliver and Winnie.

    Although Trudie was much older than Winnie and Ollie, she made a point of keeping up with them on their evening walks.

        We will miss her quiet presence at the bluff.  

Subjected to scandalous conditions

    The bluff these days is a war zone, filled with sharp prickly pieces of straw, foxtails, and burrs that get stuck in my paws and make walking painful.

Is it any wonder that as soon as I get there I seek shelter on a concrete bench pad?

    The place is an arid wasteland right now.  It's a disgrace that dogs are expected to congregate under such conditions.  I demand sod.  Or possibly personally-fitted booties.

Silver Lake walk #21

    Walk #21 in the Secret Stairs book was special, because we were accompanied by Teresa's daughter, Janise, who was home for the weekend.  

      Janise was quite solicitous of me, motivating me to do my best on some tough staircases.

     
We walked past many charming houses

        
 and encountered some sniff-worthy dogs, as well as one dog that I first mistook for a gate element.

     

  

    Janise had to return to Northern California, but I will always have the memory of her and me posing in front of the Silver Lake reservoir.

 

The dog not invited

     
    The dog not invited is me.

The event I was not invited to was the pre-prom send-off.

I realize that my exclusion was not personal -- no other dogs were invited either.  But when I saw the photos of the good time enjoyed by Penni, a dog who was present at the event by virtue of her position as in-house family member, I couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

Looking at the photos I also find myself in awe of Penni's hairdo and blow-out, as well as her impeccable manners.  She's a prototypically well-maintained Brentwood matron.

Letter from an East Coast counterpart

The owner of a faraway Lambie reached out with this friendly message:

 I googled “Lambie puppy” and stumbled onto your site. 

I just had to share a picture of my own Lambie, a little stray that came into my life on Halloween. 

Lambie from the East Coast says “hi” to his West Coast brethren.

Cheers!

    This other Lambie looks very nice, as well as well-cared-for.  He clearly has a top-notch set of prosthetic ears.  

    And I do see a striking resemblance between us.

     Cheers right back at you, Other Lambie!

 

Happy Mother's Day