Lambiedog

Chance encounter with an old love

At the hardware store, we ran into Kim, Charlie and Riley.  

Catching up with them was bittersweet, as it reminded me of how much I've missed them since they moved away. I gave Kim some licks, and we arranged that Willy and I will get together soon.

Bone tired

Training

Yes, Virginia, you can teach an old dog new tricks.  Following an unfortunate incident where I recklessly ran across Asilomar in my haste to get to the bluffs, I've been learning 'Stay' and 'Come'.

I sit at the curb during 'Stay'.     

  

 

When I hear 'Come!', I zoom across the street.

   
Nine times out of ten [variable reinforcement], there's a treat waiting for me.

The ascent

I've grown accustomed to his face

 

Since my renaissance as a social guy, I race out of the house every afternoon when it's time to go mingle with Earnest.

     

Mornings are less satisfactory, as Earnest and his family like to sleep in.

   

I find it hard to manage my longing.  

I just want to be with him, pee with him, eat with him, walk with him, wear a garbage bag bow like him.  

    

In which I meet Laura

Part One - The Cap

When Thomas' beloved knit cap was tragically ruined over Thanksgiving, Charlie secretly determined to knit him a replacement in time for Christmas. 

It was an ambitious goal, given that Charlie knew nothing about knitting.  However, he cast his search for a knitting instructor upon the waters of the Thiel network, found a teacher, and actually completed the cap in time to wrap it and put it under the tree. 

 

Thomas was thrilled.  He put the cap on and, other than giving us each a brief chance to try it, hardly removed it for the rest of the time he was at home.

      

Part Two - The Knitting Instructor

Our family was wowed by Charlie's tenacity and his knitting instructor's magical teaching skills.  Whenever Charlie and I would catch up after he'd returned to San Francisco, I would ask after the Knitting Instructor.  He always seemed to have lots of news about her.  It developed that her name was Laura, and that she was a devotee of this blog.

Part Three - The Visit

Charlie and Laura came down to L.A. for a few days.  Though they had planned a full schedule, it included multiple Lambie-centric events.

I was excited anticipating their arrival, but at the same time concerned that I would not meet Laura's expectations of me: that in the flesh I might prove less fascinating than I profess to be herein. 

But when they arrived and Laura launched into a deliberation over what she could cook to make me happy, it came over me that she was there not to judge but to bond. I melted into her arms.  

It was a great weekend.  We took some walks together, and I showed off my 'Sit' skill set.  Charlie and Laura also engaged with me in some rawhide throwing and mock-fighting, which is one of my favorite activities.  I felt highly appreciated. Highly gifted, one might even say. 

Is she my owner or my mother?

She is my Ur-god.  The person whose nose and upper lip I lick with the most abandon.  The person I sleep next to every night.  The person who feeds me, and who picks the foxtails from my paws.  I am a great non-verbal communicator, but she is my voice.

Is she my mother?

She takes care of me.  As the mother of my brothers, logically she would be my mom as well.  Yet, given the species issue, it seems a bit twee to claim parent-child status.

Though I've referred to her here as my owner, the connotations of slavery always make me wince.  I am a free dog. 

Maybe I should refer to her as my holder.  That suggests more of a voluntary situation.  And she does in fact hold me a lot.

Reader suggestions are welcome.   In the meantime I may experiment with different appellations to see what feels most natural.

A star is born

    Impromptu photo shoot after my new haircut was revealed:

 

 

 

 

Carwash

Buddy gone

Buddy, Sarah and Cliff's dog, passed away last week.

He was well-loved, and is much missed.