Guilt - it's a good thing

It had been a long very enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. Great food, fun, even though the weather didn't want to totally cooperate, but most importantly lots of time with family!
The one thing neglected? My walks with the "ruff girls", Maxie and Mia. We squeezed a couple of short ones in,  but before long the weekend was over. 
Monday night found me soaring through loads of laundry, catching up on paperwork, emails and a #petchat on Twitter that I absolutely enjoy every week.
As I diligently worked through all my self-imposed tasks, into my office walked Maxie and Mia.  They, as always, seek me out around the house, "supervising" and just generally checking up on me.

I reached down to pet the two of them. They looked up at me and patiently waited for more - and then guilt hit me -

They are the reason I  started Ruff Talk -
they are the reason I look forward to interacting with like minded pet lovers on Twitter -
they are my inspiration for my posts and most of all -
they are one of the main reasons I smile.
As I am busy around the house, they come looking for me.(looking for some interaction or just to be near)
No matter what kind of day I have at work, they are my evening greeters with that all encompassing affection they can't wait to share when I walk in the door.

I'm not sure I can fully explain all the ways they enrich my life.

SO...I bid a brief "be right back" on twitter,
said the magic "w" word and
made a bee-line for the door.  They were close behind.

Although we are in the Midwest, it currently sounds like the Amazon. It has been raining incessantly, and more was on its way, but the evening was clear for now.
It was a wonderful walk.
Sometimes guilt is a good thing. 

 

Dogs JUST know

It had been a very very long night. An unexpected emergency room visit turned into a 6 hour long drill of tests, doctor consults, more tests and finally a diagnosis.  After admissions were completed for my husband and it was clear he would be well taken care of , I headed home.
At 3:30 a.m., a hospital parking lot is eerily quiet.  I was beyond exhausted.  And the only thing I could think of was how soon I could get back to the hospital. I mentally noted that after a few hours of sleep I would be able to return.
The dogs greeted me at the door.   They had witnessed the scurry at home as my husband was escorted to the ER earlier that night.  Now, I returned, without him.  I set my alarm for 6:30 a.m., and
stretched out on the bed. 
 My dogs do not sleep on our bed.  It's a habit we never started. They have their own sleeping place, ( a couple of them actually) but our bed is not one of them.
I no sooner laid down and felt my 2 dogs jump on the bed. Maxie circled and literally collapsed at my bent knee. Mia, gently laid down on the opposite side of my leg,against my calf.  They both breathed a heavy sigh, as if to say, 'we are here'  .  In that moment, I knew, they knew, all of the stress and worry that I was feeling.  There has not been a time in all the years I've had the pleasure of owning my dogs that I felt  closer to them.
How they knew, still to this day, amazes me.
We  all fell promptly asleep until that alarm screeched 3 hours later.

How the Dogs see us

You know when you have "one of those days" at work??
The day when a co-worker is unkind, topped off by discourteous and unprofessional?
The day when your supervisor backs the co-worker, not you?
The day when the customer rips you  a new one, after you tried to resolve, kindly, their service issue?
AND THEN... you come home and who greets you??
YOUR DOG! (In my case, both my dogs )
And you know what?
They don't care what kind of day you had.
 All they see is you.
They see the person they missed (if that's a valid "dog" emotion) all day.
They see the person that has showed up for their favorite time of day-mealtime!
They see the person that let's them roll all over them, snore next to them,
hog the couch or easy chair and any afghan readily available.
In our Dog's eyes, we can hardly do any wrong.  We are GREAT - just the way they see us.
Thank goodness for "one of those days" at work.  Because those kinds of days make coming home to our dogs all that much better.

Disappearing Act

Maxie was gone!  Rope and all!
10 minutes before: The shimmering frost out in the yard this morning gave away the temperature. Maxie, out for her last hurrah,before settling in for her day long nap, gingerly approached the cold lawn.  I turned to finish getting ready for work,& ran out to warm up the car.
Fast forward to my horrible discovery - I ran the outside line of the house and headed east down our street, calling for her.  The neighbor dogs alerted by my yelling, came to attention. - I looked thier directions,  hoping maybe Maxie had wandered into one of  their yards and they were voicing their disapproval at her arrival.
 No  luck!
 I turned and headed west, frantically looking side to side in between houses while jogging down towards the other end of the street..
and then...there she was!
 Nose diligently to the ground, nonchantly inspecting whatever it was that had her devoted attention. 
She heard me,
She looked up,
She wandered into the middle of the street and stared straight at me,
with, I swear, a look that said,
"What the heck are you doing in the middle of the street?"
I scooped her up. She was shivering. I carried her, 20' rope dragging behind us, back home.
I love that dog.

Breakfast of champions!

I love early mornings with my dogs.   They seem to have a penchant for rising at 4 a.m., and no matter how hard I try, I cannot get them to sleep in. I hear the click,click of their toenails on the wood floor, Mia howls, (I guess I'm not moving fast enough!),  and Maxie turns in circles while running towards the outside door.  Outside for their business and then back in for breakfast.  I"m back to sleep until 5 or so, and then up again for fresh coffee. Maxie snuggles back into her bed with her full belly and Mia follows me incessantly until I settle in my favorite recliner,1st cup of joe in hand and jumps up next to me. She settles in for her post breakfast nap.
Share your early morning routine....

A tribute to all the veterans past and present, that fearlessly protected us.