a surprise for Drew

We stopped for gas, and look what we found!

A playground for Drew, the lucky dog! This wonderful gas station had a fenced field with objects to jump over, climb up, and sit upon. We really had a great break there.

new doctor seems good

I saw the new doctor last week, and yesterday the results of my blood work came in. Ha! This young woman read them exactly as I do, following current NIH guidelines. Hurrah! She was also very sane during our first meeting. Didn't even flinch when I told her I regard health care as a collaboration and double-check everything. I think getting them just a couple years out of their residency is the trick.

So today I will have the great pleasure of writing a very snarky letter to my former doctor and explaining just how wrong her approach is.   I've been looking forward to that!  I just wanted to make sure of the new doctor first.

My medical care is looking up!

Drew is a jumping fool

Drew was hilarious at parkour last week. We were at one of the nature centers and had lots of big rocks and stumps and logs to work with. One of the moves is to jump on objects; another is to do gap jumps between objects. He loved it! Got so excited that he spontaneously jumped on everything -- including the bench he was supposed to go under. Any time we stood around with a loose leash, he jumped on something, then told me he deserved a treat.

Then we went over to the children's play area, where there is an enormous turtle statue, the back higher than my head. He tried to leap onto that! Only thing is, there are ceramic shapes all over it, mimicking the patterns on a turtle's back. He couldn't get a foothold and slid down -- fast! -- and I caught him. Whew! It didn't worry him, though; he did a two-paws-up on it a minute later.

I think he looks a bit embarrassed in this photo, eh? He's a jumping fool!

Border Collies have so much energy! I can't keep up with Drew physically! Luckily, he's fairly calm for a Border Collie, so that's not too much of a problem; I can generally settle him with ten or fifteen minutes chasing the tennis ball. I had to teach him what balls were for, and it was a good thing I did! He'd probably have difficulty if I was still working and he was alone all day, but he really enjoys having a human at his disposal at all times. Poor boy wanted a human of his very own for his birthday, and he got stuck with me!

He does always need something to think about, but I don't mind that. It's fun to think of new games and variations for him. His main job is taking care of me.  Also, we go to dog club two or three times a week, which gives him lots to think about. I do love having a training club nearby. It's fun for both of us, and I don't have to purchase and maintain all that equipment! 

agile Drew

We taped Drew's agility class this week, so I pulled a couple of photos off the tape to show you. Sorry about the blur!

The A-frame is his favorite obstacle -- but he loves the whole sequences. Sometimes (like this week) he gets so over-excited that he forgets what he's doing and knocks the jumps over instead of jumping them. Funny boy!  

water dog

Drew has a new game!

He throws/pushes his ball into the pool, then retrieves it. He's learned to use the steps so that he doesn't have to dive.

Of course, there are times when he grabs the ball and throws the wet, squishy thing right on top of me!  If I'm already in the pool, he aims it at my head, so that I can throw it back as requested.

Water dog has many variations!

Drew came home

I went to the cottage on Lake Huron last week, because big water always soothes me. My plan was to sit on the beach and cry as necessary, and I followed it for a day. Then Gayle pointed out that I'd been grieving for William all summer, and I'm not getting any younger . . . and she had made a lot of phone calls to locate a Border Collie for me to meet.

So we drove to the Traverse City area, found the sheep farm, and I met him. And that was that. Yes, I fell for him.  

Drew is an unusual Border Collie in two ways: he prefers hanging out with people over moving sheep around, and he is actually laid-back. Well, in Border Collie terms, he is. Not desirable characteristics for a working stock dog, but great ones for a companion!

It took him about 24 hours to decide that I belong to him. His favorite place to sleep is beside my bed, and the first couple of nights he had to wake me up to pet him two or three times, just to be sure that location was all right. His favorite daytime place is under my desk, where he can put his head on my legs while I work online. He likes to read with me, as long as I keep one hand on him. Sometimes he noses my second hand onto his head as well. This makes for some difficulty turning pages, but I can't say that I really object!

We are going to have lots of fun.

farewell my William

William is crossing the Rainbow Bridge tomorrow. I’ll miss him terribly, but it is time. To keep him here longer would be selfish of me and painful for him.

He’s one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever known. He had some abandonment issues from his early life, and he hated to be left alone. We had to arrange errand times so that he wouldn’t be too hot in the car. People liked to stop by our parked car and talk to him through the window, especially children.

He thought every new person or animal he met was a new friend. He was so shocked when Mama Raccoon, who had come onto our back porch, didn’t want him to play with her kits! He was wagging his tail and giving his play bow, so why was she growling?

He was such a back-seat driver. I suspect an automobile accident led to his time as a stray. He preferred to stand with his head between the two front seats, giving me his opinion on the traffic, the road conditions, and everything I did. He didn’t really like freeway driving. He preferred the Blue Ridge Parkway – 35 mph and stopping at every overlook.

He always thought that one day he would actually catch a squirrel. They enjoyed his frenzy enough to perch on the fence, lashing their tails and chittering at him while he ran and barked on the ground. He tried to climb the trees to get to them, and he always believed that one day he’d do it. Failure did not discourage him!

He was astonishingly attuned to emotion. I always laughed when he chased his tail, because he looked so silly. About two revolutions and he’d be staggering like a drunken sailor. On my darkest days, he would plant himself in front of me, give a bark, and grab for his tail. It always cheered me up.

I will miss him so.