Crepuscular Collie

After a very busy winter and spring of dog-sitting, things quieted down significantly this summer. The reason for this sudden downturn is simple: most of my clients had kids home from college for the summer. I did a couple of multi-day drop-in gigs for my favorite Pyrenees and some new cat clients, but I didn't mind having some time off. For one thing, it was very hot this summer and I do better off not having to exert myself very much in the heat! It has cooled down at last, though, and after four months without any overnight stays, I was very glad when the call came that Mr. Gorgeous, my collie friend, needed some minding while his family was out of town.

Smile! Cutie is happy but very hot after a short walk on a 90° afternoon.

Because of the heat, we spent most of our time inside. I devoted some of those hours to clearing out Cutie's thick coat: that's the brushed-out excess in the background!

This handsome kitty was one of a trio of cats who needed to be looked in on while both their owner and regular cat-sitter were away.

The last time I cared for Mr. Gorgeous was in the spring, when I alerted his owners that he was showing signs of degenerative myelopathy, an irreversible spinal cord condition that eventually results in total paralysis of the hind end. Unfortunately, my amateur diagnosis proved correct. Between the end of April, when I saw him last, and the middle of September, things had gone downhill fast: I received word that not only could he no longer go on walks, he could not climb stairs at all, and on some days he couldn't even make it halfway up the hill in his yard. He still had good days, his owners assured me, and he was in the midst of a run of them. Still, I was full of trepidation about what I might see. Would my beautiful collie buddy be woefully crippled by his foundering back legs? There is no getting around the fact that Mr. Gorgeous's days, at thirteen and a half and with paralysis creeping in, are numbered. I've already had two clients pass away in the last ten months; I'm not fully prepared to have another one go.

Still on his feet!

The Mr. Gorgeous that greeted me when I arrived at his house was, to my surprise, exactly the same old Mr. Gorgeous I've known for years. Perhaps a bit slower, much deafer, and more inclined to spend most of the day sound asleep, but all in line with a big dog his age. He followed me up and down the hill as I roved with my camera, he chose to climb up the full flight of stairs from the basement under his own power every day that I was there, and once he even chased a rabbit! Sure, his back end was a bit wobbly when you vigorously toweled him off after being out in the rain and he had a bit more of waddle when he walked because he wasn't always sure where his back feet were, but the dog who couldn't climb a stair or a hill was absent during our time together. I did notice that he seems to run more in his sleep than he used to now that he can't run when awake, but I could see for myself that his good days are still good enough that the end is not so imminent as I feared. My guess is that the cool, wet weather of approaching winter will be hard on him--he has arthritis that always flares up in the winter as it is--but on this visit, he was still very much the Mr. Gorgeous of times past.

"I smell a rabbit!"

Mr. Gorgeous settles in the grass nearby as I take photographs in the garden at the top of the hill.

There are koi now in one of the ponds!

Aside being reassured that things were not as terrible as I feared for my collie friend, sleeping away from home while dog-sitting managed to cheer me up in a completely different way. I had, in recent days, been feeling rather uninspired in regard to my photography, or at least in regard to posting photos of my Facebook page. It was too hot for me to spend much time outside this summer taking photos and most of the photos I'd shot as the weather started to cool down were of insects. I love photographing insects and then identifying them, but I know that not everyone has the same enthusiasm for viewing them. I try to mix things up on my page so that there are some photos of the weird things that fascinate me as well as crowd pleasing images of beautiful plants and charming animals, but I kept feeling like I had nothing to post. What I realized, when I got to Mr. Gorgeous' house and began my usual prowl around the property, was that what I needed was simply a change in scene. Of course I'd gotten tired of photographing the same plants in my yard all summer! I felt newly inspired and took hundreds of photos, the best of which will appear over on my Facebook page, but I've included some of them below.

I snapped this dragonfly hovering over the big pond.

Dogwood fruit.

Sunlit grasses.

Dahlia at sundown.

A series of rain storms moved through, drenching the mosses and clover.

Water droplets collect on the petals of this boldly colored dahlia.

Overall, the weather was regrettably wet, which meant not nearly as much photography as I would have liked and far more migraines that I could want, but it was still nice to spend some time with Mr. Gorgeous and see him doing so well. I don't know how much longer he'll be with us, but his sun has not yet set.

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More Dog-Sitting Than You Can Shake a Stick At!

Golden girl.

The recent lack of posts has had nothing to do with a lack of things to say or lack of photographs to post, but a lack of time! I have a third mushroom post (see one and two here) that's about 75% done, but since it's about weird fungi, it's taking a lot more research and some days you've got other things to do besides research fungi, you know? The other reason is that I spent more than three weeks dog-sitting. I've been home for a week and a half now and have caught up on resting and laundry and Christmas stuff, so I thought I'd give you a glimpse of what three weeks of dog-sitting looked like.

Goldie is hoping that Mr. Gorgeous will play with her.

I actually looked after two dogs (and a cat) during that period, all from different households, with some overlap. Managing two dogs from different households is a lot of work, but when a client has a family emergency, I'm going to make it happen so they don't have to worry. Fortunately, the two dogs in this instance, Mr. Gorgeous the Collie and Goldie the Golden Retriever, live very close to one another and get along fine. Still, it's one thing for Goldie to come around to Mr. Gorgeous' house to play ball on his property and another thing to actually spend a lot of time together, especially since Mr. Gorgeous is feeling old and stiff and achy and crotchety these days, but Goldie was respectful of his house and while she never gave up hope that he would play with her, she was able to give him his space. I knew he was okay with her when he would conk out on his side and fall sound asleep within just a few minutes; Goldie took much longer to settle in his presence. They walked well together, thankfully, and if you want to feel like a boss, walking two large dogs that a) are not your own and b) don't live together is one way to do it! Mr. Gorgeous did get a bit jealous that Goldie was always getting to ride in my car (not knowing, of course, that she was being taken to her house to be left out in her own yard for a couple of hours) because riding in my car usually equals extra special walks for him, so I did have to make sure that he got to go on a few rides, too. I spent a lot of time running hither and thither to make sure the needs of all parties were met, but I think it worked out well. A typical schedule looked like this:

Mr. Gorgeous following Goldie around. He was certainly interested in her, but he's stiff these days and his balance is poor, so frisking with another dog is out.

Wake up at Goldie's house, let Goldie out, go to Mr. Gorgeous' house, let him out and feed him breakfast, go back to Goldie's house to prepare for the rest of the day, let Goldie out, go to my own house for a couple of hours to get things done, go to Mr. Gorgeous' house before sunset to feed him dinner, put Mr. Gorgeous inside, go to Goldie's house, feed her dinner, eat my own dinner, bring Goldie to Mr. Gorgeous' house, walk dogs together after eight, leave Mr. Gorgeous in the house and take Goldie back to her house, sleep at Goldie's. (I'm so thankful that I had sufficient energy to be able to do this!)

Mr. Gorgeous and Goldie settled in my vicinity. There was a fair amount of competition over me, but it was all done in a well-mannered fashion and I made sure to spread my attention around equally. Goldie is on her pillow from her own house--it helped her know where to be when we went inside Mr. Gorgeous' place.

Mr. Gorgeous got the ball this time! And he was SO proud of himself! 

I looked after both dogs at the start and end of my time with Goldie. On one of our last days together, it worked out best if I could transport both of them in my car. Early on, I wouldn't have attempted this, since I can't police them while driving and I didn't know how possessive each one was of the back seat, but I felt confident enough by the end that I felt safe driving the two of them the third of a mile from Goldie's house to Mr. Gorgeous'!

They look like buddies in this photo, but really they're just in tolerant proximity. A relationship of tolerate proximity is just fine with me!

But between the bookends of Mr. Gorgeous, most of my time was spent with Goldie, and Goldie is a delightful dog. First of all, she's cute as a button and very photogenic. I think the shape of her ears and the way the fur grows on them make her look like a little girl with pigtails. She is extremely playful, but balances that out with super mellow energy around the house. She is also the quietest dog you'll ever meet: over the course of three weeks, I heard her bark twice! She's friendly, respectful, doesn't get into trouble, and is a nice companion to have around. Her one drawback was that she pulled like crazy when being walked on a leash. I say "was" because I trained her up to walk with a head halter during our time together and after a couple of days of resistance and a lot of string cheese, the concept clicked for Goldie and she started eagerly thrusting her muzzle into the loop of the Gentle Leader when I held it up to put in on her. In addition to walks, we went several times to the local dog park where she got to chase balls and chase dogs and have a grand old time. But much of our time together was spent quietly. I'd sit on the floor every evening and brush her coat until it turned to finest floss and a certain amount of time was spent gently scratching her under the chin, both activities she enjoyed greatly. When I was absorbed in other things, she'd curl up on her bed and sleep.

Sweet Goldie.

Enjoying a good gnaw on a stick.

Goldie's alert and wagging wiggle means she's anticipating something good.

One of Goldie's very favorite things to do is roll around on her back on top of a toy. I have so many pictures of her wriggling away, back legs pedaling, having a grand old time.

She spent so much time rolling around on her ball in the grass that she ended up completely soaked!

This photo captures what happened when she opened her mouth while giving her toy a good shaking!

When the weather was fine, we played a certain amount of fetch and keep-away in the yard.

And the weather WAS fine for much of the gig. We got hit by a cold snap that brought in freezing nighttime temperatures, clear skies, and unusually colorful sunsets. Despite all the dog-sitting, I also managed two trips to my favorite wooded park, taking more than 800 mushroom photos as well as some great shots of chickens and other farm animals. The mushrooms and farm animal photos will be the subject of future posts, but here's one of ice and a few of the sunsets.

I mentioned that I also was looking after a cat during this time. I have no pictures of the cat because the cat was invisible. I didn't once lay eyes on the Invisible Kitty during the six weeks I looked after him, coming around every four days to put out more food, refresh his water, and clean the litter box. It wasn't until after his owner returned from abroad and dug him out from his hiding place that I got see that he was a handsome, if shy, white cat. Since he lives next door to Goldie, I didn't have to travel far to check in on him, but it was one more thing on the agenda. I'm pleased to say that, while tired, I was able to handle all this pet-sitting (and a gas leak!) and didn't even have a crash after I got home. (It helps that I sleep well at Goldie's house.) And speaking of home, this is how my own dog felt about my return…

I'll wrap this up with my favorite photograph of Goldie having a swell time with her toy; I think it sums up her personality quite nicely!

And if you think Goldie's a cutie-pie, you're in luck! I'll be taking care of her again in January, so there will be more photos of this spunky little gal in the near future.

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From Sunrise to Sunset, Nothing But Dogs!

I recently finished up a marathon stretch of dog-sitting gigs. As of Monday, I had been looking after either Sweetheart or Mr. Gorgeous for 17 out of the last 22 days. That's a lot of dog-sitting! And of course, that means a lot of dog photos.

Happy-go-lucky Sweetheart!

She continues to practice the philosophy that two toys are better than one. Here she experiments with the idea that three toys played with together are even better than two!

She was in the mood to chew, so I got her this rope bone to work on. She went at it with gusto, as is her approach to all things!

Sweetheart is a very handsome German Shepherd!

I transitioned straight from Sweetheart's house to Mr. Gorgeous', so I took Sweetheart along with me when I transferred some of my belongings and fed Mr. Gorgeous his dinner before finishing up at Sweetheart's house. Dusk was falling and I only took along my point-and-shoot, so this is the only picture of their meeting that turned out. Of course, this IS how dogs get to know each other!

The collie introduces himself to the German Shepherd in traditional canine fashion.

I spent a few days with Mr. Gorgeous and then went back to my house for a quick breather...

Mr. Gorgeous, resplendent in all his fur, indulges in a bit of sport.

...and then it was back to the collie's house again!

This is why I have given him the pseudonym "Mr. Gorgeous."

Pensive collie.

Action collie!

It was while I was at Mr. Gorgeous' lakefront house that I had a great view of all the weather. The first few days, the view looked a lot like this:

Rain obscures the opposite shore of the lake.

But then cold, clear weather moved in. I already highlighted one exceptionally beautiful morning in my previous post, but there were many more wonderful sunrises and sunsets. Unfortunately, part of the beauty of the sunsets is caused by poor air quality, as the high pressure system sits unmoving atop the pollution produced by people burning wood. But that aside, it was wonderful to watch the skies over the glassy lake!

Delicately tinted clouds at dawn.

On this evening, skies were clear over downtown Seattle while dark clouds brooded low over Mr. Gorgeous' house.

Those dark clouds soon produced a torrent of hail that was lit gold by the setting sun.

A low bank of purply clouds provided the perfect canvas for a sunset of radiant pinks touched with orange.

An utterly still day on the lake.

Another intense sunset, which morphed from orange to pink to this smoldering red, provides a dramatic backdrop for a bare tree.

While I was out and about with Sweetheart and Mr. Gorgeous, I also encountered some other great dogs. I didn't have my camera along (it was already too dark for taking pictures) on the evening when Mr. Gorgeous encountered a 10-month-old Rhodesian Ridgeback girl and engaged in a lovely bit of flirtatious play, but I managed to snap a few pictures of other dogs.

I was utterly delighted with this bulldog; Sweetheart was less delighted with this bulldog's companion, who used her dense bulldog bulk to say hello with a body slam!

This fellow is a regular at the park where I often take Mr. Gorgeous for a walk.

And where was my own dog all this time? At home, feeling rather stressed. She usually waits patiently in a resigned fashion for me to return when I'm off dog-sitting, but the length of my stay away, coupled with the fact that I'd been sick in bed for two months prior AND that she had a yellow dog to look after proved to be a bit much. Her yellow dog is a squeaky toy that she received for Christmas that she has taken to treating like a puppy. Unfortunately, she finds caring for a puppy, especially when I'm away, a worrisome burden. When I came home to visit, she would restlessly carry the yellow dog around in her mouth while softly crying. In the end, we had to put the yellow dog away in the cupboard so she wouldn't have to worry about it so much.

Abbey and her "puppy."

She didn't want to chew up her rawhide stick, either, carrying it around and whimpering during one of my visits.

I'm glad to report that now that I'm back home, Abbey has returned to her relaxed and playful self. As I write this, she is sleeping soundly on the pillow here in my study. While I'm excited to meet with a new client next week, I'm glad to be back home with only my own dog (and some dog art) to contend with for the time being!

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