Scratcher of heads, rubber of bellies
Ellie’s gray eyebrows add such expression to her face. I took this picture a couple of years ago the day after my beloved Scout died. Ellie wasn’t really affected by Scout’s death but I don’t say that as criticism, the constant joy she brings was a welcome respite during a difficult time.
This is the look of a dog who heard the refrigerator door open and is using her ears and nose to determine if the cheese drawer is being opened (cheese, yummy cheese!) or her hot dog container is being taken out (she gets her medicine stuffed in hot dog slices). In her younger years when I’d close the fridge door she’d just magically be there, making me wonder if she was using wormholes to silently move from wherever she was sleeping to the fridge.
When I walk her and see how much she smells and hears that I can’t, I can’t help but ponder how much of the wonder of the world I’m missing even though it is literally under my nose.
Watching my favorite show, Adventure Time, with my sweet pup.
On our walk this evening a little boy up the block asked if he could pet Ellie and I said yes, she’s a pretty gentle soul. He was squealing in delight and couldn’t stop hugging her until his mom eventually pulled him away so we could continue on our walk.
Across the street we could see Yum Yum, a sweet puppy who may be Ellie’s biggest fan, she just desperately wants to come say hi to Ellie whenever she sees us. She used to pretend she had to go the bathroom so her owners would let her outside, and then she’d run over and mob Ellie with licks to the face, but they eventually got wise to her little deception. I can’t blame you Yum Yum, Ellie is pretty great.
A couple of years ago at the dog park we met a woman for the first time and as Ellie went up to her (surreptitiously sniffing her pockets to see if she was carrying treats) the woman started petting Ellie and crying, she said Ellie reminded her of her dog who had died earlier in the year. I understood all too well, the death of our cat Scout was still fresh in my mind, and I started to offer to take Ellie to a different part of the park when I noticed she was smiling through her tears and wanted to pet Ellie for a while longer.
On two occasions I’ve had teenagers, after watching Ellie and I play in the park, separate from their friends to come over to tell me what a wonderful dog Ellie is. I don’t have kids of my own so I don’t normally get to see teens in such unguarded moments, but it’s very sweet.
It’s a little funny how someone as painfully shy as I am ended up with a gregarious dog that spreads happiness wherever she goes. I sometimes wonder if she gets a gray hair for every moment of joy she brings into the world, the price she pays for being such a great dog, it would certainly explain the many gray hairs. If so, I hope she gets many more.
“I don’t think I can face going to work tomorrow.”
“Good news, pup! You get to stay home and sleep all day, just like every other day.”
“That’s nice.”
… what makes you think I’m tired? Let’s play!
… there’s a UFO above my head, isn’t there.
No snow for us this winter, this is from last year.
A picture from the fall of 2011 of Ellie in Irving Park, there was a lot less gray in her face back then. The big red strip attached to her collar lit up, one of several approaches we’ve tried over the years to make her more visible at night on our walks. The dog park is at the top of the hill in the background, normally she would be on leash at this point but I took it off for the picture.
Sadly I haven’t found a good time to photograph her in the fall color in the years since.
I love Ellie’s gray eyebrows, they add so much expression to her face. I sometimes wonder if the price she pays for being such an amazing dog is that she gets a gray hair for each moment of joy she brings into our lives.
Boo is clearly on the mend, he’s eating his normal meals and was pretty playful tonight, Sam even got in on the action for a bit. They’re both still a little high strung, especially Boo, so when we start their introduction to Trixie we’ll take it slowly. Our dog Ellie met her tonight for a few minutes but we didn’t push it, Ellie was a little wound up.
This picture is from September 2013, when all the pets were cuddled up around me. Boo, having been accepted by the older cats, was sprawled out in my lap with his arms around me. Emma slept down by my feet with Sam using her as a pillow. Ellie was curled up beside me, you can see a couple of her paws at the edge of the frame. Laying quietly covered in pets, these are my happiest times.
Sam is curled up in my lap at the moment while Ellie is snoring in her dog bed. My wife is upstairs with Trixie, Boo I think is in one of the cat beds just around the corner. What joy these little creatures bring into our lives.
Ellie sometimes sleeps in one of our cat beds, which is large enough for two cats but not nearly large enough for a black lab. I don’t mind that she takes their bed, as they are frequently sleeping in her beds, but worry she thinks we’re incompetent dog bed buyers, only she’s too polite to say anything.
Boolie 