Spoiled?

Who's spoiled? I'll present the evidence, and you can decide...

I live with a Cat. I am not pleased with this, but it is what it is. The Cat is named Sidney, though I prefer not to refer to the Cat by the Cat's name - for reasons that may seem obvious only to me. We are not friends, so why bother with niceties?

I just realized that when my People leave for the Beach, the Cat is going with them.

I hope its fur gets caked with sand and sand burrs. Which doesn't sound nice of me. But here's the thing: the Cat gets to go, and I get left behind. Why'd they pick the Cat? What'd that Cat ever do to deserve vacation?

I've been pouting about this since I found out - just after my last post.

Then I read my post again and remembered: I get the sitters! Mom and Olivia and Michael will leave, and Dad will be with them on and off. I will be at home - and now it will be MY castle. No Sidney! And coming in and out will be sympathetic, wonderful women who adore me. They will speak doggie talk, and pity me because my People are gone. They will scratch me behind the ears and call me pet names and give me treats and generally love on me. My walks will be long and many, and when I come home.... NO CAT! When they want to pet something, they will land one place: on ME! All the attention, for once, will go to me. Not to children, not to the Cat... but to ME.

So.

Who's spoiled now, Cat?

Now it all makes sense...

I was trying to make sense of it.

Mom leaving, Dad going back and forth between here and there. It's going to be an extended period of time. Apparently, Olivia's godfather gave Mom the keys to his place on the beach. Lucky them.

Laurie will take care of me. This is good, see, because Laurie never skips my mid-day walk. (Not pointing any paws at anyone here - but maybe, just maybe, I don't get every single afternoon walk every day.... I'm just saying.)

The part I wanted to figure out is how Mom is supposed to manage pet sitting, and talking with her clients and pet sitters, if she's somewhere else. I'd hesitate to say I'm dumb, but I AM a boxer, and am not known for my reasoning skills. It didn't quite add up.

Then I heard her on the phone with her other company PowerPetSitter.com. And it's all making sense.

PowerPetSitter is an online business management tool Mom developed for pet sitters so she could be home more with the family (that's me. Plus the kids. Mostly me.) She can, remotely, continue to schedule appointments, maintain client relationships, and get paid. Freeing her to travel to the beach on an impromptu extended trip!

Which makes it easier for her to leave me. Which I know has got to be difficult for her. I mean, sure, I'm getting a top-notch pet sitter who will give me even MORE attention than I can count on from Mom and Dad. My question is... what's SHE going to get? Loud water she can't drink, sun beating down, and sand between her paw pads.

It's a little sad, isn't it?

Mark the spot

I can't believe I haven't said anything about it... but I have been free two glorious days!

I can no longer count the number of walks on my four paws - there have been that many! I thought I would be going crazy out there, but in fact, I think I am confusing Mom and Dad with my relative calm. It's information overload, with a lot of smells to process. Now that I am back out there, I can't imagine how I stayed pent up for as long as I did.

I have a list of Dogs. The German Shepard who reminds me of the one that jumped me that time, the Weimaraner with his detached demeanor and cool good looks, those two Jack Russells that say threatening things to me (as if..!) I am trying to leave messages at every fence that I am Back. (Didn't I mention this is MY neighborhood?)

Most of My People and My Cat just found out they are going to Florida for July. They are hustling about, running errands and getting things together - which makes me a little nervous. Especially given that I have picked up on the fact that it is a long time.

The one good part about it is that My People know People. A sitter is coming, and will walk me daily. I think that means I will get three walks a day for most of the time... which is always what I strive for. Plus I'll sleep in my own bed, and get a chance to finish re-processing all these smells.

Besides, I've got stuff to do here. When they get back, I hope to have barked at and left my mark on the fences of every one of my nemeses.

Sweet Freedom

I can almost taste the freedom...

They call it the "dog days of summer" for a reason. Life is good, no responsibility. Even people get to lie around panting with not a lot to do. This summer, though? The expression seems a little like a cruel joke. I have breathed more air conditioning in the past two months on this heart worm healing prison sentence than all my previous time on the planet. I need some air - even if it's hot, even if it's muggy - it's REAL, and I want to get me some.

In honor of my pending release I have put together my 'to do' list:

• Dog park. I live across from one! I can see it from my porch, and I swear the other dogs are starting to mock me. I can't wait to sniff some tail, run fast. Chase and be chased.
• Trail walk. This town has a lot of trails, parks and pathways. I plan to take my people and hit the Silver Comet Trail, Piedmont Park, and our little West Side stretch of the Beltline.
• Eat out. Maybe I'll get to visit a dog-friendly restaurant when out and about. Maybe get a cold bowl of water at Park Tavern while Mom and Dad drink a pitcher of beer...
• Sniff stuff. There is a lot to sniff outside the confines of this house! It's the only way I can know what's what, whose come through. We will leave the porch, and I will sniff it ALL.
• Pee on things. It sounds crass. But how else will the other dogs know I'm FREE? This is my neighborhood. Time to get marking.
• Bite water from a hose. When the kids are playing in the hose in the yard, they sometimes point it at me. Jumping up, biting water as it leaves the hose on a hot day? That's magic, man.
• Bark. Loud, excited, woofs. And louder woofs. Woofs that go beyond my porch!
• Chase. More chasing! Not just dogs, in a proper dog park.. but squirrels! Cats! Chipmunks! Birds! Chasing things up trees, around corners, into and across the street....

I plan to stretch that leash to its limits, people.

Time to put the Dog back into Dog Days of Summer.

9 days left and counting!

It appears everything is going great with my heart worm treatment. I have 9 days to go until I get some activity. The Vet was happy I am gaining weight. What was she thinking, of course you gain weight if you do not exercise! I am eating the exact same amount and gained weight, I try to explain how this works to my Mom. However, she always says she can't understand why she can't lose any weight. I know LOL.

Rocky~

Best Pet Sitting Company

Please vote for Buckhead Pet Pals as best pet sitting company in Smyrna

http://www.smyrnavinings.com/smyrna-vinings-2010-pet-sitting-poll/

Ormond Beach

The family is at Ormond Beach, all I get to do is get on FB and read about their daily happenings. Mom posted a picture of her holding a hammer head shark. She acted as if she caught it, not a chance. I imagine her sitting on the beach with a frozen cocktail not a fishing pole. They did throw the hammer head back in the ocean!

Rocky~

June

I am so happy the kids and Mommy are home all day. I get lots of attention and have 3 more weeks before I can act like a real dog again. I find now that I am in the house all day there is not too much excitement for me to write about. Stay tuned for the fun to begin in July!

Rocky~