Minka is one of the two dogs I am currently sitting. I discovered this morning that she is a scamp: if there is wet grass or a puddle or mud around, she WILL lie down in it. And grin at you. If not, then she might disappear into the bushes if she can.
I’m on a super-low-bandwidth connection at the moment, so you get a dog story instead of some pictures today. Why am I on a low-bandwidth connection? Because I am babysitting two Bernese mountain dogs, and neglected to get the wifi password, so I’m using a cell modem thingie instead.
Taking care of these two is awesome, but I have to say, it’s a real full-time job. I don’t know how their owners manage it and actual jobs at the same time. For example, I ducked out for an hour and a half or so to grab some dinner, and when I got back the two of them were acting very… self-satisfied. Smug, even. And then I noticed that a bag of treats was missing from the counter (Berners are TALL). I got quite worried, and called in and asked for suggestions, and one of their owners said, ‘oh, yes, they’ve done that before, they probably didn’t actually eat the bag, I bet I know where it is’. And sure enough, there it was.
Now I get to keep an eye on them to see if either one gets sick from too much rich food. But it’s hard to stay mad at these giant lumps of love wrapped in fur.
Due to a somewhat complicated series of events, I’ve recently ended up with about $10 worth of free merchandise a week (with free shipping) from Sears. Since I don’t especially need anything worth $10 or less from Sears, and I can’t save it up (like I said, complicated), I’ve taken to buying dog beds and towels and such and bringing them to the SPCA. Which, in addition to making me feel good, also has the added benefit of giving me the frequent opportunity to take pictures of cute puppies and kittens at their new, improved facility. Thus, a kitten!
This bit of the new facility seems quite unfair. You walk in and there are these adorable kittens, but they’re behind glass and you can’t visit with them.
I guess the ones in that display haven’t had their shots yet, so you’re not supposed to interact with them. But still. Talk about a tease!
I’m having trouble figuring this one out. Anyone want to give me a hand?
German shepherd? Lab? Basenji? Pit Bull? Malamute? Man, this one’s tough.
Well, he likes being petted. That narrows it down approximately not at all.
Okay, so I’m not sure this is a goldendoodle. But I am definitely sure that he’s flooooofy. And very well camouflaged.
If that’s not a goldendoodle, well, he sure has the goldendoodle ‘HAPPY!!!’ expression down pat.
Guess what I found in my backlog? Yet another Jackson! This one is a 14-week-old American pit bull terrier/Labrador retriever puppy.
Cute pair! Also, that building in the background is not far from where I live. It’s… pretty ugly, even with the color.
The white splotch might as well be a ‘scratch here for maximum puppy licks’ sign.
There’s the puppydog eyes.
Have some old pictures of Jemma from early 2013, and I appreciate the goofiness, so here you go.
That’s Autumn in the background. She was dogsitting the fearsome twosome.
Trying desperately to get a lick or two in.
Goofiness gives way to tiredness.
I’m back from the hospital and able to sit in front of a computer for short periods, so you guys get a short post from me today.
Got to admit, that’s a pretty cute way to walk your dog.
I hope she was just tired, and not injured or something.
I’m used to dogs that look like Nora but are 1/10 her size. They’re also usually not nearly as friendly as she is.
Writing this post from a hospital bed. My back decided that it was going to go into spasms this morning and attempts to propitiate were not wholly successful. Morphine and muscle relaxants, wheee.
Edit: How careless of me to forget to mention that Nora has her very own blog, at http://dailynora.tumblr.com. Some of the pictures there are awwwww-inspiring.
This is the second Jackson I met, outside of our local ice cream shop (the original, first-ever Swensen’s, and the only Swensen’s where they still make the ice cream by hand in the back room). He is a typical golden retriever in at least one way: when I met him, he was staring longingly at the remains of an ice cream cone (just the cone) that someone had dropped on the sidewalk, and that mom (terribly unfairly) was not letting him have quite enough leash to get to. When I said hello, he immediately stopped looking at the cone. He would, I think, have completely ignored it even if he’d been off-leash… meeting a new friend and getting a belly rub was much more important than an ice cream cone.
This is Jackson staring fixedly at the ice cream cone.
And there’s the ‘oh look a new person!’ smile.
Look at that sweet expression. That is one happy dog.
There’s the ‘noble dog’ pose.