Grand Pups?

I’m “electronically babysitting” Brittany’s two dogs while she’s on a cruise this week. She has them in Doggie Daycare in Charleston, but sent me a link so I could watch a webcam in their outdoor play area. Kind of like my mom flying in to watch Brittany for us when John and I traveled. But more modern.

It’s taking quite a bit of my time. I have the website minimized on my computer, but pull it up every so often to make sure they are ok. If I don’t see both dogs, I’ll watch until I do. Charlie, the Springer, is the smallest dog on the playground, which worries me. Many times this week my hand has reached for the phone when a bigger dog got a little rough with him. I wanted to call and have whoever was in charge come out and rescue him. But the scuffle never lasted more then a minute.

Then I have to find Ava, the black lab. This takes awhile because there are lots of large black dogs. I don’t understand why Ava and Charlie aren’t hanging around together.

I don’t understand why I’m suddenly so concerned about them.

I think it started when I read the book “A Dog’s Purpose” right before we went to Charleston to spend Christmas with Brittany. And the dogs. The book pretty much changed my life. The author made the dogs so appealing! I began to see why dogs do what they do and the unconditional love they have for their owners. And for people who give them treats!

John and I brought several bags of dog treats for our Christmas visit. I had SO MUCH FUN telling them to sit and shake and then giving them a treat, saying “You are a GOOD dog!” I did it over and over the whole time we were there.

They loved me!

On Christmas Day we took Charlie in his little Christmas t-shirt to the beach. Ava has hip dysplasia and doesn’t do well at the beach so Brittany whispered to her that we were taking Charlie to the vet. I’m not sure what Ava thought when we came back and Brittany had to give Charlie a bath to get all the sand off. She stood right next to Brittany by the tub watching the whole event.

I tried to make it up to her by sneaking a little… ok a lot, of turkey during dinner that night.

In the few days we were there this time I found I kind of enjoyed getting knocked down with kisses whenever I came in the door. Or the guest bedroom door flying open and having two very eager dogs fly through the air landing on top of me in bed. One thing I didn’t like was that Brittany kept referring to me as Grandma. The other was Brittany calling me two days after we got home and saying (accusingly) “I took Ava to the vet today and she gained two pounds!”

What? That’s my fault? Who goes to the doctor to get weighed right after Christmas anyway?