Life with Dogs is Good. . .

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

I think I've said it before, but I don't know how I lived 30+ years of my life without having a dog to share it with.  And having two dogs just makes it sweeter for me. 

Penny was little challenge at first, but nothing we couldn't handle.  It just took a lot of caring and loving her, and trust from her.  I know she was well loved in her first home, so I think it just took time.  We seem to have overcome most of our hurdles with her.  When I come home from work she is there with my Ninja, wagging her pretty tail and kind of waving with her paw.  I can't explain it, but it's so cute how she does this little waving thing with her paw.  She is trusting enough now to come up and ask to be petted, and she has this annoying (but funny) habit of nosing me in the back of the knee when I walk around the house and she wants something.

She is still a little chunky, and we are working on that, but this dog will find any scrap of food and devour it.  Leave a bag from Wienerschnitzel in the trash with just a bit sticking out, and next thing you know you'll find it in the yard, shredded with any little morsel devoured.  I'm sure Ninja is not blameless in this either, but she is just heavier so she takes the blame!  :)

My daughter gives them a bath every week and they seem to really like the attention.  I like the clean and fresh smelling pus, especially after a romp at the duck pond.  I'll get to that in a minute.

Penny seems to really like being on the leash, so when we give her a bath we tend to keep her leashed so she feels comfortable.  Here she is wrapped up in a towel after her bath.  I like her little doggy smile.

Here's fluffy Ninja, with a huge doggy grin.  He's an attention hog, and will subtly push Penny away when she is getting her petting.  Can dogs be passive aggressive?  Penny will have non of it and push her way back.  They seem to have a comfortable relationship, and are almost never apart.  I caught the asleep holding paws the other evening. 

We found a nice path to walk in Riverside.  There's a duck pond and a stream, and it's very pretty.  Ninja, who is afraid of water, went after the ducks and went right into the water!  I think he was as surprised as I was that he ended up in the water.  Luckily it wasn't deep, and he only got his paws and legs wet, but that water smelled nasty!

Here is a little spillway Ninja and I walked over.  Penny didn't want to go, so she waited with my daughter.

And here are some of the infamous ducks.  It's a beautiful place to go at twilight.