Sending It Out to the Lab

Big birthday here at the home--our sentinel, and my partner-in-crime, Dutch the yellow Labrador Retriever turns 2 years old today. Or fourteen...it has been a day long debate. This morning I had to be at the theater for an early delivery and since it was just me he came with. Snack bar hotdogs for breakfast was a hit. The girls went out of their way to spoil him, but no, we didn't go overboard. Just some new toys and a few treats. Tommorrow he and I will go to the lake so he can fly into the water for an hour or two.

Tonight however all I had to do was pour myself a beer and he is by my side. (Now before you PETA-the-ass protesters rail against me let me say, he weighs 90lbs. and never gets more than a few ounces in a night.) My smarter-than-the-average dog had even developed a trick on his own--when he's by my side he waits for the moment that I take a draw on the suds and he nudges the bottle with his snout, spilling plenty all over me, which he would then mop up with energy. I finally had to teach him to sit politely and ask permission.

Tonight he and I split a beer and watched "Far from Home" together. People continually tell me that dogs can't watch television, but I have definitive proof. Every time the star dog would appear on screen Dutch's head would shoot up in rapt attention. We also watch hunting shows and he sits placidly until the dogs appear on screen, then he sits up rigid and motionless. When the birds are on camera his hind legs begin to twich and he's ready to bolt. It is for this reason that I made sure not to rent one particular movie which we will never mention by name out loud.