The Granddog visit

In July, Jason, Elizabeth, Zoe and Lexi vacationed in Great Britain and Earl and I became the designated dog sitters for three weeks.  We consider Porter to be our grand puppy. We looked forward to his visits.  It had been almost two years since our nephew and niece's dog, Prince, provided the first 'canine fix'.  We knew this wasn't going to be equitable, but we did want to be a functional threesome.

When Earl and I had Prince for a week, we learned the limits of my dog parenting abilities*.  During our week with the girls in April**, we found Porter to be a typical laid back golden retriever and fairly low maintenance with regard to care.  He had adjusted quickly to my walker, but we wondered how he would cope with the new wheelchair.  Smart dog that he is, he moved out of my way when necessary and seemed to sense that, seated, I was less at risk for falling.  Porter was more inclined to come over for a scratch than before.  I could brush him, but as usual, most of his care, feeding and poop scooping fell to Earl.

Ahh...

One thing our house had more of than his was cool, hard surfaces.  We discovered that when a dog has a permanent fur coat, staying cool is important.  We no longer wondered why his favorite sleeping place was the tile floor or the cold air register in the kitchen.  The comfy dog bed just didn't cut it.

Porter adheres to the philosophy 'When you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.'  His family was out of town, but we'd do.  When Earl was absent, I'd do.  Dogs, in general, are so adaptable and goldens, in particular, love most everything.

Porter and pet children

But when Sarah and Kyle came over to play and take him for a walk in the park, he was beside himself with joy.  We could almost hear the "Oh boy, oh boy!".  I think he missed his family.

Lucy

We had to be gone for three days in the middle of Porter's stay.  Fortunately, Sandie was willing to dog sit for the weekend. It reminded me of our dog Lucy.  She had initially brought Sandie and me together when Earl and I went to Maui and Lucy needed a companion.  We admit to being dog wimps–they just need to be left in responsible hands and gawd forbid they should be lonely.  Good thing we don't have a cat to be embarrassed for us.

 The lesson:  Dogs always give their best.  They deserve better than our transient status allows right now.  We want to avoid life changes for this first post retirement year.  I'm limited in providing dog care, but not affection.  Maybe someday in the future...we miss a dog (maybe two) in our lives. 


*Previous post:  Walking the dog
**Previous post:  A Week With the Girls