I almost didn’t remember it. Probably it’s a good thing since I have been caught up with school starting, sports, dog training with Karma and a failed NIC on my PC which has caused my wireless network to cease working. Thank goodness for Peets Coffee and free wifi. Dante looked up at me last night and said, “Mom, isn’t tomorrow the 31st? Isn’t it Riley’s birthday?” Yes. Yes it is. That kid has a memory like an elephant. Details. He’s a statistician. Ask him the box scores from last night’s A’s game and he will not only tell you what all the plays were in the inning, but he will tell you the number order of how the out was made. I have no idea what the numbers are for each spot but he sure does.
So, that’s a good thing that I didn’t get weepy and depressed this week thinking about Riley’s birthday, right? I can write about him now without mascara running down my face each time his name comes up. Don’t get me wrong–there’s tears in my eyes still–they just haven’t spilled all over my laptop. I guess that’s called healing.
Hello, I am Riley. I am a male Golden Retriever and am entering my golden years at the age of 8 and half. I have been living with Pam since the age of about 8 weeks when I was comfortable enough to wean from my mother (may she rest in peace). Pammy is my alpha–the woman treats me better than her own children. Probably because I give her unconditional love, I don’t leave my clothes all over the house and I usually stand by the door to be let outside when I have gas (unlike her own kids.)
I am going to appear on this blog from time to time, giving you a dog’s perspective on things when Pam is busy with clients. I have a simple life here. Usually I am at Pam’s feet while she works at her computer. We used to do obedience training and agility training and I think I overheard Pam mention that we might be doing the obedience thing again soon. She wants to put a CD title on me before I pass on. One of the reasons she picked me out of the litter of my three other brothers was that I was rated the smartest for obedience. I do learn quickly and love to please. My mistress’ husband–who I refuse to call my master (Pam is my master) thinks I am a knucklehead. He’s just jealous that I love Pam over him. The only time I ignore her versus him is when he has a slice of cheese or apple in his hands. Or a leash. I dig walking with him because he doesn’t make me do the obedience thing like Pam does. Pam expects me to stay at her left side, not pulling ahead or sniffing the ground. Pam will stop suddenly and then I am expected to sit when she stops. I am expected to heel again when she starts walking with her left foot. If I encounter something delightful to smell, she tells me leave it and I have to stop. When her husband walks me, I have the power to pull ahead, sniff and confuse myself with any training that Pam has done previously with me. So, yeah…I get excited when the old man takes me out for a walk.
I am somewhat a famous dog. Well, at least in my own mind. When I was a puppy, my breeder took my brothers and me to a photographer and we were photographed for some ads. You might see this popular shot on specific items that are sold in pet stores.
That was my brother and me. Don’t we look awesome? So, if you see this photo around, you can say “Hey that’s Riley!”
So what did I do today? Caught up on some much needed rest from the day before. I had a leisurely breakfast of Iam’s restricted calorie food ( I need to watch my waistline) which had a topping of Potassium Bromide on it. (Unfortunately I am an epileptic). I took a tennis ball from son #2′s possession and slobbered all over it for about 10 minutes before settling down for another nap. Yeah, my life is really boring right now. I so need to get back in the ring and prove to everyone that I am capable of becoming an AKC Companion Dog.
Okay, then. I must go for now. I look forward to joining Pam with my thoughts on this blog. She’s not terribly exciting–I feel I can bring so much more to the table with my charm and humor. Later.
