After we shockingly made it unscathed to the Dog Park (see yesterday's post about the car ride on the way there), we leashed the puggers up and brought them to the fenced area. This Dog Park is divided between a big dog side and a little dog side. If there are little dogs on the little dog side then we typically play there accordingly. However, there were no little dogs this day. So, off to the big dog side we went.
As soon as we got in there, there were many large breed dogs that sniffed us out and expected us to be the usual mellow pugs we usually are. Well, this is the case for 2 of the 3 of us. Benjamin & Luna follow the pug stereotype pretty much to a T. However, Henry can get a little ornery if not shown the respect he thinks he deserves.
Well, of course this was almost immediately the case. Henry got relentlessly sniffed from head to tail by a large shaggy hair mixed breed. Well, Henry replied in his most heinous gargoyle voice and a toothy attempt at shaggy dog's neck. There a brief tussle and it was over as quickly as it began.
Benjamin & Luna had their own experiences to share, as well. Benjamin, who, we believe is beginning to demonstrate some signs of dementia, simply wandered off following a scent and then became "lost". Once he found the source of the scent he was appeased but then looked up and realized that his pack leader was not right behind him. Fortunately, Benny still responds to my whistle so as soon as he could spot my location based on my whistle he came marching back to his pack. (Funny side note, Benjamin is like the very old man driver that should no longer be driving and in all of his near misses of his own accident causes streams of accidents in his wake. While plodding back to the sound of the whistle, Benny caused a serious of dogs to take wide turns, sharp veers and leap over him as they youthfully played. They tumbled around him like puppies as Benjamin walked towards me completely oblivious to the busyness that was going on around him.)
This is Luna's tale, in her words:
"Family, today was cold. So, I am not sure why you chose to bring us to the center of Antarctica. I was freezing. Don't you know that I can barely see? Especially in the wind? The wind makes me squint. I tried to find a patch of sun away from the shade the trees were casting. I could not. So, I went to hide under the picnic table away from all the hustle and bustle. It was no warmer there. So, I decided the next person that leaves I'm leaving with her! I almost got away with that, too but you were supervising me too well so I had to stay in that cold place even longer. Sophie, my friend from the park wasn't even there. Another disappointment. You call this a forever home? Good grief. I think I will have to make a Facebook page and see if I can find somewhere further south to move in with since I can't take it here when it drops below 70. Today it was like half that! What the paw?"
Well, if you Luna tell it, it wasn't the best time but you take a peek at the photos and see what you think.
We took a trip to the dog park this weekend. Since the weather was very cool (perfect pug weather) we decided to venture out to somewhere where we do not go that often. We had a nice time (and that will be a follow up post) but the drive on the way to there was a hot mess.
The dogs barked the whole way there! Whenever they get like that in the car it is extremely hard for me to retain my focus on the true mission of driving. My ears were bleeding from the decibel level and my blood pressure must have been through the roof because there was a point where I could have pulled a Thelma & Louise if I lived near a cliff! It was really unbearable.
I can understand when they get excited and they feel the need to let out a gleeful yip here and there but just incessant barking the whole ride there? Really? This time it was like the boys were just arguing between themselves in the back seat. It's like Henry told Ben that they were going to the dog park and Ben said it wasn't true that they were going on an errand instead. So they just bickered about who was right. It was the dog rendition of Grumpy Old Men. (Ok, so I guess it is time that I see a current movie, huh?)
* Anyway, when you watch this video short, if you dare, be sure that you are prepared for at least one of the following to happen:
Your boss will supply you with a written counseling since you are not completing your work (and are disrupting your co-workers)
Your own dogs will bark relentlessly
You will lose you hearing
You will go insane
OBP cannot take responsibility for any of this, as you were sufficiently warned.
The weather was perfect for pugs on Saturday, so we went for a nice long walk. It was a windy day and Benny was loving it. Windy days are his favorite because all kinds of smells just come to him. He will just sit with his nose up in the air smell, smell, smelling.
We walked for about a mile and when we got home Benjamin and Luna were ready for a nice long nap.
Luna has taken a liking to Sol's favorite dog bed. The bed still sits under my desk in my office even though Sol hasn't hunkered down in it for a nap in almost 2 years and I haven't even worked from home for almost a year.
Whenever I am in the office tinkering around, Luna makes a point to find the spotted bed and snore away at my feet just like Solsey used to do.
These two little pugs are coming up on their 10th birthdays soon. By my rough estimation they have spent about 3,520 days together so far. It shows. Benjamin and Henry are as thick as thieves. They can pretty much finish each others thoughts by now.
I love to look back at their puppy pictures, like the one from last week's post, and see what they have become. They have changed a lot over the years, but one thing has always remained the same - it has always been Benny & Henry. They have always been the boys.
The pugs have a very bad habit of waking up at 5am for breakfast. We don't have to get up for work until 6:15am so in order to get as much sleep as possible, we just feed them at 5am so they will settle back down after they eat and we can get a little bit more sleep. It is an awful routine that we have clearly help continue, but I love sleep and trying to get the pugs back to sleep at 5am is just too much work. I would rather feed them and head off back to bed to get that last precious hour of sleep.
When 6:15am rolls around and the alarm goes off the pugs don't budge. After all they have full bellies and no where to be. But, we have somewhere to be and one of the many things that needs to be done before we leave is the bed needs to be made. So, each morning, we scoop three sound asleep puggies out of bed and put them in the dog bed on top of the ottoman that we keep next to the bed at night. Once the ottoman is loaded with pugs, we wheel it out to the living room. From there, the pugs catch a few more winks until it is time for us to eat breakfast. Then the boys are up and ready for breakfast #2 of the day. They, of course, get a few Cheerios and a bite of banana. Luna, on the other hand, prefers to catch a few more winks of sleep.
