Dog Sitting

  A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to be surrogate parents to our friends Mark and Sarah's dog, Ra'bano. After losing our dog Rigby, it was nice to have the chance to have one of our furry friends come by for a few days. I can only recall once when he kind of whined a little bit. As hard as it can be for people to be in unfamiliar places and uncomfortable situations, I can only imagine what it must be like for our pets. I know that not everyone has the luxury of leaving a beloved pet with a friend or neighbor when they have to leave for one reason or another. I just hate the idea of having to board your pet at a vet or animal shelter. Maybe I'm full of hoo-ha, but I feel like as much as possible they need to be in a loving environment while their owners are away. As you can see, Ra'bano (which means radish in Spanish) is feeling quite at home on our couch. He's really well trained, and though the food right there before him is enticing, he didn't once make a grab for the plate. Sarah feeds him a big meal in the morning, and gives him treats during the day, but he only gets the one meal. It's a custom made one though, usually consisting of a chicken thigh, rice, veggies and a gravy of sorts. I suppose she must change it up some times, but the thing is, it's more than just a bowl of commercial dog food. We had a hard time not feeding him the whole time he was here, and we did sneak him a little bit now and then from our plates. How could we not? Look at that face! He is such a sweet dog, and as you can see, he's no small dog. He made our couch his resting place, so before bed at night we put his favorite blang on it. He is tall enough that he could sit on the couch and rest his front legs on the back of it and look out the window. He only barked once one night around 1:00 AM. I guess it was because someone was being noisy walking down the street out front. It didn't take him long to claim it as his own and he didn't appreciate noisy carrying on when decent folks are inside sleeping. It was comforting to know that he was on watch while we slept. He's incredibly powerful, and unlike Rigby, he liked going for rides in the truck. It was all I could do to keep him in check when I took him out for a spin around the park at the end of the day. Thankfully he didn't spot another dog or cat while we were out. I'm looking forward to having him come for a stay again in the future. Another friend had to leave town recently, and their little daschund who is old and frail was dropped off at a neighbors house to keep an eye on. His name is Sarge, and he's the only blond wiener dog I've ever seen.  I let his owners know that should the occasion arise again where they needed to leave him behind, we'd be available. As much as I miss Rigby, I don't think I ever want another dog. There are so many around that need some love and attention that I'm sure I can meet my need and theirs on a regular basis.