The Dog Blog 10.6.12
A long way away

Mas: “Jack was moving fast and carrying some papers around. Sometimes, he’d turn to the lady and ask her a question. She’d move through the house and come back with something and Jack would use that scratchy thing on the papers. And he’d say things like he says when Babe and I do well in the field. The lady must know how to fetch too, but I didn’t see her with any birds in her mouth.”

Babe: “We went out to the big white truck. Mas got in his box and I waited to get in my box, but Jack had a surprise for me. I had a new box in the truck. And it’s closer to where Jack sits. Then the lady came outside with the puppies. Hmmm. Oh, I see what’s going on! The puppies are going in my old box. That’s fine. This new one is pretty nice and, well, it’s new! I’ve earned it.

There’s fresh straw in all the boxes. It’s soft and smells sweet. Wherever we’re going, it’s going to be wet or cold or maybe both. Jack likes to put us on straw for those things. The water drains down through the straw and stays dry on top. We can also move the straw around and make cozy beds. It’s warm when you pile the straw up along the sides of the crate and even against the door.

I’m not sure where we’re heading, but I’m sure ready to go!”

The puppies….it’s hard to tell which one is talking when they all get going. These are the words of Dash, Tess, Gauge and Ron: “Where are we going? How long until we get there? Did someone grab a chew toy? Why is mommy over there? Does daddy like when we make noise? What do you think we’re going to do? Are we there yet? Why is he stopping? Do we get to pee now? Are we getting back in the truck? Why are we stopping again? Is that Tess’s human? Look, it’s my Jim man! Are we getting back in the truck? Are we there yet? Wow, it’s dark. We should go to sleep. Are we there yet?”

Jack: “It’s a long trip to Bruce Crossing. But it’s worth it for the great hunting grounds. This is a trip I have taken for several years with my best buddy, Ron. I’ve talked about him before. And this is my first trip without him. In his place, a new friend, Jim, is going to be with me. And of course, the dogs. Mas and Babe are familiar with the place. The puppies are in for a new experience. They’ll get to run in the field with Babe and Mas. And for me, thehigh point will be when I take my new best buddy with me. That’s right. Three Cedars Retrievers Best Buddy Ron. I plan to have many more years of hunting with him.”