April 2009 Archives

Juneau isn’t getting any easier. My oldest son, who would drag Juneau outside while I was at work, left last week for a job in Colorado. This week Juneau will spend three days in doggie day care. That will become four days during most weeks from now on. That will be $104 a week until I figure out something more reasonable than quitting my job.
Juneau seems to enjoy doggie day care. One benefit is she comes home dead tired. So her owner gets a good night’s sleep. That makes him more observant of Juneau’s cuteness and absolute dependence on him, all of which makes this trouble seem worthwhile and rewarding.
Three days a week, man and dog’s sleep is interrupted at 4:30 a.m. to drive my daughter to crew practice on the Charles. Juneau comes along for the ride, then I take her for a run through Breakheart Reservation in Saugus, so she can chase birds at sunrise.
On a recent warm day, I put on my baseball cap for the first time this spring. Juneau was terrified. She looked at me like she never had seen me before. She sprinted down into a corner of the basement. Maybe because I wear a Yankees cap.

Just received this announcement from the Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, which is where I adoped Juneau ...
NEWS FLASH!
The Northeast Animal Shelter has puppies that need homes today! And, 48 more are on the way. Saturday, 4/18, they'll all be available. It's going to be "crazy busy" here, but that's why we love what we do. Please stop by, but you may need to be patient! Our animals need you to give them great homes. We need you to give our animals great homes to make room at our shelter for more animals in need. Please contact us 978-745-9888 or www.northeastanimalshelter.org.

Juneau continues to eat dead things, and then throw up. I pulled a fish and a mouse from her mouth during recent romps in the woods. In an earlier post, I told you about the leg of a dead deer. At this one rock by a lake where I always sit to rest, Juneau each time manages to unearth the same old rubber fishing worm and commence chewing it.
A week ago, in a moment of excitement, she sprang into the lake after some ducks. The ducks were only 10 feet from shore, but it was still exciting to see Juneau swim.
She has since come to her senses, though. I’ve tried prodding her to dive into the water again, with no success. I will throw her tennis ball 10 feet out in the water, and it will take her 30 seconds to get it. She will put one leg in the water, then retreat. Gradually she slinks into the water to get the ball. But I’d sure like to see her dive in again. I’ve been bringing my camera on walks in hopes of getting Juneau swimming on video.