Jack

Into My Own

by  • 

Jack

With each day my confidence grows. Though my countenance suggests otherwise, I am in fact deeply content with my life at Asherpark. My Lady, as I call her, has become the focus of my existence. The youngsters call her mom. I prefer to call her My Lady, since she did not raise me from a pup.

She often takes me with her in the car because I behave myself. I don’t bark at dogs on the street and will ride for hours without complaint. Ash is good in the car too, but he gets restless after a time. Tess is impossible, constantly seeking attention and insisting on the front seat.

Last Saturday My Lady drove to town and took me with her. She was in need of a massage, having wrestled with the heavy lawnmower and us dogs the past week. Upon arriving at our destination, I was invited to accompany her. I was profoundly honored. While the therapist pulled and prodded her aching muscles, I lay quietly on the floor on my blanket. I didn’t make a sound. I tried to stay awake lest I snore and annoy her.

Afterwards she hugged me and told me she was very proud of me, that I was a wonderful dog and she loved me with all her heart. I felt a tear in the corner of my eye. Did she know how much her words meant to me?  I trembled with joy. I didn’t know what to say, so I very gently licked the tip of her nose. Whenever I do that she laughs and says to me, “Jack, you kissed me!”

When we got home she told everyone what I had done. Ash was really happy for me. He said it showed how much I was trusted and that I should feel proud. Tess pouted a little because she’d never been invited into an office, but she was glad I was happy. We all had a treat and took our toilet outside. I lay down for a nap and fell fast asleep. Ash said I must have been dreaming because I made happy little snortle sounds in my sleep. It wasn’t just a dream. It’s a dream come true.

Asher

Spring Garden

by  • 

Ash

It may feel like winter but it’s time for our garden. Mom has a space right outside the kitchen door. It gets lots of sunshine. She likes it so she can just step outside and clip some herbs or pick a tomato.

I like it too. The earth is nice and moist. It’s been dug up a lot and it’s easy to make a nice hole to cool off. This is me earlier in the spring when the weather was hot. After some heavy ball chasing, I was ready to chill. So I plopped myself down right in the middle of the garden space.

How was I to know she had sprinkled some little seeds? She said something about lettuce and chard. I looked for the seeds but couldn’t find them. So she told me to go find another spot and then she crawled around in her garden for a while.

Last year it was really funny. She put up this flimsy little barricade to keep us dogs out of the garden. I jumped over it and everybody else just pushed right through it. She had some summer squash that held on for a while. But every time they got just about right to pick, a little chipmunk ran out of the rock wall and ate the ends off.

I remember there were these three little lettuce plants. Mom had a separate fence around them to protect them. Then my pal Pepper went crazy after we’d been playing ball. She pulled up all three plants and threw them on the sidewalk. Oh boy, mom was NOT happy.

So here’s the problem. Mom wants a garden close to the kitchen. Us dogs want a cool spot next to the kitchen. We’re arguing over the same space. Different values, different needs. Who gets to say? Can we figure out something that works for all of us? That way nobody would be mad and nobody would get in trouble.

Mom’s thinking about a raised garden at one end of the space and our cool spot at the other end. I can’t promise we’d stay out of the raised bed, but we might. And who knows about the chipmunk. Anyway, gotta run.

Tess

All About Me

by  • 

Tess

See me in the truck? See me laughing? I’m soooooo happy when I get to ride in the truck. My papers from the shelter say I’m an Aussie mix, but I have the devious mentality of a Border Collie. I’m manipulative and cunning, but ever so sweet.

Mom says I’m passive aggressive. I don’t think I’m that smart, but maybe….. I make sure I’m always the center of attention. When I’m asked to do something I don’t want to do, I start this kissy-kissy thing. It works on everyone but mom. She tells me to stop it and mind my manners.

Yesterday a cute boy dog came to visit. I put my ears up as high as I could get them. It’s the way a girl shows interest. Then we did a two-step around the living room. It was so much fun. Ash didn’t care. He was busy playing ball. Jack was on the couch next to mom. We all had a good time.

It’s pretty slow today. We’re all missing Sherman. He’s a lot of dog to miss! It’s raining and nobody feels like doing much. Mom’s gonna take Ash and Jack for a ride. I’ll stay home and sleep on the couch until the boys get back. Maybe I’ll clean my nails and bark at the goats. Sometimes it’s fun when not much happens. That’s about it. Respectfully, Tess.