I set my alarm for 4:17 last night and after waking up at 11:39 and 2:24, I am up for the day at 3:41. I may need those :36 minutes later today. So I start the coffee ahead of the timer and feed the dogs. The dogs think it’s 4 or 5 or 10. Who knows what they think other than “I’m up! Let’s eat! Let’s go back to sleep!”  Dogs have it good. If I had a farm, I’d have 20 dogs. Maybe some other animals too but for sure  as many dogs as there were space for. I don’t own a farm so I have two .  Lulu and Izzy. 

I was working at the Boston marathon when i received a picture from my wife of this evacuated little beagle with a stubbed tail. Jeanne has taken the kids, then aged 8 and 6 to an adoption day at Petsmart snd they latched on to “Candy”. The second picture was the kids hugging her, the third of her sitting in our van and the fourth of her sitting on the couch. How else did I think that would work out. We got her home and took her to the vet to find out she was heartworm positive.  $30 rescue to $1530 expensive rescue. We still had our mutt Shotgun (read here) and he seemed to enjoy having her around. Lulu is like a clingy ex girl or boyfriend that you tried to break up with and now you keep running into them and they stare longingly (and crazily) into your eyes while asking “why don’t you love me anymore?” over and over and over. She leans a little on the portly side and will try to climb into your mouth  to get closer to you.  Sweet. 

Izzy came along three years ago, about 6 months after the Mayor of Kenilworth passed on. She’s part catahoula, part pit bull and part jackal or something. She’s sweet on her terms, barks like she’s going to rip your throat out and then shakes like a leaf around a crowd. In a word she is mostly suspicious. She will sploot and drag herself across the floor, legs pointing back so she can rub her own belly. Her ears are ridiculous and point up like a shepherd, but are like an outward descriptive of what she’s about to do. Just ate the whole stick of butter off the kitchen table?  They point down and back. Wants a treat? Up like she’s Rin Tin Tin. About to pounce on your head, pinned straight back. She’s great running partner as long as there’s no other people running and no cars, cyclists or walkers so the opposite of a good running partner, thousgh she’s wicked fast. She can jump straight up 6-8 ft. I know this not because I saw her jump straight into the air and rip a possum off the top of our fence, then look at me like “Shit, now what do i do with it.” She gives good hugs when she wants to

Everyone should own a dog or three. They are awesome and unlike kids. You can put them in a little cage when you need a break. 

It’s 4:21. And mine are asleep. 

#hugsandhi5s