Of Dogs and Grandparents

When you're away, there is nothing quite so wonderful as knowing that your children and pets are being taken care of by people that love them just as much as you do.  One step further along the continuum is knowing that they're being taken care of even better than you, at least for the short while you're away, and that is why God made Grandparents. 

KimKim stays pretty much attached at the hip to Alan and/or me, so it's always a bit traumatic to ascertain who should care for him in our absence.  The party of the first part (the Dog) isn't going to change his spots one iota, and fully expects that there will be doting, two-legged creatures around to attend to his ever-changing but quite predictable needs.  The party of the second part (the Care-giver) needs to be both sensitive to his beauty rest requirements, but also willing to actively engage in a game of tug-of-war, chase, or a bit of doggy massage.  And, as an added feature, speaking Pomeranian is a big plus.

Alan and I recently returned from our 7th Anniversary Runaway Act.  This time we visited the Southwest, hiking and eating our way through Vegas, Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon.  None of the hikes we were planning to take would have been fur-ball appropriate, and much to our relief, Bestemor and Grandpa gracefully acquiesced to our request for home-stay care and feeding, even though their resident cat was more than slightly resentful at the prospect.

As a gentle reminder, my mother and I have traded places.  For the first 43 years of my life, I thought I was a cat, or at least wished I could have one.  This desire is something I've been fulfilling since I moved into my first apartment.  My mother on the other hand was "all dog."  After their last canine passed on, an odd thing began to occur.  Through some telepathic form of communication, the nieghborhood feline population concurred that my parents were now "open for business", at which point two strays from down the street adopted my folks.  There really was little to no discussion about it...they just moved in.  Both of the original trend-setters have passed on, but the process continues.  They're currently parenting a beautiful female aptly named "Bushy-tail."  I, on the other hand, have become completely besotted with my 21-pound Pom, followed closely by my devotion to the remaining four cats.  The dog, however, reigns supreme.

Though I do dearly love being away on holiday, the daily parentally-generated Dog Reports were equal to, and funnier than the experiences had in this national park or the other.  The topper was provided when my mother could not find the dog anywhere (highly unusual as he's usually velcro'd to ones ankles), nor could she find the husband.  However, from a second floor vantage point, she discovered both in their morning clothes on the lawn under an umbrella, so his Panty-waistedness wouldn't get wet whilst answering nature's call.  I am fairly certain you get the picture, and it surely put a big grin on my face to think about it.

This is my very public way of saying two things:  1. Pets are really important, and it makes sense to find the very best environment you can afford for their care and feeding in your absence and 2. THANK YOU to my lovely parents for being even crazier than I am at satisfying our most amusing and conversational four-legged companion's every wish.  You made it easy for me to relax, and even more importantly, to laugh over the respective antics of the parties of the first and second part on a daily basis.   I cannot adequately convey my appreciation, but I'll cook yummy things for months to come for you both!