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Saturday, October 23, 2010

Some Enchanted Afternoon

Yesterday was my last official day of being on break, so I was thrilled when Mr. Taleteller told me he'd be able to be home early for the afternoon.  It was a beautiful Autumn day, the orange leaves falling from the bright blue sky with temperatures at very comfortable levels.  We decided to take the girls to the dog park since Morgan has had a bit of pent up energy and we could take all the girls because it was unlikely to be really busy at that time.

On the way there, Mr. Taleteller needed to run into a store and do a little business, so I waited in the van with the girls.  One of the reasons that we decided to take all of the girls is that lately Lilac seems to leave us a rather smelly gift to take care of if we leave her.  It doesn't matter if we leave her home alone, home with just Blueberry or with all of the dogs.  So, we figured she might as well just poop in the dog park where we can clean it up outdoors and not deal with it when we got home.  I should also explain here that Morgan rides in a crate in the van.  The Greyhounds use the back seat and Morgan is in the crate.  It makes life much easier for everyone involved. 

So, as we sat in the van waiting, I was reading something when suddenly I smelled a waft of the aroma of disaster.  I turned around and saw the scene unfolding.  Blueberry had decided to take of the entire back seat, in typical Blueberry fashion, and Lilac had tried to find another path to the seat.  Bunny was laying behind my seat, out of the way, but close enough to poke her little nose up if something interesting to eat should appear.  Lilac hadn't accounted for the fact that it got narrower towards the back part where the seat actually was, though.  So, she was stuck. 

Most Greyhounds have a pretty good reverse and can back up easily.  However, Lilac's back end is a bit weak, so backing up doesn't really happen too well anymore.  More accurately, when Lilac backs up, crap happens.  Literally.  The worst part is that I saw it coming, like a slow motion scene in a movie that I could do nothing about.  I'm pretty sure I even shouted "Lilac!  Noooooo!"  I undid my seatbelt and leapt for the back seat, trying to avert disaster.  Morgan sat in the crate, staring at it all like a deer in headlights.  Of course I was too late and now Lilac stood precariously close to stepping in the disaster that was making my eyes water.  I grabbed a bag and tried to pick it up out from beneath her feet.  Somehow fortune smiled upon me and I did manage to get it out before she moved and stepped in it. 

Then I realized there was another problem besides getting Lilac out of the predicament she'd gotten herself into.  Mr. Taleteller has a particular black leather leash that matches Morgan's collar which he is particularly proud of.  Wouldn't you just know that Lilac could manage to make a direct hit on the handle?  I began to wonder just how long my husband could manage to be in there.  I wrenched the crate around and somehow convinced Lilac that she could, indeed, turn around and get out from behind the crate. 

Having finally solved that problem, I looked around and was rewarded to find that there was not a single trash can in sight.  I sighed and left the bag in the door well and figured that when Mr. Taleteller came out, we could find a nearby gas station and get rid of the offending bag.  Surely nothing else would go wrong.

Well, then it turns out that a man with a leaf blower decided that the parking lot needed to be cleared.  For those of you who know the joys of living with a German Shepherd, you can guess how thrilled Morgan was.  To say that she was unhappy with the leaf blower making a complete circuit around our van would be like saying the Mona Lisa is a nice picture.  The Greyhounds all watched her and I suspect Bunny checked for signs of rabies as Morgan did her best to protect our van from the leaf blower from a crate inside the van. 

Finally, Mr. Taleteller finished his business and came out to the van.  I could see the mirth in his eyes as I related the tale until I got to the part about the leash.  It took me a few tries to get that part out.  Fortunately, by then his eyes were watering too much from the odor coming off of Lilac's gift for him to get too upset.  We stopped and left her deposit in a trash can and then headed off for the dog park.

Once we got to the dog park, it was a bit more crowded than we'd expected, but it was a happy, mellow group of dogs, so we went in with all the girls anyway.  I thought I might just keep Lilac on a leash beside me, but she seemed eager to go explore, so I let her go off in a quiet part of the park while Bunny and Morgan were busy running and playing with the other dogs there.  I followed Lilac and Blueberry along as they enjoyed sniffing and looking around the perimeter.  Blueberry spotted a squirrel and gave it a run for it's money to the tree.  Morgan found a big dog who liked to play like she likes to play, when she wasn't busy acting as Bunny's bodyguard and doing head checks.  Bunny had fun playing chase with Morgan and some Labradors.

We had the Furminator along with us and at one point when Lilac stopped, I worked on brushing out some of the dead fur on her back.  She doesn't like to stand still for too long, though, so I didn't brush her for too long.  We walked on a bit further and then I called her again.  She knew I wanted her to come over, but in true old lady style, she walked on ahead of me, picking up her pace a bit.  I hurried to catch up with her, and darned if she didn't take off and start running.  Mr. Taleteller had a good laugh about it.  She may be old, but she still knows what she wants and doesn't want, and for a little bit, she can still even outrun us. 

So, while there are a lot of disadvantages to having a dog getting older, I'd just like to say, there are also moments that are priceless gifts. 

We're also participating in this Saturday's Pet Blog Hop, hosting by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume.  If you'd like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor.  Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!

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37 comments:

  1. O how I loved your post tonight.

    Must be because it is all too familiar.

    PS, thanks for all of the kind comments on my blog, you guys totally rock!

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  2. LLOL! Literally Laughing Out Loud (and about to fall off my chair!)

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  3. Hmm, this reminds me of the time(s) I pick up a doggy present in the park and manage to get it on my fingers, ewwww! Never a tap around, luckily the river is always handy:-) But it's not nice until I get there to clean up! I hope you got Morgan's lead clean?

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  4. You've summed it up perfectly. Despite some disadvantages there are moments of priceless mirth that more than compensate !

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  5. Thanks for a hilarious morning story!!
    That must have been a priceless moment for you, but especially for Morgan!!
    LOL

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  6. Oh dear, the things that happen at the beginning and end of life! Bender pooped in the back of my station wagon a few times, and I think he pooped in the back of Nic's little Mazda 121 too. Stinky puppy poo! I have no doubt that he will be a pooper when he gets old too :P

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  7. Our Mom is laughing so hard!! We think she knows exactly what you're talking about - we might be little, but we can outrun our Mom any day.

    XOXO
    Lilly, Piper, Carrleigh and Ruairi

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  8. Well, poop happens, right? And you still got to have funballs, so all is well.

    Slobbers,
    Mango

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  9. I felt a little guilty for laughing. The joys of having a fur-family. :) Lovely photos!

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  10. We are all laughing at our house. Stuff just happens. Hu-mom remembers being barefoot in the middle of the night (more than once) and hunting for the offending smell in the dark. It always happened. Squish, then up between the toes. Then doing the heel walk or 1 foot hop to clean it up and gagging along the way. Like kids--and furry kids--comes poop, vomit and lots of love!

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  11. It sounds like you had a date with Murphy's Law for the first part of the trip. It's a good thing you all have a sense of humor. Makes it all so much easier.

    lotsa licks, Lola

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  12. We call it "Making Memories". People without a sense of humor should never own a dog :)

    Great post!

    Kisses,
    Emma Rose

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  13. Well... It DID all Work Out in the END... hehehe
    I know it was not funny at the time... butt you have such a grrrreat way with words that what could have been a terrible situation turned into a funny story. You are soooo kind and patient with the Senior Girrrrrl. You know that she loves you for it... and sooooo do WE.

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  14. Oh my, I knew exactly where your story was going when you mentioned Lilac's gifts at home. Let's say that I have had a similar situation but it didn't turn out so neatly. It was while I was driving our very old Astro, and he managed to lie in it before I could pull over. I was on my way to work... and had to turn around and go back home. I never did give the real explanation for missing several hours of the morning of work!

    When we have a bag of dog poop with us, we clamp it under a wind shield wiper until we see the first the garbage can. It actually works very well (has never blown off) and doesn't stink up the car!

    I'm glad that the rest of your afternoon was indeed "enchanted"!

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  15. The exact same thing happened to us, Nigel's excitement over a trip to the dog park leading to a back seat bombing on the way there. Of course, the second half of your journey lacks the propensity for profanity that mine was subject to. You are so patient!

    Love seeing your pack playing with abandon. It looks like the newbie has been assimilated. :)

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  16. Too funny! We had a poop-on-leash moment the other day as well when Joy walked behind Red while she was in the middle of doing her business. She got wiped by the leash, ugh!

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  17. Hope the poop smell had gone for the ride home:)

    So glad Bunny, Morgan, Blueberry and Lilac had such a fun time.

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  18. Mama says she couldn't agree more about older dogs. I don't know who she could be talking about?

    Your pal, Pip

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  19. I couldn't help laughing, I'm so sorry - I've had days like that in the car too! When we brought home Duchess, our black Great Dane, we didn't know she had some car pooping issues, but she managed to get hers in that little side pocket in the door. Two years later when we sold the car, despite numerous cleanings, febreezing, scrubbings - we could still get a wiff of doggie doo!

    Sam

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  20. Oh my stars what an adventure! I can picture it all so clearly!

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  21. Enchanted indeed. I'm sorry you got stuck handling all of that yourself. But I am very impressed with your patience. I probably would have needed a time out after all that. Which is maybe why I still only have one dog.

    At least the day ended with laughter!

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  22. heehee! i'm just glad everybuddy made it to the doggie park in one piece! :)
    oh, and hey, that looks like me sniffin' miss lilac's hiney!!

    *woof*
    the booker man

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  23. What a wonderful post. Aside from the surprise poop. I'm so glad you had fun with all of the girls! My mom says your last line sums up older dogs perfectly!

    Wags,
    Zona

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  24. Wow, that sounds like adventure with The Herd. You did have me laughing, but only because I could see every bit of it happening to me.

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  25. Perhaps we shouldn't laugh......but we did! Lovely Autumn pic in the woods - just loving the colours.
    love
    Martha and Bailey xx

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  26. Sasha, the wiener dog here. Mommy is laughing too much to comment so I will add my blog hopper witt to the party. All I can say is well sometimes "POO HAPPENS!".

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  27. Sh#@ happens! :)
    Thank you for today's post, it made me laugh out loud, and I needed that today.

    Maggie Mae's Mom

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  28. This seems like the sort of situation where the Greyhound Scream of Death might make an appearance ...

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  29. Great big playground. What fun.
    Snorts and Snuggle
    Benny & Lily

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  30. Oh Morgan -

    Just WAIT 'til woo see the HANDSOME Mal Mom chauffeured!

    HUBBA HUBBA!

    Hugz&Khysses,
    Khyra

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  31. ...that was indeed a very fun memories to keep... your babes seem they've enjoyed the autumn...

    A Blessed Sunday to you!!!:)

    >Kelvin

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  32. What a great dog park! Mom hasn't gotten out her leaf-blower yet, so I don't know how skeery it might be. I do know the vacuum cleaner drives me nuts!

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  33. Oh-oh!
    Sure Lilac knows what she wants... at home or in the van!
    Glad you all had a nice time at the park!
    Kisses and hugs
    Lorenza

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  34. That's my Lilac! Full of surprises.

    And I"m sorry about the Harem. Please don't turn me into a woman!

    Yours,

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  35. How to tell your hubby is a dog loving guy, "I could see the mirth in his eyes as..." A hilarious post.

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  36. Woz the Morgan/leaf blower ordeal anything like the getting a noo roof on our howse ordeal? There was MEN on our ROOF making NOISES. Oh. My. Dog.

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