The Reunion

I was asked about the reunion with my doggies on my return from three weeks in Ireland.

Jack was the first one I picked up. He was at bird-dog school. When I arrived the trainer had him ready to go in the special dog trailer he uses to take dogs to hunting and training venues. When he let him out Jack gave me a very brief acknowledgment and immediately began to check out nearby brush and hedgerows. Not a very heart-warming response. But after a few minutes he came back to the truck and let me know he really, really wanted to get in. I opened the rear door (it's a crew-cab with the rear seats kept flat) and he flew in with a big smile. (Yes, dogs smile. They really do.) I leaned in to remove a couple of items in his way and he gave me a barrage of enthusiastically slurpy kisses. I felt better.

Two hundred miles north was the ranch where Emma (GSP #1) and Mags (Boston Terrier) were staying with friends. This was a different story entirely. They were inside when I arrived and when the wife opened the door they were all over me. Emma began her high-pitched "Eee-eee-eee!" song, which she also uses when she sees a pheasant or grouse in the yard. She also did her best to climb up on my shoulders while washing my face at the same time.

Meanwhile, Maggie was doing her jumpy-thing. She throws herself straight up into the air and can just about reach chest height on me. She wanted me to pick her up and when I did she gave me another face washing. This was more like it. I let Jack out of the truck and the three of them had their own little reunion which they apparently found completely satisfactory. That they like each other as much as they do is very pleasing to me.

Dogs are adaptable. They do what they have to do, but they have definite preferences. They got good care at both places, but they made their preferences very plain. Emma was almost frantic to get into the truck and Mags was right behind her.

Sixty miles later we pulled onto our buffalo path that we humorously call a "road" and all three woke up from their travel-naps and wanted me to roll down the rear windows so they could do some big-time sniffing and savoring s we got closer and closer to the home-place.

I pulled the truck up close to the front deck to unload all the various and sundries and let them out. The GSPs dashed off to check out the place, the brush-piles, the perimeter, and all the other spots that are special to them. What did Mags want? She wanted in the house, where she immediately went to the couch by the front window and did a long series of her silly little headstands, reveling in... home.

That first night home they slept from 8 PM to 9 AM the next morning. I had to wake them up and practically throw them out the door to do their morning bizness. I gave them a snack when they came back in and they promptly returned to bed for another three hour snooze.

They are home. They are happy. Me, too.