Peteifer & Pablo

Our house has been quite busy recently, a unique sort of busy. Some people have lots of kids which results in a busy house and others are the hang out for the neighborhood kids which also results in lots of activity, well our house is the Animal House! This past weekend we watched Sabrina, Steph’s cat and Cheddar, Jason’s dog. The big event was a trip to the Red River Gorge with Cheddar and Pablo; our first trip this year. Sabrina opted to be Queen of the House while we were gone.

The trip was not without extra excitement. We decided to check out a new part of the Gorge, at least new to us – the Clifty Wilderness. Not 5 minutes into the hike Peter and I look at each other and realize that Pablo was within sight, but not Cheddar and come to think of it, we hadn’t seen Cheddar for a few minutes. So we headed different directions and rounded up Cheddar after a good 10 or 15 anxious minutes; a good thing. Neither of us wanted to try to find a replacement Cheddar for Jason. Whew! Things improved after that, Cheddar constantly kept an eye on us! J

First, let me remind you that the last time Cheddar stayed with us he was dubbed Cheddar the Houdini Dog. Well, looks like Pablo is learning from Cheddar. Currently we have a house full of animals; Cheddar the dog and Sabrina the cat along with our own Pablo (at least it feels like a lot when you are used to one). So last night Peter and I were winding down and getting ready for bed - taking the contacts out, brushing teeth, nightly reading etc. when we realized the rain was pretty light, we figured we would take this opportunity to walk the dogs. Well, we find Cheddar and Sabrina but no Pablo. We look under beds, in his crate, under the kitchen table…no Pablo. The last time I had “lost” Pablo he was in the garage, so I curiously open the door to the garage…and there is Pablo sitting on the steps. What? How? Who knows really, these dogs have a magic way about them, maybe he wanted some peace in the house full of animals?

It was a cold evening, but I was running in my field so it didn’t matter much. I can convince myself I am not all that cold when I am out running in my field, it is one of my favorite things you know. The normal routine; check out the heap of old food scraps in that one backyard, that spot that bigger dog always pees, the brush pile that has so many wonderful smells and then my sixth sense made me aware of something in the trees. I had to have a look.

There it was, something black and white (isn’t everything!) - a cat? Let me take a closer look. Smells a little funny, but it is definitely not fast like a cat, the big bushy tail…ow, ow, what, ow, my eyes, my eyes, burning, ow, what in the heck…run, back home, fast, run…oh, what stinks? Is it me? My eyes burn…turn around, run toward home. I smell that heap of old food scraps in that one backyard, so I am going the right way, ohhh, can’t I get away from the smell, maybe weaving will help. What do the wiser dogs tell me…run, fast and far.

I found the house. Good, but my eyes and the stink. Let me in. No. What? I want my bed, I want to run…I don’t know what I want…just…the burn, the smell.

Uh oh, a tub and I am now in it…I don’t like the looks of this. Sniff. What is that? Lick…yum. Not bad. Lick, lick, lick. Somehow I am feeling a little better. Alright, I am outside and it is cold. Are we done? I am cold and my one eye still hurts. Yeah, a towel. Brrrr. What’s with all the noses in my face? Can I go in yet? I want my pillow and warmth. More noses, please, will this stop, I am cold and tired and my eye hurts.

Oh yes, I am going inside. My pillow, a towel…ah life is good…zzz

So Cheddar is vacationing with us this week. Pablo is naturally excited and the evening was full of running, jumping, jawing and those odd play noises dogs make. Bedtime inevitably arrives and the dogs are put to bed with Cheddar in his crate and Pablo on his pillow.

Pablo, as he often does, comes in the bedroom in the early morning to check to see if Peter and I have mysteriously disappeared during the night (at least this in what I believe he is thinking) by putting his front paws on the bed so he can see us. Last night this happened pretty much in the middle of the night, so in order to ensure a restful rest of the night, I put Pablo in his crate and no more than a minute after I laid back down, I feel a nose on my back…I freeze, listen and realize it is Cheddar.

My mind is confused, Cheddar was in his crate, but I don’t try to solve the mystery…it isn’t worth it, so I take him back out to the living room and put him in his crate. Again, not more than a minute goes by and I hear a dog drinking water in the hallway…what is going on, both dogs are in their respective crates? It is Cheddar again. By this point I am thinking he is quite the Houdini dog. I take him back out to the living room and put him in his crate and this time I remember he has two doors in his crate. I check the second one…the gig is up…I know Houdini’s secret…after latching the second door I have a restful rest of the night!