Full gallery below.
While Pickles had never stayed with us before, we knew her well from when she attended Day Camp. This lead her to whine and try to come over whenever her parent/s walked her around the common. Well, this time she got her wish as we hosted her for a whole week while her parents went to Ireland. And she was not disappointed.
We started her stay (which took place almost entirely during a heat wave), as we always do, by giving her a little food, and lots of treats. It shows dogs what they can expect during their stay here and helps them relax and not worry about their next meal. Dogs often don’t eat the first day of their stay, and it’s because they’re not sure if they’re going to get more food when it’s gone. This helped relieve any anxiety about that. Next we took her to see a familiar face, her friend Koda. Pickles and Koda knew each other from camp, and were fast friends. Literally. They had chased each other around the dog park at full speed until they were both exhausted during camp. On this day, we took them for a walk along Grand Trunk trail, where there are lots of watering holes for them to cool off in. Walking them both on leashes changed their dynamic completely. Pickles could no longer use her speed and agility with Koda, and the giant Great Dane could finally use her bulk to push Pickles around. They were still playing, but we had to make sure to give each plenty of personal space. The 2 splashed around the rocky shallows and cooled off, posed for pictures, and enjoyed some treats.
The next few days were just as exciting, with walks to the cemetery, the Common, and the meadow across the street. On Sunday there was a Farmer’s Market, and Pickles really enjoyed the crowd, the food smells, and the children everywhere. She instantly recognized them as her age, and wanted nothing more than to chase a ball with them.
Her time at home with us was equally satisfying. We played with her toys (though she preferred ours since they were new and novel). We cuddled on the couch and watched TV. She sympathetically watched me die over and over as I played my video games. She slept in our bed at night (or on the lounge downstairs when it got too hot). As we were warned, she’s a bed hog. It took a few days for us all to work out our space in bed. But in the morning, her sweet cuddling and kisses were the best way to wake up.
She ate well during her stay, didn’t get in any trouble, and didn’t bark except to let us know of strangers in our yard. She enjoyed sitting in the window seat, watching the traffic, the tourists at the Publick House, and the visitors to the Common.
We both grew to love Pickles even more. Her sparkling personality, playful spirit, and genuine affection won us over in a big way. We love our walks, loved having her hang out in the yard with us, loved how she would hang out in the kitchen with us while we ate, definitely “not begging.”
We briefly considered keeping her after her stay. “Pickles? There’s no Pickles here, just our awesome new dog Nickels…” But even as Pickles loved us and had a blast with us, we knew she was missing her parents. Her ears perked right up whenever we mentioned “Mom and Dad.” We are sad to see her go, but we will be seeing her again in September, and we’re thrilled. The whole week was a big smileburger, with a side of Pickles.