DIANA REPUBLIC

This is a thank you note to Mike, my yellow lab. Its a shame he can’t read, but it bears blogging in any event. As, for the time being at least, the only dog in our home, Mike is being subjected to excessive loving. If he were another type of dog this would not be an issue. The late and much written about Larry was a total affection whore. He would let you pet him raw, if you were inclined and would rudely nose your hand if you stopped petting him before he had had his fill. Mike is not inherently a super lovey dog. He is not standoffish, but seems to have a rugged manly level of discomfort with too much affection. I compare him to a twelve-year-old being hugged by his mom during hockey practice. He squirms and gets that “not in front of the guys” look in his eyes.

So as I grieve the loss of one dog, and a huggy one at that, I am now smothering this poor creature. And he is letting me. Sunday morning for example, Mike let me burrow my face in his fur while I scratched his neck for about five minutes without trying to escape my grasp. He senses something is off and clearly misses his companion. He seems to be looking for him in the yard now and again and it breaks my heart. But he seems to be putting my need for comfort ahead of his own discomfort. Perhaps I am reading too much into this. He still has squirmy moments where he looks at Bob as if to say “get her off of me”. He may just be mellowing with age and learning to enjoy the love. Whatever the case may be, I am so thankful that he is indulging my neediness and letting me snuggle with him. Mike will never be the kind of affectionate creature his brother was, but he is helping me heal and for that I am truly grateful. What a lucky gal I am to have so many sweet boys in my life.

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By way of an update: The Pet Expo was great fun. As a speed dating event, however, it left something to be desired. Imagine a speed dating event held at a strip club while the Super Bowl is being aired on big screen televisions. The participants were a little overstimulated and a lot distracted. We had a great time meeting all ages, breeds and sizes of dogs, but no match was made. No worries, the result of an afternoon at a pet fair was a smile that didn’t leave my face all the way home.

Easter Retrievers