It was a fast week for Holly, Helen and I! Holly & Helen were entertained most of the week by Rainie & Keltie staying here, and on part of the week-end by Kooper! Having five dogs and one cat in the house may sound like a bit of a circus and indeed it was, but who doesn’t enjoy a good circus once in awhile? Much like at parties when people spin off to form their own conversations, the dogs would take care of their own needs and migrate towards what felt right for them. Holly was busy being a hostess and tried to spend adequate time with all of her friends. Sometimes a threesome would form but in time one would drop off and find some other sort of entertainment. Helen stayed out of the mix except for mealtime, potty breaks, bedtime and photo shoots. Rainie & Keltie love frisbees, Holly loves balls, and Kooper loves tug toys and birds. Their time together was important, their individual passions were sacred.
While much of my day was spent filling water dishes, mixing food bowls and wiping off wet paws (because of course this was the week it rains!), my heart was totally content with seeing all the personalities shine and all the friendships blossom. After day two of having Rainie & Keltie living with us and sharing my attention, Holly showed what I thought was a bit of pouting. I found her quietly laying by my feet more often, sometimes resting her head or paw across my foot. There were moments she would put her front feet on my lap and nestle her head into me. Now these may be common golden retriever traits, but these are not common Holly traits! Apparently, having friends over to play is different than having friends over to stay! As outgoing and gregarious that Holly is, she has an introverted side that needs to be fed with some mom time. Of course that has me loving her all the more.
We were treated with Lana & Kooper both here on Friday night staying over to Saturday. Holly quickly taught Lana to roll the ball – back and forth, back and forth, back and forth followed at some point by a sudden and swift roll in a different direction for the pounce. Holly loves to watch the ball go back and forth, Lana loves to watch Holly’s brown eyebrows go side to side. And I love watching the two of them bring so much joy to each other.
One who should get a big shout out for this past week is my cat, Gracie! She did not miss one meal, she sat in her favorite chair, she walked her normal route through the house and other than hearing a few hisses from her, no dog was physically harmed or emotionally scarred! The household routine was chaotic but she managed to keep her routine in relatively good order. With a few adjustments, she took care of herself and I think found that she enjoyed the circus too!