The Ambassador
Author Jon Katz blogs about his black Lab, Lenore, who he has dubbed the Hound of Love because of the love she spreads. Lenore may have pinned down the title of Love Dog, but Indy is going for Ambassador.
Everywhere we go, people seem to really connect with him. They ask us questions--how old is he? Is he a Lab? So many people say, "Oh, I love Labs! We had a Lab, and he / she was the best! dog! ever!" A week or so ago, we met a woman on our walk who was out with a small terrier. She, too, had owned and loved a Lab mix. As Indy sat obediently near her, she looked down at him. "I know you," she said with a touch of wonder. "There's a face I haven't seen in thirty years."
We're planning to take Indy on his first camping trip over the first weekend of November. Since it might be a bit chilly by then, we ordered him a dog bed:
Maybe he'll feel a bit more inclined to use it when it's 50 degrees outside?
I'm really, really looking forward to taking him. I suspect he'll have a fabulous time. We're going to camp on the property owned by one of MB's coworkers, so if Indy doesn't sleep or barks at lots of squirrels, we won't bother anybody but people who already like the dog. I just hope he'll agree to stay in the tent with us overnight and not decide to chew his way out to chase raccoons.
On Friday I took Indy to the park that adjoins the nature preserve where I volunteer. Dogs aren't allowed inside the nature preserve itself, but Indy didn't seem to mind.
He carried his own water and wore his backpack without complaint. We walked up and back down a short bike path, and then headed for a trail through the woods that I found a few years ago on the non-preserve side of the fence. Indy was thrilled. He trotted merrily along, sniffing everything. Hills didn't faze him, nor did small wooden bridges across shallow dry gullies. I think he's going to turn out to be a champion hiker.
Reading: Iodine by Haven Kimmel
Playing: Lemon Parade by Tonic
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