He’s a veteran!!!

Greetings blog aficionados. Frodo here today – on a special occasion. Her Highness (being in full-fledged retirement mode) neglected to look at the calendar – and ALMOST forgot what day it was. I fear the results should she ever be administered a Mini Mental Exam – she would likely score poorly on any questions about dates. But I digress…

Today is the 7th birthday of the FG. Also known as the Coyote. To think I was a lad of 6 when the gangly boy arrived.

He arrived with what some would call his “Flying Nun” ears…

And despite his unique appearance, he quickly fit in with two mops. As he refers to us.

He is an introspective lad – who sees and hears things that even us PONs do not. Or perhaps we choose to ignore things – while he is acutely aware of everything in his environment. He has two favorite places – one of which is the lake – where he stands with two paws on a rock, staring out and just…observing. When Her Highness looks back at photos from the past year (and other years as well) so many of him are at the lake.

His other favorite spot is finding a ray of sunshine in the house.

Unfortunately, if he realizes one is attempting to take his photo, he will often move. The lad generally does not enjoy the pup-arazzi like yours truly – although he agrees to TOLERATE it. That said, headgear is still not appreciated.

But who can blame him?

He has become more tolerant of group shots – although one cannot imagine the acrobatics and sound effects that Her Highness must employ to get those ears up…

While he is the most imposing dog in the household, due to his size – his temperament is lovely – he never met a human he didn’t like. He can be taken to crowded areas, and behaves wonderfully- unlike the Imp who has had countless classes and can still appear wild on a leash. Now I suppose in all fairness- it evens out – because the Imp can be let off leash on our property, while the FG still remains a flight risk. His wanderlust remains after all these years – and it’s debatable at times, whether he knows his name. Her Highness has thought of starting all over with a new name – to perhaps get a more responsive recall. But something tells me it would not make a difference. His hearing is acute, but selective.

In the dog world, we canines are considered “veterans” when we reach the age of 7. So while the FG has entered the “mature” age in his life – one would hardly know it. He is spry, acts as an incredible watchdog – alerting to ANYTHING he hears at night, and he has even learned to enjoy blueberries in his “senior year.” He puts up with the antics of the Imp – and they continue to run a joint excavation company in the back yard. They are good buddies.

Happy birthday FG. We wish you many more years of listening, digging and loving. And you might as well share those birthday biscuits- you likely won’t want them anyway!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe. JBJ.