A Doggy Christmas

The dogs were very well behaved this weekend. They didn't beg too much when people were eating. In fact, Sadie tended to spend meals curled up under the table, and Maxwell found a nearby chair or couch to doze on. My various family members were quite impressed. They were also both suitably enamored of the various presents they received. Sadie spent quite a bit of time chewing the feet off her rubber chicken, and Maxwell wouldn't let us stop throwing his squeaky toy.

It was also nice talking to my aunt about her dog. She (and her family) has an elderly golden named Max. I last saw him about three years ago, when he and Sadie exhausted each other playing in a lake in Maine. Now he's 11, and starting to show it. Poor guy's rear end isn't keeping up with the rest of him. We gave my aunt and uncle some home-made dog cookies for Christmas. Hopefully he'll like them!

We stopped at my dad's cousin's house for brunch today before heading home. They have two dogs as well, so our guys were invited. They keep their dogs in a small portion of the house, with a doggie door to their fenced back yard. Our guys couldn't figure out the doggie door at first, and definitely didn't like being separated from us. In fact, they managed to squeeze through the cat door in the baby gate to come find us! I wouldn't have thought Sadie could get her head through, let alone her whole body... In any case, Maxwell found the family cat first, and rushed in to investigate. Though Maxwell wasn't aggressive, kitty didn't like it and gave him three good swats to the nose. Well deserved, but it got him growling, which clued Sadie in, and they both had to be bodily carried back to the dog-friendly area.

After finally relaxing enough to play with their new friends a bit, we left for home. Maxwell slept or watched the road calmly from the back seat, while Sadie alternated between sleeping in the back footwell and crying in our ears. They both seem to be glad to be home.

 Did somebody say 'home'?