Back & baths

I've been out of town for the past five days. I had a wonderful break in Corpus Christi where the extended family met to celebrate my nephews "winging"—military parlance for becoming a pilot. It wasn't a vacation as much as a gathering with all the aspects of family get togethers. Aborted conversations, waiting for the masses to assemble in order to do something, inside jokes, lots of hugs. Luckily my nephew and his wife have a beautiful young German Shepard, Daisy, so we weren't dogless.

The weather was a real break from what we get this time of year in the northwest. We stepped off the plane to warm and sunny. Ah-h-h! You could tell which of the family members weren't from Texas/Arizona...the minute we were outside we turned and faced the sun. Magnets. Amazing. The warmth!

Lucy was staying with our friends and because I lucked out and was able to get an early plane connection home, she was not here when I arrived. What a joy to see her when they brought her home. It was definitely a mutual admiration society gathering. She had a great time with them; they took her to work everyday leaving their dog at home. (Lucy has been known to jump their fence and although I think her legs aren't up to it anymore, you never know.) She also got to go on walks in different areas complete with new smells. An olfactory plus for her!

Quite awhile back when we were sitting their dog (3 weeks+), they gave us a gift certificate at a small local grooming shop. I'm taking Lucy in today for a bath and toenail clip. She'll look lovely for Floyd's return tomorrow.

P.S. The attacking dog has been picked up. It was a loose, aggressive, female mastiff. Because a series of complaints had been filed against the dog, the owners are responsible for not only the shelter boarding fees, but licensing, aggression and vet bills. My understanding is they stopped by the shelter to pick their dog up—actually they demanded the release of their dog, but AC refused to give it up until fines were paid. Additionally, if they do pay the fines, the dog must be removed from the county immediately. Should they get another dog and it is loose and or aggressive, they cannot get another dog for five years. Now I don't know how that could possibly be monitored. County Animal Control doesn't have the funds or personnel to monitor that, but it's nice to know they have the laws in place in case we should be faced with this again. Justice rules (somewhat)!