The Dogs' Welcome - Shadowood

Welcome to our home. Please, come in and stay awhile. I said, PLEASE COME IN AND STAY A WHILE. Come on, you guys, keep it down! This is our guest. There now. They do get a bit excited. They don’t mean anything by it. No, they don’t bite. They just deem your arrival worthy of announcement. Take off your coat and make yourself comfortable. You’d best not lay it on that couch; it’ll surely be someone’s bed in no time. Back, guys, back! You must be full of interesting smells. Just push right past them; they’ll get out of your way. Foxy, no! You’ll have to excuse him; he’s very affectionate. Foxy, go on! He’s obviously very attracted to you. He’s a real people dog.

Please forgive the mess. I know you understand what living with dogs is like. Have a seat. I’m afraid that the corduroy you’re wearing may pick up a little dog hair. You know, I brush and brush, but there’s always more. It’s impossible to keep up with all their shedding. That’s Tex, our oversized lap dog, but … oh, I am sorry. Sometimes he just gets so terribly excited. Let me get you a paper towel. No, no, don’t worry about the chair. Everything in this house is Scotchguarded.

So how are things with you? Great. Me? Oh, you know, about the same. Two weeks ago Raggie tore a dew claw, last week I took Nikki to be spayed, and yesterday Aspen threw up all over the house. We all seem to be doing just fine today, though. Thanks for asking. And how’s your family? Your son’s graduating this year? Boy, how quickly they grow up. I’ll bet your dog’s going to miss him dreadfully when he leaves for college. How old is he now? Eighteen? No, I meant your dog. Thirteen. He may not handle the loss well. No, I meant your dog. You’ll have to spend a lot of extra time with him.

Let’s go into the kitchen. I’ll get us some coffee and cake. Excuse me; the dogs’ water is low. What was I doing now? Right, your coffee. Here you go. Let me get the cake. It’s locked in the pantry cabinet. That Raggie, you know. He is such a chow hound. He’s figured out how to open every cabinet in this kitchen. I just can’t keep food in this house unless it’s under lock and key. Why, Raggie will lick the food right out of your mouth if you give him half a chance. Not that I ever give him half a chance, mind you. Sorry … let me get you a fresh piece. I told you; that dog hair’s everywhere.

Quiet down! Oh, it’s probably nothing. They do a lot of generic barking. I only bother to check when it’s an all-dog alert. Sometimes one or two of them will sit in the yard and bark half the night. I’m sure they’ve got their reasons. Speaking of nighttime, you should know that you’ll be sharing the guest bed with Sarah and Raggie. You won’t mind, will you? Sarah can actually make herself quite compact for a larger dog, though Raggie does prefer to sleep under the covers now that he’s been clipped. At least it’s not the middle of tick season. I must warn you, however, that the forecast is calling for rain tonight. Nikki’s terrified of thunder. You may be awakened to the crush of sixty-five pounds of cringing canine sitting on your head. Just stroke her gently until the storm passes. She’ll be all right.

I’ve got an appointment with the groomer … er … hairdresser tomorrow morning at 9:00, so breakfast will be right after I feed the dogs at 8:00. Don’t worry about oversleeping; your bedmates will certainly let you know when it’s mealtime. You’ll be fine here with the dogs for a couple of hours, won’t you? They’re wonderful company. Feel free to take them out for a walk. Just keep them out of the woods; skunks and porcupines do tend to complicate the day.

Have I mentioned it? I’m so very glad you’re here. Welcome to our home.