Dog Parks & Daydreams

River 5 months old

Have I introduced you to River?  River is our dog.  Really, she's still a puppy.  She's only seven months old.  A black Flat-Coated Retriever mix, she came to us in February at only 10 weeks.  Did I tell you that she was adorable?  She was.  Super-freaking stinking cute.  And little.  Much more little than she is today.  Which was good.  It made cleaning up her messes and teaching her to go potty outside in 30 below temps, easier.  Because who wouldn't want to do everything for her sweet face?

She's got the hang of going potty now, and rarely has an accident.  As a mom who has been changing diapers for seventeen years, that makes me pretty happy.

I actually planned on an adult, short-haired dog.  Not too big, not too small.  Something with a known personality, that I could eventually train as a service animal for Ciaran.  That may still happen, but it's a way down the road.  Right now she's busy chewing.  In this picture, she's nibbling my toes.  Tonight, she nibbled the pizza I was going to make for the kids.

Let me rephrase that.  She pulled the whole pizza down off the counter and ate all of the toppings off of it.  It was spectacular.

The kids ate corndogs.

I had dreams of what my dog would be like.  We would spend hours playing fetch, and running after my beautifully dressed and immaculately clean children, as they rode their pristine bicycles.  I don't know whose life I was daydreaming about, but it certainly wasn't mine.  My kids are largely covered in dirt, wearing clothes they picked out themselves (think stripes and plaids) and River, being a puppy, may be possessed by some kind of running, chewing demon.  I'm not sure.

So, today I took her to the dog park by the airport.  Acres upon acres of grass, woods, and even a pond to swim in.  Also, today, for no additional charge, an insane amount of wind.  That was fun.  And it turns out, my dog, much like my kids, is selectively deaf.  "River, come!" was largely met with "f*ck you, lady, I'm at the dog park! WHEE!"  as she ran, scampered, and fell over other dogs.

If I wanted to be ignored, I could have stayed home. But I will still likely take her back.  Maybe when there's less wind.  It did seem like a pretty cool place, if you're a dog.

The house is finally quiet tonight, as even my sweet dog, (who miraculously regained her hearing when we got home and I shook the box with the biscuits inside, imagine that!) seems to be sleeping.

My real life may not match my daydreams exactly (shocker), but I have to say, I love the dog.  She's a complete goober, and so, fits in pretty darned well in this family.  And her name is River.  Named for both River Song and River Tam, she was destined to be a geek.