![\"Puppy\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Puppy.jpg\")
<\/a>Riley as a puppy<\/p><\/div>\n
Here it is, that shoulder season between the end of summer and the start of the holidays. It\u2019s actually the best time to travel, weather is still good and kids are back in schools so the crowds are down. But as I sit here on a beautiful Southern California day, I have no immediate travel plans. I stare out the window, and then I stare at my dog, Riley, wondering what to write. I say to her, \u201cI really haven\u2019t been anywhere of interest lately, so what do I write about?\u201d She tilts her head and looks at me as if to say, \u201cWhat the hell are you asking me for, and by the way, isn\u2019t it time to feed me?\u201d Oh yes, I have a dog, not as famous as my sister\u2019s \u2018wonder dog\u2019 Dash, but \u2018my best friend\u2019 nonetheless. In fact, the comparisons to Dash are . . . non- existent, the contrasts however are abundant. To wit:<\/p>\n
<\/a>Daughters Steph and Dana (aka Riley) holding dogs (Riley is on the far right)<\/p><\/div>\n
Dash is a purebred, purchased from a registered breeder; Riley is a mutt, a mixture of a Maltese and Shih Tzu, or for short, a \u2018Multi-Shit\u2019 \u2013 which she does, wherever and whenever she wants! She was purchased from somebody selling dogs in their front yard. Dash\u2019s name come from royalty, the name of Queen Victoria\u2019s dog; Riley\u2019s name comes from the fake name that our daughter, Dana gave when she was single, to guys she didn\u2019t want to hear from again. Dash has never barked; Riley barks at every moving thing \u2013 which is why we don\u2019t feel the need for an alarm system. When presented with a paper plate of food, Dash would elegantly partake, often leaving some, just to be polite; Riley would wolf down the food and start chewing up the plate while looking around for more. \u00a0Dash is trim, in shape with a shiny coat; Riley is over-weight and proud of it and usually needs a bath. With Suzanne and Al both retired, Dash is doted on; with Linda and my working and traveling schedule, Riley probably has some separation issues.\u00a0\u00a0 Dash has perfect teeth; Riley has a missing front tooth in her massive under bite. Dash is in management; Riley takes a lunch pail to work.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Lunch-mouth Riley today<\/p><\/div>\n
They say when dogs are looking into your eyes that they are really hugging you \u2013 when Riley looks in my eyes it\u2019s usually because I\u2019m late feeding her. Dash is Suzanne and Al\u2019s first dog; Riley is our last. I\u2019ve always had a dog from the time I was a kid. \u2018Boots\u2019 was my first dog, I taught him how to climb a tree with me, then there was \u2018Rags\u2019 then \u2018Smokey\u2019, who wandered on to the school grounds when I was teaching and was never claimed by anyone, so I took him home. I even had a dog when I was in the Navy stationed in Japan named \u2018Xoon\u2019, I think he only spoke Japanese. We\u2019ve been a two-dog family for the past 25-30 years; Igit, Shasta, Kola, Pepsi, Simba and Riley. Simba passed away earlier this year and Riley seemed to have mixed emotions; she surely missed her sister, but also probably thought, \u2018Hey, more food for me\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0 When we buried Simba in the back yard, with the rest of our dogs, we decided that we wouldn\u2019t get another one, that our travel schedule is such that it wouldn’t be fair to another dog, and maybe we just didn\u2019t want any of our dogs outliving us!<\/p>\n
OK, Riley, you helped me write the blog this week, thank you! I guess I\u2019ll have to give you a treat. She gave me that look like, \u201cYeah, sure, whatever, now where\u2019s the treat?\u201d<\/p>\n
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by Bob Sparrow Here it is, that shoulder season between the end of summer and the start of the holidays. It\u2019s actually the best time to travel, weather is still good and kids are back in schools so the crowds … read more