[Dailydrool] GABR Waddle (a bit long)

[Elizabeth Lindsey]

What a fun day Saturday was! Our Elsinore, young Charlie, and I  
wandered around the grounds, had a conversation with the help of  
Terri the pet communicator, bought a few things, and enjoyed the  
company of so many bassets and their humans. Many thanks to Lisa  
Potter for once again providing a tented area for Droolers to meet  
and hang out together. It's always a thrill to meet in person the  
people and hounds I've gotten to know on the Drool: "DDropp," Sue,  
Bev and John, Charlie, Tanner and Sally, Romeo and Juliet (who  
allowed me to snuggle her for a satisfyingly long time), Buster,  
Conley (who really does love everyone as much as he professes on the  
Drool), and those famous brothers, Lewis and Nigel. Ken teases me so  
much about my "imaginary friends" on the Drool, that's it's  
gratifying to be able to point them out in person and show him that  
you all really do exist.

At past basset gatherings, Elsinore has always ditched us at the  
gates and disappeared into the crowd. We'll catch glimpses of her  
busily begging from someone or forcefully nudging a hand to keep the  
patting going, but she'll eschew our company for the entire event. We  
can't decide whether it's because she's putting out feelers for a new  
family to go home with (one that will allow her to sleep on their  
beds, feed her scraps from the table, and generally do whatever she  
tells them to do), or simply because we're an embarrassment to her.  
Young Charlie tends to be reluctant to let me leave his sight and  
sticks close by throughout the day. Ken calls him a mama's boy, and  
not in a way that makes it sound like a compliment.

This year was different. After our visit with the pet communicator, I  
told both hounds that I was going to go look at all the tables full  
of things to buy. Neither paid much attention to me because the  
ground was so much more interesting. So, because they're amiable  
souls, I left them sniffing around about halfway between the pet  
communicator's tent and the Drooler tent. I saw everything there was  
to see at the ABC Shoppe, the raffle table, and the Shih Tzu rescue  
table (I'm still trying to figure that one out) and thought I'd go  
find the dogs and check in with them. Elsinore was unconcernedly  
sniffing around people's lawn chairs in the middle of the grounds,  
occasionally telling a chair's occupant to pat her now. When she saw  
me, I got a sort of "oh, it's you again" look, but she followed along  
after me as I went looking for young Charlie. There were a lot of red  
and white bassets there that day.

I finally found Charlie. He was sitting patiently at the front corner  
of the pet communicator's tent, scanning the crowd for me but not in  
a way that looked panicked or even terribly concerned. That was where  
he and I had last been together, and he'd obviously decided that if  
he wanted to see me again, that was the best place to be. If I didn't  
show up, then he could ask the pet communicator to help him find me.  
Is he not the cleverest basset? As I like to say, bassets only *look*  
slow and stupid. Young Charlie is a very smart little boy, and I'm so  
proud of him for thinking to go back to wait for me at the place we'd  
last been together.

Elsinore was quite chatty with the pet communicator, and I was  
reminded again of how self-assured my girl is. She told Terri matter  
of factly that she's very good at her job as a pet therapy dog, and  
she's also a good dancer. (She's right about both claims.) Elsinore  
still enjoys her hospice job, helping the people there feel "safe and  
happy," as she put it. She also enjoys her dance lessons (freestyle)  
but likes dancing best when others are watching her because she  
thinks her dancing makes people happy (thank goodness that's how she  
interprets people laughing at her moves on the dance floor!). What  
she seems to want most in life is to feel connected to me, which  
explains why it sometimes feels as if she's trying to crawl inside my  
skin. Overall, she's a happy hound and feels her life is good.  
Despite not being allowed to sleep on the bed with us. Or being fed  
from the table.

Because young Charlie completely blew off three of his eight pet  
therapy classes and the final exam in May, even though he knew all  
the material perfectly and had the skill set down pat, it goes  
without saying that the first question I had for him was Why?!  
Because, he told me, they weren't "fun," and young Charlie is all  
about having fun. Of course the classes and test weren't fun, but  
they are a means to an end, and trust me, the end is a lot of fun.  
But Charlie's not so sure about that, so that's why he mentally  
checked out on me. When asked about himself, he showed Terri a  
picture of himself as a puppy. He's going to be four in December, but  
apparently his self-image is that of a one-year-old. This explains a  
lot. So I'm going to wait a few more years and see if he matures a  
little more in that time. However, I think he's one of those dogs who  
could be fourteen chronologically but still be a buppy in his heart.  
My joyful young Charlie. Who likes to have fun. And sleep on my lap  
with his head on my shoulder like the toddler I'll never have. It's  
easy to forgive him much.

Thinking of having fun, I'm so relieved Charlie was nowhere near  
Conley when Conley discovered the stash of toilet paper not far from  
the Drooler tents. There's nothing Charlie likes more than playing  
with toilet paper, and he would have used heavy peer pressure to get  
Conley to ignore DadPerson's calls and start passing him rolls so  
they could have fun, fun, fun throwing white banners around and TPing  
the portapotties. It would have made for great photos, but I sure  
wouldn't have wanted to have to clean up that mess.

We spent the better part of the afternoon hanging out under the  
Drooler tent, even Elsinore, who in the past has always ditched us as  
soon as possible and for the rest of the day. After reading Nigel's  
Drool post, I now know why she was sticking close this time. She was  
flirting with the Nose right under my nose! And he was flirting back,  
even though he was giving every appearance of being shy. This  
explains all the posing I was seeing, Elsinore was tilting her head  
just-so, to ensure Nigel could see the beautiful lines of her  
profile. It also explains why Elsinore appeared to be giving Nigel  
plenty of space. If she'd been right up close to him, he couldn't  
have seen her "dellycate face" nearly as well. I'm thinking that the  
next time I want to have a fellow smitten with me, I'd do well to  
take some lessons from our Elsinore. I've shared Nigel's posts with  
Elsinore, who's thrilled to have a sekrit admiral in her life,  
especially one who has such a strong, rugged muzzle and is a  
competitive tracking athlete as well as a brilliant legal mind  
(that's what she said, really). She's asked me to be sure to put the  
photo I took of her admiral on Saturday on the refrigerator at her  
eye level. Will do.

Both dogs zonked out in the car on the way back to the motel, but  
they were game to go to the evening pizza party after having had  
their dinners. What little troopers they are! Somehow Elsinore found  
the energy to work her way around the room, picking out the weakest  
humans in the pack to sit in front of and penetrate with her powerful  
stare until they caved in and gave her a bite of pizza crust. Young  
Charlie laid down under the table where he could watch everything  
without having to expend energy on continually getting out of  
everyone's way. They slept almost without moving that night. I know  
this because, as a special treat, I let them sleep on the bed with me  
that night. They were exhausted. They also slept most of the nine- 
hour drive home the next day. (We didn't stay for the actual waddle  
because Elsinore comes absolutely unglued around marching bands, and  
she doesn't much like emergency vehicle sirens at such close range  
either.) If only we could take them to a basset picnic every weekend  
just to tire them out! Thank you GABR for a wonderful time!

Elizabeth