Our wonderful Dog Days of Winter | Life in Ludlow

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Many of you probably have a dog, dogs, or other pets and enjoy all of the psychological, emotional, and physical benefits of having a pet(s). Frankly, we know many of you folks sacrifice personal liberty and convenience to enjoy those benefits. We did too until about 2006, but now we are back, at least for awhile. 

Our daughter and son-in-law are professors at colleges in Seattle and they are taking their sabbaticals now with our two grandsons in New Zealand. 

Hey, why not? I’ll tell you why. It will be a much nicer place for BJ and I to visit than Nicaragua, which is where they went on their last sabbatical.

No scorpions in the backpacks, at least not yet. But I digress.

During the early stages of the pandemic they joined the gazillion other folks who rescued a dog. They did not have one prior to the pandemic. The dog they adopted is a “Shepenji,” maybe, a mix of a German Shepherd and a Basenji. 

The pictures on the internet look like this dog and describe it as being intelligent, loyal, and athletic. They are described as being not very common but an adorable delight. (Sounds like your favorite Life in Ludlow columnist.) When asked, my daughter says the dog is a Texan street rescue dog. 

So, they left for New Zealand without the dog a month ago, so a friend successfully “house sat” and bonded with “Winnie” in Seattle. 

The friend needed to move on so Winnie has now become our guest and is bonding with us. She is friendly and has become an ever-present member of our household. 

The truth is BJ and I have had a dog most of our lives. 

She had “Puddles” in her youth. I grew up with a nasty Welsh pony, a scrawny quarter horse, a few nice boarded horses, and multiple dogs, cats, chickens, etc. 

However, we have had the freedom to enjoy an unfettered life since 2006 when our Border Collie, “Katy,” decided to live a more “farm-oriented” life with friends. 

We had left her there whilst we came to the Pacific Northwest for our daughter’s wedding at Lake Quinault and a vacation in Port Ludlow to investigate the area for potential retirement living. 

Upon our return to Kansas City, it was obvious Katy preferred living on our friends’ small farm as opposed to patrolling our deck. No matter, when we visited them her unbridled excitement at seeing us was rewarding.

So, we are now being entertained and somewhat constrained by Winnie. As we walk her through the neighborhood, she prompts the locals to ask each other, “Did the Luces get a dog?” 

Of course, the answer is, “Yes, for a while, until our daughter and her family return.” 

In the meantime, we have a new friend providing much of the forementioned psychological, emotional, and physical benefits (I mentioned the walks). She sticks around us and our yard until she sees a cat, squirrel, or deer.

She will then precipitate more visits to physical therapy to repair my torn shoulder having yanked so hard on the leash. 

She also gets us up earlier than we are used to as she needs to be fed or entertained or whatever. These would not be the benefits. 

Our son-in-law is actually a marine biologist, and we have discovered the difference between him and Winnie. She wags her tail and he tags his whales. Sorry. 

Love a curmudgeon or a dog or both and have a great week. 

(Ned Luce is a retired IBM executive and Port Ludlow resident who was overjoyed when Winnie swallowed a firefly. She barked with de-light. Contact Ned at ned@ptleader.com.)