Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Sweet Tara

One of my best whippet buddies ("Jenn and the City") is away in Mexico (and I hope she's having an absolutely fabulous time - she really needed the holiday) and before she and her family departed she had to make arrangements for dog-sitting. Her older boy Nike went off to visit grandma and her young lady Tara was earmarked for my first attempt at dogsitting. I've had whippets since '96 but have to this point never dogsat anyone's else's dog so I was a bit apprehensive at first.

Of course life and work being what they are I was out of town until yesterday and as a result Tara went to stay the first few nights at another whippet friend's house until my return. This morning I said goodbye to my doggies as I set off to pick up Tara and bring her here for a week's stay. Now I'd had some excellent advice as to how I should introduce the dogs but I wasn't prepared for the initial "fun".

I brought Tara into the house on leash and my two zanies were most excited at this turn of events in their otherwise boring existence (not exactly true with the kamikaze squirrels that seem to like to taunt them - and that's definitely several other stories!). After all seemed to go well I took the three dogs outside and let Tara off her leash. At that point I had a brief flash of "what the h*** was I thinking!". I have two whippets - Tazio, who's 10 years old and a littermate to Tara's housemate Nike and Becca, a crazy but absolutely adorable 2+ year old. Once Tara was off leash Becca proceeded to give Tazio major grief - barking, growling, hanging off his neck while Tazio was just bouncing around like a major goof, probably thinking "yippee, another girlie in my house and yard - now why did Mom have me neutered, I could be having so much more fun if she hadn't done that!". Poor Tara got this look on her face as tho' she would have preferred staying with our other friend for the rest of her mom's holiday and kept trying to hide behind me. Whippets are amazing dogs however and it wasn't long before there were a few very fast games of tag going on, squeekie toys being tossed about in the air, and lots of blasting in and out of the dog door. And now, as I write this, all 3 have crashed out on the couch.

And I can finally get some work done!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ooh I adore whippets! My parents had four in the house while I was growing up - Kizzy, Kandy, Katie and Krystal, Mum chose those names! Kizzy was the mother and was a pretty good racer, the others not so much but they did enjoy snuggling up beside you on the sofa or in bed.

Lots more photos for me please!

I have two Norwegian Elkhounds, hubby wasn't so keen on Whippets or I'd have them. Elkhounds were a compromise but they are adorable too.
Gailx

Jenn And The City said...

Tara misses her friend Becca too! Playing with Nike just isn't the same, and the cats are just plain abusive.