The Beach!

My favorite thing about Rhode Island has gotta be the beach! I'm not too happy about the steps leading to it, but once I get down to the shore there's lots to do, and Dad lets me run free, and I run through the tall grass and dig in the sand and splash in the water, it really is great! Crabs don't bite. Do they?

"Told you, Dad."

I sat with my freshly captured prey on my lap, and smugly explained to her, "people with tails should not run away from people with hands." And she sat there, all catlike and pretty, and even purred, and waited till I relaxed my grip, then she tore away from me, gracing me with a glance over her shoulder, and told me, "people with skin shouldn't pull people with claw's tails." And Mr. Wilson watched, and when I finished dressing my wounds said,

"told you so, Dad."

Inside the Transport Truck

Mr. Wilson was a dog without a permanent home until Cheryl found him through Petfinder. It only took a little while for all of the particulars to get done, and get him on the road from Arkansas toward Rhode Island. The people at Alpha Dog Transport did a great job getting from there to here. He got off the transport after a four day journey, looked an me and Cheryl and knew he was home.

Weird Guy Walking

People look at you funny when you're a big older guy walking alone. It's not as bad if you put on some workout clothes and walk faster, but what if you just like to walk for the sake of walking? Since I got Mr. Wilson, people don't quickly move to the other side of the street when they see me coming, they walk right up to me and say hello...to Mr. Wilson! After a while they might notice me and say hello, but it's the Schnoodle that gets all the love. And there's nothing better than a nice snooze when the walking is done.

Walking with Mr. Wilson

He wants so much to pull, but we've trained, and trained some more, and he takes the leash as far as he can before he feels pressure around his neck, and he stops, and waits for me to catch up, then does it all over again. But all bets are off when a dastardly squirrel crosses our path, then the training goes out the window, and he barges forward, and nearly breaks his neck when his run is abruptly stopped. "Dad, why don't you let me catch one, just once?" his eyes plead as he looks over his shoulder at me. "Because once is never enough, old pal." He turns and looks forward, and takes the leash almost to the edge, and slows down and lets me catch up.

Routine

I never knew how much I missed having a dog in my life until we came home with Wilson. A dog gives the day purpose, and fills the hours with far more than the simple, robotic movements like brushing your teeth, fixing breakfast, finding your keys and driving off to work. There's something great about caring for another being, and having that being care for you. 90% of life may be boring routine, but that boring routine is somehow far less so when shared.