Anything But Boring: Day 14

Last Updated on: 14th May 2023, 11:13 pm

So it’s graduation day. Ready or not, here we come!

You know, I should not have said nothing else exciting could happen. It wasn’t really exciting. It was more like irritating. I got the wash in and after the resident advisor made the machine actually go, I thought I was groovy. Then I came back to collect my clothes, and wouldn’t you know it, a pair of my underwear were at that spot at the bottom of the machine that short fat me can’t reach. So there I am, doing the bunny dance, trying to hike myself up enough that I can reach it. I didn’t want to call for help again, so I was going to get it, come hell or high water! After several minutes of hiking and grunting, I got it. Then I tried to get the dryer to go, and it would always go for just a few minutes. By the time I figured out that I was incompetent, it was too late to call anyone for help or so I thought. So I had to leave my wet clothes in there all night. Boo!

Luckily, this morning, the nurse fixed me up and de-wrinkled my graduation outfit in the dryer. I’m now wearing it. I should have taken Domino to the free run first. That would have been smart.

I’ve learned that Domino can make noise when he needs something. I’ve had him in the crate for a bunch of the morning while I did laundry and stuff. All of a sudden, he made this low eeee sound. I thought that maybe he’d need to pee since he only pooped this morning. I took him out and he pooped again. Ok. Not what I thought, but it was something.

We have lunch at 11 and then we meet puppy raisers at noon. Then the action starts. Oh! I should bring the gift after lunch. And get the second half from the instructor. And pay her.

I detached my drool rag. There’s no way in hell I’m standing up on stage with a drool rag hanging from my kibble pouch. Kibble pouches are ok. Drool rags are not. At least I don’t think so.

One of my classmates asked me what the theme song was for today. I couldn’t come up with one. But I’ve since come up with 2. Ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride and we’re here for a good time not a long time. And then Spotify spat out a song comparing Canadians to Americans called “Stronger Beer” by Tim Hicks. Yes. Spotify is listening.

A half hour to lunch. Breathe! Breathe! Breathe! I will not slop on myself. I will not slop on myself. I will not slop on myself!

The instructor brought the other gift and we wrote in the cards. That makes me feel better. Plus I paid her back.

15 minutes to lunch. Breathe. This feels as intense as dog day! I never thought about that!

I feel like a graduation is like a wedding. All this preparation and then bam! It’s over!

I had a big entourage of puppy raisers. There was the lady who started him, (that means raised him when he was a wee thing) until he was 16 weeks old or so, her sister, then the other couple who finished him. They all seem like wonderful people. They all came into the room and then Domino went nuts. He went from one to another and then back again. One set of raisers gave me a pin that is half Canadian flag and half Nevada flag. I think that’s adorable. They also gave me a picture of Domino’s dad from last years GDB calendar.

Next, it was picture time. Of course Domino was photogenic.

Then we went into the dining room and there were snacks for them. Then I went back to my room and I took Domino to relieve. I said to myself “Grab a poop bag!” But I was so busy grabbing the gentle leader that I didn’t. And he pooped! I tried to get Aira to help me rescue it, but the connection went out. So I had to abort the mission. I could not afford to step in poop! At least he was kind enough to poop near the fence.

Then we all went to the visitor’s centre where the graduation happened. I didn’t have a speech prepared so I just let words come. We had joked that the newbie’s dog would misbehave, but mine was the brat. He just couldn’t hold it together.

I guess the stream worked well because a few people have watched it and commented on it.

After it was over, a friend came over who had come to see me. That was nice. She gave me a bracelet with a star and a paw print. Pretty cool. Her grandkids came and Domino licked the heck out of them.

So the puppy raisers and I are going out for dinner. That should be fun. And it’ll be time in no time flat.

I’ve been packing fiendishly. The part of the room I call dog equipment alley is cleaned out. There are just electronics and chargers, and some meds and toiletries, and of course Santa. I could never forget Santa. I have to weigh my luggage on the dog scale to see if it went over 50 pounds. I just don’t know.

I asked the instructor about Domino’s drawing and she explained how he made it again. They put drops of paint on a paper inside a Ziploc bag and then cover the bag with something yummy to lick off, and then they lick off the bag and the pressure of their nose makes the painting. Ooo! Domino is Jackson Pollock!

Domino just asked to go to the crate. He was snuffling around near the people-eating chair. I say that because I’m short and can barely touch the ground when I’m in it. It’s a very comfy chair. It’s the best people-eating chair one could ever ask for. But one of his beds used to hang out there. But I put it in his crate because I’m taking home the one that was in his crate. So he started nudging the chair. So I walked over to his crate and he just shot in there. Now he’s all peaceful.

He growls in his sleep too. It’s so cute.

I will be headed dinnerward. The newbie looks so relieved that things are over.

We headed to the car and they had their puppy in training in the back. I guess he’s Domino’s cousin and they were raising them both together for a while. We tried to go to one place, but it was super crowded and super nuts so we went to another one. We all met up and they all had puppies in training. So we had 4 pups under the table. The food was delicious even though, again, I couldn’t finish it. We had a really fun conversation. We even joked about songs. My classmates would be so happy.

Domino acted like a bit of a dork, but I couldn’t blame him. Everyone who had meant anything to him was there. But he was pretty good. I’m a little worried about his head collar. He seemed to have a bigger reaction to wearing it than he has done historically. But then again, the whole time he was wearing it, he was lying under a table in close proximity to friendly puppies. But when we were getting back in the car, he didn’t want to get in. I’m not sure why. I’ll keep an eye on that.

I weighed my suitcase and it’s well under 50 pounds so all is good. My backpack will bulge but it will get the job done. I have rounded up what I can. The rest I will hoover up in the morning.

Ready to start our crazy adventures together, Domino?