Dog People

How were you at algebra? If the grandpeople leave Rock Springs at 1 p.m., traveling 75 mph, and The Boy and Girl leave Cheyenne at 1:30 p.m., also travelling 75 mph, when should we start looking for each other in order to wave as we pass?

My mom asked for tickets to an Avalanche game and someone to go with her to said game for Christmas. So, this weekend, my brother’s family and my parents were in Denver. The Boy and I agreed to Jigger-sit.  At first, Jigger was going to come to Cheyenne. Then we decided it would be easier on everyone if The Boy and I went to Rock Springs for the weekend.

The first thing we did when we got there was take Jigger for his afternoon walk. The dog was not sure The Boy and I knew his route. He was not sure The Boy was certified in leash management. Somehow, we managed to walk the dog and get back to the house without incident.

We kept Jigger up way past his bedtime. There was a little bit of concern that he wouldn’t sleep well up in my room, but that was unfounded. He was so tired that he tried to climb into his bed while I was carrying it upstairs. As soon as it hit the floor, he was in it and unconscious.

In the morning – way too early in the morning – Jigger needed to go outside. I let him out, fed Spade and Gracie, gave the dog breakfast, and went back to bed. A moment later, Jigger made it clear that it was not okay for me to go back to bed. I went downstairs to sleep on the couch.

Jigger convinced me that I should let him sleep on my belly on the couch. He said that’s what Mom does.

I texted this photo to my mother. She called the dog a con artist.

We took Jigger with us to Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. He loves birds and walks so we figured he’d have a great time. At our first stop, he led the way down a trail for about half a mile. Once in a while, he would have to stop because the trail was hard to see. As soon as The Boy would step down the trail, the dog would rush in front to continue leading the way.

He jumped over logs. He walked through a bog. At one point we lost The Boy who went through some wetland that Jigger and I couldn’t manage (sharp sticks at dog-eye level). Jigger was VERY concerned that he was out in the middle of nowhere with just The Girl.

By the time we got back to the car, Jigger was ready to get back in the car. At the next stop, up the road, he jumped down onto the floor of the car and refused to come out. He was done. We asked him at each stop and he refused to get out.

He slept through six swans, two bald eagles, several hawks, and a moose. He also slept through ice cream cones in Farson.

We texted my mother to tell her we wore out her dog.

When we returned to the house, exhausted, the dog was well rested and ready to play. We sent him to the back yard to run around while we plopped down on the couch.

Luckily, I had three critters to care for and Spade was ready for a nap.

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