So yesterday morning Tink and I rolled out of bed at 8:15 to get ready for a busy day of fun and friends. We got dressed, walked in the rain and then harnessed up for a little car ride. Tink's happy dance never ceases to help me smile.
Tink, harnessed in with her very cool new paws blanket from Patti!
Our first stop was a nursing home in Camp Hill, where we stopped to visit one of music therapy clients who owned Bostons when he was a kid. Of course every one loved her and we stopped to say hi to many of the residents on the way... We had to wake him up once we got there, but Tink settled right in on his bed while he petted her for 15 minutes or so. She leaned in while he rubbed her back and even took a cookie from his hand (once she managed to find it : ) It certainly seemed like a nice way for him to start his day. One the way out the, girl at the desk shared that she has a boston terrier and of course we had to stop and chit chat about how once you have one you'll always have one.....
Our second stop was another nursing home to visit another music therapy client. Again, we stopped to see home residents along the way. Again, he was a happy camper to pet Tink and to receive a kiss from her as we we left. I also visited his room mate (as we saw him in the hall way) and managed to get a smile and a few rough pets on Tink's head from a generally rather grumpy man : )
At 11, we were on our way to Pawsabilities 2008, an event to help support the Susquehanna Service Dogs. Can i tell you how awesome she was? She walked through the entire farm show complex like she owned the place. Confident and collected, she never snapped at any dog that came into her space and in fact at times went looking for the dog that was in her space originally like "where'd you go? Let's have a talk" kind of thing. We met Chloe, Kristen and Kirk from the WOOF! board on our way in. Chloe is so stinkin adorable and Tink enjoyed her company! Tink also appropriately greeted Lilo and Odie, Tiffany and Ron's 2 BT's.
We walked in and since we were 1 of the first 500 we received a free planet dog 5' lead which is awesome!! We wandered around and saw some people I knew from work. We attended once program on the use of animal assisted interventions for individuals with Autism, by Merope Pavlides. Again, one of my kiddo's and his mom were directly involved with the author of the book, he was on the cover with his service dog. It was a nice overview of the potential of using animals with children with autism.
Tiink and I saw lots of other BT's and had several people come up and ask me where I got my BT. So of course I shared, Tink was from Georgia, but quickly informed them about NEBTR and how we have lots of great dogs that could use great homes. Some people even wrote that down : ) Tink did piddle on the floor once but i blame the two, 4 1/2 month old BT puppies who had pooped nearby. She obviously smelled the poop and thought we were on concrete outside... yah, that's it : )
Tink played the poor pathetic dog at very opportune times, getting many treats and pats. She even tried to nest on the massage lady's dog bed area! At that point she was pretty much telling me she was done, dog tired. So we walked out and got into the car where she was out cold in less than 30 seconds, snoring away with her little eye closed tightly.
Back view of Tink warming up in her blankie : )
We did make one more stop at petsmart- she wasn't too happy as I disturbed her nap, but we needed some more cookies and a can of wet dog food (and Blue is the only kind i'll buy there!) We still had some gift card $ left and we were going right by the exit. She was very grateful for the newman peanut butter treats later on let me tell you!
So after we came home, Tink settled in the back and Tink and I started our car finding adventure. Sigh, we're learning more about cars and car salesman than I ever thought possible. We think the insurance company is going to total nick's truck this week (he was rear ended in an ice storm a few weeks ago--He is completely fine, even his pinky. While the truck is still drivable, the body damage would cost just as much to fix as the truck is worth.) We need a reliable car quickly. We're really looking for a 4 door, manual Honda Civic with less than 100,000 miles. We're also considering similar toyotas, possibly scion if we could find one in our price range or an acura. Maybe a ford focus, possibly another VW jetta...If you know of anything, please let us know : ) And when we got back later that evening tink was still sound asleep on her bed... poor girl was plum worn out!
So that was our busy but very nice Saturday!
What a happy guy! Gus is about 5 years old and we're guessing he weighs 30-35lbs. He's a stocky more bully type BT. I picked him up in Paradise saturday morning from Laura and her crew. I turned the corner around the van and there he was sitting with a friend. He was Jumping and happy and giving kisses to each new person he met. I was pleasantly surprised! We took him back to Tiff's place and immediately threw him in the tub for a bath. He jumped out at first, but once he realized it was water and warm he placed his big butt right under the faucet and kept it there! He had a great coat and teeth, his nails aren't terrible and he smelled so much better when we were done.
Tink always seems to know a "rescue" as she let Gracey sniff her and get into her space as long as she wanted to without snipping or warning her. 
