January | 2009 | Dogs for Defense K-9

My mom always hogs the computer, especially since she’s gotten a new laptop for Christmas that actually works the way it’s supposed to, and so my poor little German Shepherd self doesn’t even get to blog. And to think that this is actually my blog, it even says so right in the title!

But now that mom’s in the kitchen making herself a late-night snack, I’ve snuck down here and I’m going to tell you guys what we did over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Y’see, mom and dad had almost a whole two weeks off of work, so we did lots of stuff on days the weather was nice, and snuggled up on the couch on days the weather was nasty. You guys already know what we did Christmas Eve and heard about our hike on the Yorktown Battlefield the day after, but you don’t know that we went back to Williamsburg and then went to the Scottish Walk for New Year’s Eve.

I like going to Williamsburg with Mom and Dad. It’s not a long drive for us since we live just across the river and down the road, and it’s always fun to go and see the shops and all the people. And there are always lots of doggies. And even really big doggies that mom calles “horsies”, whatever that means. They’re just real big doggies to me.

The weather was really nice the day we went to Williamsburg and there were lots of people to see and smell. Before we headed down into the old colonial town, we went to the new dog boutique in Market Square, Mrs. Bones Bowtique, which is inside a little shopping center that also has the tie shop dad likes.

The dog boutique had lots of interesting things and smells. Mom liked the many different collars. Dad sprayed me with the test bottle of doggy cologne – yuck! Mom didn’t like it, either. They didn’t have any German Shepherd posters or things, only a Shepherd Christmas ornament. I was disappointed. Mom liked the horseblanket-style dog coats they have.

Then we headed down into Colonial Williamsburg.

I wasn’t wearing my boots this time because we were staying just on the main road and I didn’t have to worry about cutting my paws on the crushed oyster shells they use on some of the roads. It’s a good thing I wasn’t wearing the boots, too, because last time we couldn’t walk five feet because people kept stopping us to look at my boots and ask about them. It got a bit annoying after awhile.

This time, we saw oxen on the main street. Those were neat. I’m not exactly sure what they are, but I’m pretty sure they’re not dogs. They seemed very bored. All the tourists were taking photos of them just standing there.

We also saw horsies and all shapes and sizes of people.

Mom and Dad went to see some of the shops on the main street that were open. Some of the ones that weren’t very busy let me come inside when Dad asked for me, and that was fun. I got to sniff all sorts of interesting things. But some of the stores were really busy or have things that are easy to break, so I had to wait outside.

Dad made me wait outside this shop while he went inside and Mom was taking photos of horse carriages going down the road. Dad wrapped my leash around the banister on the porch and I waited quietly like the good girl that I am. Mom caught some folks getting a pat in as they came out the store. They’re lucky I’m such a sweet girl! Mom says people shouldn’t pet dogs they don’t know, especially without asking their owners, because not all dogs are as sweet as I am.

In front of another store, Dad lied to me and told me that the boxes and barrels were agility obstacles and that, if I was a good girl, I’d show off some of my agility moves and get on the really high box. Here I am sitting on the box. I had no idea that these weren’t really obstacles at all, but just stuff that is part of the decoration for colonial Williamsburg! I have been tricked! (Mom says that’s getting even for the time I tricked her at the back door!)

Then we went up the rest of the street to the gunsmith’s shop where we usually turn around before going back the other way. There was a lady in Colonial clothing sitting on the bench in front of the gunsmith’s shop whose job is to make sure everyone going in has purchased a ticket since that’s part of the display workshops. She liked me very much and wanted to say hello.

Then another lady, a tourist, saw me and wanted to say hello, too. She said she had a German Shepherd at home, but her Shepherd isn’t friendly at all with people, but she was missing him and wanted to pet a Shepherd. I leaned into her for scritching and we had a nice time. I always like to stop for petting!

On the way back, Dad thought it would be funny to put me into the stocks! Me! The most well-behaved, law-abiding doggy out there. Can you believe it! I wasn’t going to stick my head and paws in willingly, though!

So, all in all, that was a pretty fun day!

Just a couple of days later, Mom and Dad got dressed up real warm, put my dog blanket on me, and put me in the car. Yay … going for rides is my favorite thing in the whole wide world, and I always know that we’re going somewhere when Mom and Dad get dressed and hold up my leash. Oh boy oh boy oh boy. I like to jump up and down and tell them to hurry up already!

This time we went to Old Towne Portsmouth, which is down by the water, and it was very cold and super windy. Mom thought it was funny that I would fold my ears all the way back and push my nose into the wind as we were walking. It really was very windy!

Because Dad got us there way too early, him and Mom went to see what we could do before the Scottish Walk started, and they went over to the Bier Garden, which is a German restaurant. The restaurant lady saw us from the kitchen and said, “What a nice dog that is!” and then she was really happy when we came in for a bite to eat.

Now, just so you know, doggies are not allowed inside restraurants for health code reasons. The only doggies that get to go into restaurants are service doggies who help their special humans do all the things that regular humans can do without doggies. But the Bier Garden is a special restaurant – they have outside seats on the patio, even in winter. Their outside seats have tent walls that are made from plastic and heaters, and doggies are allowed to sit out there with their people because it’s outside.

I was a very good doggy “inside” the restaurant. Dad had a beer with sausage and fries and I got to eat a whole bunch of his sausage and some of the French fries. And a nice waiter brought me a stainless steel bowl with freash water, just for me! It was very nice.

That’s me shmoozing up to Mom to see if there are any more French fries for me.

After Mom and Dad got done eating, we headed out to the assembly area for the Scottish Walk where we ran into some people who’d just eaten a few tables down from us, and some of our friends from reenacting, too! We met Mike and Jeff, and Jeff’s wife and Jeff’s boss. Mike and Jeff were marching in the parade in their kilts. I don’t know how they did it, I would’ve been cold with bare pink legs. I’m glad I have a fur coat and I had my wool patch blanket on, too!

There were tons of other doggies! And here I thought the Scottish Walk was for people, but really, it was for dogs. Well, that figures – it’s a walk, after all! I met some Scotties and Springer Spaniels, a black-and-white Sheltie, and an Aussie, and a Golden, and all sorts of other doggies. And nobody minded that I’m German and not Scottish, of course!

We stood in the cold for what seemed to be a very long time and people came over to pet me and talk to Mom and Dad. Dad met someone who had a Land Rover that he liked very much and they started talking. And then the parade finally started and we all walked in in behind the bag pipes, down the road, and down to the harbor.

There was a big ceremony at the harbor where we sang songs (Mom said I wasn’t supposed to bark along like I did with the Fifes & Drums in Yorktown) and then they had a gun salute. The gun salute scared a lot of the doggies. But I didn’t care because I’m used to guns. And there were also speeches and a really old flag.

And then these little girls and their Daddy came to pet me and talk to Mom and Dad about German Shepherds because they really want one of me. Dad let them hold my leash and pose for a photo with me. They were very nice.

When all the singing and speeches were over, someone at the microphone said that everyone should go to the pubs down the street or to Skipjack’s on the harbor for more music and food.

Mom, Dad, and I went to Skipjack’s, which is a Nautical store that has all sorts of interesting things that were salvaged from ships, such as bells and bumpers. There were some people in front of us with little doggies, so we figured it would be okay to come in there with me, and it was. Everyone liked me. They had free hot cider and shortcakes and cookies at the store, and I got to share some shortcakes. I was really interested in the rope bumpers that came off old ships. Those smelled real good!

After Skipjack’s, we went back to the Bier Garden and had a real German dinner. It was so much busier than it had been at lunchtime, but we got the same table we’d been sitting on before. There were lots of people at the tables next to us now, though, so mom told me to stay next to her chair (she sat in the corner where Dad sat at lunch, so I would have some space), and I curled up and went to sleep while Mom and Dad ate. Most of the people didn’t even know I was there until we were leaving and commented on what a good doggy I was!