Tuesday, June 7, 2011

"Load Up, Brown Dog"

Brody's our dog.  He's three now..a chocolate lab that sometimes chases his tail, the squirrel on the fence and anything we throw past him. You would think that since he's a labrador retriever, he'd bring those balls, sticks and (the occasional) pinecone back to us so we could fling it past him again and again.  But Brody loves to go get it... he just won't bring it back to us. Sure, he comes running back at full speed, so proud that he's got whatever we threw to him in his mouth, but give it up? No sir. 

But despite Big Brown's lack of retrieving skills (or our lack of teaching him), he's turned out to be a darn good dog.  He's a great traveler, and in his three years , Brody's gone on the road with us whenever we've been able to load him up in the truck.  In Ireland, "Brody" means "from the muddy place", and little did I know that when we brought him home, he would do his best to find and tromp through any mud everywhere he goes. During the rainy season, which has gone on and on, I see him from the kitchen window trotting to the back door after roaming our small hillside... mud caked on his big old paws.  With all the rain we've had this year, here and in our mountain cabin, I taught Big Brown (just as I did my children on entering the house) to wipe his feet.  Yes, he does. On command, before as I open the door, I say "wipe your feet"...he turns in a circle on the outside mat, then comes in, turns another circle and waits patiently for his favorite treat in the world, an apple. Not bad for a dog, I'd say. 

Some in our family call him a "kitchen dog". Hey, he's a lab. He knows where the goods are. He'll hang out with me as I cook and bake, hoping for a morsel to fall from grace.  If he's lucky enough, I keep him busy as I tell him, "get it!" 

I thought I'd feature our dog because not only is he a good dog, but he's also a good lookin' boy, and since I write about our traveling adventures, I thought he deserved some notice. So here he is in some old and new adventures.  Our good dog Brody.


Official name?  Sonic's Red Brody 












Lover of water and balls






...and did I mention running and running and running....












How's that for "expressive"? 





Running in snow gets him good and tired
A favorite frisbee he claimed in the lake
Snow dog
    






"Oh boy, another adventure"!!



4 comments:

  1. This is such a WONDERFUL post. I love seeing Brody run in the snow, and I bet it does wear him out. He is a beautiful dog. I may of not gave him the attention he needed when I visited you. We will talk about it when you arrive. I just did not know what to do with him. I like dogs, especially labs. Your photographs are beauties, and I hope you take more, Brody is a great subject.

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  2. Ah Janie...When he has visitors, we try to make sure the visitor "invites" him to be petted, instead of demanding it! More than anything we don't want him to be a 95 pound annoyance..(and yes, some folks do get annoyed with big ol' dogs hanging around them). Maybe next year, we'll take him with the 3 of us for our winter cabin trip!

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  3. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love the photos of Brody. I didn't realize that labs weighed that much! We have Oliver, our third dalmatian. He weighs 50 pounds. The other two weighed a little more--a few pounds.

    Have a wonderful time with your sister. We'll be in your area next week for a visit with our son in the bay area.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  4. There are so many wonderful things to see and good things to eat! You must have a visit to the Ferry Building and the wonderful Famers Market there. You will love it. I hear we're having a warm up this week, so be prepared for that!

    Enjoy your time with your son.

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