Time-Share Dog Addendum

 I realized after I posted that I had completely forgotten two other very important Other Lucy Homes, one because it's so familiar and one because since Eve's BFF Marianna had the nerve to get into a really great drama school in B.C. has become infrequent.

I assume I've mentioned that Lucy's sister from the previous litter lives next door, and is in fact that reason we got Lucy. We used to take them out to play in the front yard a few times a week, but we had a fence in the back yard. Eventually the fence got really broken down, and at some point a board in the side separating Paul and Yvonne's yard from ours fell over completely. The dogs were thrilled - instant doggie door! We were fine with it - Paul and Yvonne are awesome neighbours (awesome like have a glass of wine and end up killing four bottles in the backyard, forget my shoes on their front step at 4 a.m., shovel each other's driveway awesome) and now the dogs could frolic at will.

Then the turbo-charged windstorm came through and knocked down another part of fence, and we decided we couldn't keep ignoring the embarrassing state of it, so we (and by "we" I mean backyard neighbour guy, Matt and Paul) replaced most of it - there's still one section of the back that is missing entirely, filled in by the fence built by the across-the-back-yard-to-the-left neighbours. It doesn't match, and it reveals that we are still, at heart, disordered and messy people, but it keeps things in and out.

Except Riley. Paul and Matt left a door for them because there was no going back.

They come and call on each other, and woe betide the person who tries to ignore the call.

Lucy finagles her way inside Paul and Yvonne's house constantly, even when we're in lockdown.

When we have people over, sometimes we open the sliding door without thinking, and then someone yelps "there's another dog!"

Yvonne dog-sat Lucy when we were going on our yearly camping trip and my parents were unavailable, even though we just missed scheduling her operation before her first heat, and that was a lot to deal with. The first time we had Riley overnight the dogs were very young and we couldn't figure out how to get them to go to sleep because they wouldn't stop playing, but things have calmed down since then.

When we go over for parties, Lucy comes, and the dogs run around and play and beg for snacks all night and are completely exhausted afterwards. 

(The chocolate lab is Riley's older brother Jersey and he is a sweetheart, even though he has a disturbing habit of coming up behind you in the summer when you're sitting down and ramming his cold wet nose into your armpit.

And then there's Di, Marianna's mom - Marianna, best friend since JK Day One.

 

There are some people Lucy just flat-out adores - like her eyes turn into hearts when she's looking at them. Who can blame her, I mean, Di is gorgeous and warm and sweet and generous and literally took my daughter to Greece for three weeks, my eyes kind of turn into hearts when I look at her too.

When Lucy and Riley hang out, Riley harasses Lucy. When Lucy and Piper (Marianna's dog) hang out, Lucy harasses Piper. I guess it's an older dog thing. Di retaliated by getting them matching hideous outfits.

So this one time last summer we're all over lounging on the giant living room couch, and Lucy is at the extreme other end of it from Di, sleeping. She suddenly gets up and clumsily navigates over every single person and cushion to get to Di for some loving.

 

And then Di (a dental hygenist) decides to get her tooth scraper thing and attend to Lucy's teeth, and LUCY LETS HER. 

"I wanted cuddles, not curettage!"

Eve will bring Lucy over for a sleepover, and she plays with Piper for a bit and ends up sleeping with Di. It's adorable. 



There. I think I've covered all of the people we co-parent Lucy with, but my memory is so bad these days that who really knows?