Dog Day Afternoons

It's hard to believe it's already been five months since we moved into our house.

By now, we've gotten to know the area fairly well and discovered its pluses and minuses. For example, on the minus side, there's no great grocery store, and the restaurants leave much to be desired. On the plus side, the library is great and there is a Starbucks within spitting distance of our house. But the thing I love the best is my dog walker, Elisabeth.

Back when we first hired her, I wrote on this blog that I was a little nervous about leaving my little Stella in the care of a stranger, not to mention handing over a key to my home. But except for feeling a little embarrassed when my kitchen is dirty (which it usually is), the arrangement has been wonderful. Stella gets a potty break and playtime during the day, and I get regular updates about Stella's activities and behavior.

What's more, I know Stella really loves this lady. The little pup told me herself, the day I came home early from work and Elisabeth was still there. We made chit chat for a minute, and as soon as Elisabeth left, Stella ran to the door and started whining.

Guess my husband and I don't have to argue anymore over who she loves best. Clearly, her favorite is her babysitter.

The best part is, Elisabeth is totally on my wavelength. Just before the 4th of July, she let me know that Stella had been scared by some fireworks they'd heard on their walk, so the two of them had had a talk about how fireworks sound scary but won't hurt you. After Stella ate a piece of chocolate off the ground when my husband and I took her to a cruise night in the area, Elisabeth gave her a talk about how chocolate is bad for her and that even though rabbit poo isn't a great choice, it's a better one than chocolate if she feels compelled to eat something brown.

I love that she and Stella have these talks. I think it's very important for Stel to have several strong female role models in her life. Which is why I especially loved the report about the conversation the two of them had today.

Elisabeth had written in an e-mail to me that Stella had gotten mad yesterday when Elisabeth wouldn't let her eat a piece of mulch she had picked up. My little dog retaliated by chewing angrily on her leash and shooting dirty looks Elisabeth's way all during their walk. She ended her message by saying she hoped Stella didn't take her frustration out on us when we got home.

I told her not to worry, that I had heard Stella barking at my husband a little, but I assumed that was a dispute over her allowance. Ever since Stella started cleaning up the dead flies around our house, I said, she's been asking for a raise.

Side note: It really grosses me out that Stella eats dead flies. It's bad enough when she eats the live ones, but scavenging is just uncivilized. We are thinking about sending her to charm school.

Elisabeth's reply was priceless.

"She was in a great mood today," she wrote. "I told her I thought Halle Berry had been a fly girl at one time, so she was in good company. Not sure how much Halle got paid for it, but it was worth a shot at an allowance raise."

Indeed.