Argus
Argus (b. October 1999)
- Certified Search and Rescue Dog – Air Scent (July 31, 2004) – California Rescue Dog Association
Argus as a puppy.
Argus is a perpetual clown. He loves nothing better than to make us laugh. Below are some short vignettes I’ve written over the last few years about our silly boy.
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In The Tub
(First published on my blog in June 2005)
A sure sign of summer in our household is dog “sign” in the bathtub: muddy paw prints, a bit of red fur. When Kip lived in Redding, he had a porcelain tub. Argus discovered that the porcelain stayed cool on hot days. he enjoyed climbing into the tub at night to sleep. (Personally, I think he was also motivated by the wish that the water would magically turn on and create a tub-size swimming pool for him).
Our home in Shingletown lacks the coolness of porcelain. Instead, we have an ugly fiberglass tub. Even still, Argus puts himself to bed in the tub on hot nights; and lately, when I get home from work on sweltering days I discover he has been in there.
On some evenings, Argus disappears from the living room.
“Where’s Argus?” I ask, and Caribou leaps to her feet and races to the bathroom where she noses away the shower curtain to find Argus curled in a ball. He lifts his head and blinks.
“Is it really cooler in there?” I ask him
He lays his head back down and closes his eyes. I guess it is.
*****
Argus and His Towel
(First published on my blog March 2005)
Some things come from our childhood and stay with us all our lives. That’s how Argus feels about his towel. As a puppy, Kip tucked a warm towel into his crate to comfort his; after baths Argus was wrapped in a bi, fluffy bath towel to dry him. And to this day, Argus becomes animated and excited at the sight of a towel. he has one of his own, of course. He likes to wrap it around a a favorite toy, making an individualize soft toy that he clamps between his paws and chews. He likes to thread a towel through the hole in his frisbee so that he can than shake it furiously while holding onto the soft fabric. He rolls onto his back, holding his towel toys between big feet and grunts and growls in mock battle. When the battle is done, he lumps the towel beneath his head and slips into a satisfied sleep.
*****
The Cousins’ Visit
(First Published on my blog in March 2005)
Argus had a difficult weekend. His cousins came for a visit, and the youngest one (a fluffy mix of golden retriever and chow) has a bark that can break glass and an annoying way of standing directly in front of Argus’ face when he does it. Argus gathered up his toys and fled ot a far corner of the yard, leaving Caribou to entertain and discipline Buster.
Argus worries about his toys, especially his towel, when the cousins come. The oldest cousin pays little mind to dog toys, but Buster is devoted to destroying them with his razor sharp juvenile teeth. And Buster knows where they are kept; piled high in a basket inside the house. So Argus lay in the corner of the yard, with the outside toys protected beneath his paws, and worried about the frisbee, and the turtle, and the rope, and his beloved towel; all laying unprotected inside the house.
It was some time before we notice the worry in our boy’s eyes.
“He’s shaking,” Kip said.
We brought him inside where he gathered up his belongings and parked himself next to my leg, trembling. When hours later the cousins left, Argus laid his head on his towel, gave a long sigh and fell into a deep sleep. Peace at last.
Darling little dollie.
He is a darling, Gayla! Thanks for visiting!
Oh the poor baby, worrying about his toys.What a sweetie.
Gail: His toys are his #1 priority (next to getting his ears rubbed!!).
Goldens are the BEST! We lost both our beloved boys this year and it makes me smile to read about your silly little guy. We used to have a golden mix that loved the bathtub too, aren’t they funny?
Ann: I am so sorry you lost both your dogs this year…I know how deeply sad that can be…they are the funniest dogs and love to cuddle too. My friend Katy told me when we got our Golden…first you teach them to come, then you teach them to go away! *laughs* Thanks for stopping by.
I am the proud mom of two furkids myself, Lola (Chihuahua and Border Collie mix) and Sheppy (an ‘everything’ mix – LOL)
Animals have been some of my most trusted companions and friends and I can’t imagine my life without them. Your ‘babies’ are beautiful.
JoAnne: Furkids are the best, aren’t they? Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!!