Oliver

We played with Oliver today, a wire-haired pointing griffon who wore Lobo out.  He's a beautiful dog with grey and black markings and a proud head, and he was sporting a cool, clean summer do for the briefest of moments before he and Lobo found adventure in the many puddles around both the South and North legs of the Acadia Dog Park (known as Southland to most of us).

Lobo meets new dogs with enthusiasm.  A bounce of 'hello' beside them.  A tail wag and a sniff.  And if he deems them worthy, he might play for a bit before raising his head to the wind and sauntering off in a more interesting direction.  Oliver, however, captured Lobo's attention for a good two hours.  They boxed, they ran, they shared a common love for certain smells.  They used their precious exercise time well.

For the most part, Oliver was never at a loss for conversation, what with his constant stream of plaintive yelps to keep the fun alive.  And while Lobo is usually immune to this type of chatter, he listened politely and seemed willing to have a vigorous go with his new friend as long as they stopped periodically to catch their breath.

Oliver is just over a year old.  His Mom and Dad knew exactly what they wanted when they decided, after 25 years of relative doglessness, to search for the perfect pet.  In his research Dad discovered breeders in California and Quebec.  They made the three-day drive west to bring their new puppy home (I'd have gone that way, too, with a little Disneyland detour), a day before his eight-week birthday.

However, the dog that had been set aside for them was not the dog they'd envisioned.  After such a long trek, they must have been disappointed to discover that they might have to turn back empty-handed.  But the breeder brought another pick of her 21 Griffons into the yard to meet the couple, and this one, walking proudly, head up, eager to meet them, was the Oliver they'd been looking for.

I know nothing of what makes a dog special to his breed.  All I know is what makes Lobo special to me.  And I could tell by the way Mom talked about him that Oliver was more than his lines and coat and what-have-you to her.  He could be a perfect example of Griffon-ness, but he's also personality and love, and that's why he's living in Calgary, and why Mom dropped a day of work from her regular schedule to add a day of play to Oliver's regime.

It's fabulous - isn't it? - what great lengths (literally) we'll go to to be with our pets.