Hmm…should I eat my dinner OR should I play with my cool toy…decisions, decisions….

Riley spent Thursday playing at doggie day care and came home exhausted. At best, Riley is a picky eater who can go two days turning his nose up at the gourmet meals I fix him. The plate you see has baked chicken, cheese, carrots, chopped cauliflower and oh yeah, some premium dog food. That day he turned his nose up at it. After a while, I refrigerated it.

Of course, usuallly around 1 a.m. I hear him walking around with his plate in his mouth, wanting me to feed him. Ha!

(Ok, sure, I’ve done it. Gotten up at midnight and prepared his food. Something I don’t want the dog trainer to know.)

But Thursday night after his play day, he gobbled his entire dinner, then curled up in his red airline travel kennel and slept til morning.

I love the kennel staff and enjoy bringing them treats. So that day I delivered pastries around 10 a.m. “You spoil us!” said the receptionist. Well, they treat our dog so well!

Riley spent a lot of time at the kennel when I was working–for almost two years, Now, not so much and they tell me all the time that they they miss him. He’s a favorite.

This week, the place was agog with talk of Riley’s new pack. I think we might have the biggest pack of pets that board there, and therefore their biggest revenue-producing family. .. they can’t wait to meet everyone.

For every vacation, here’s the boarding scenario:

Riley has his own kennel there.
Puddin, the chow, also boards in her own kennel.
Little He and the aging Tinker share a kennel.
The cats, Rufus and Gig, will have separate but connecting kennels: kitty condos with three levels and perches.

So Thursday, one of the kennel guys says: “I hear you’re bringing a big gang, who runs it, Riley?”

I assented. He replied “Yeah, I figured. He runs things here, too.”

The boss.

But I can’t wait to meet all the step-pets and get my hands on them. I’ve missed having cats.

I guess I thought having a small dog would be like having a cat.

I was wrong.