My weekend with Riley

Today I am sad.

Yesterday my youngest daughter left for her study abroad program in Prague. Considering her volatile mood swings, her propensity for leaving dirty dishes in the sink and her terrible whistling,  this is not the source of my gloominess.

You see yesterday, we also said goodbye to Riley.
Who?

Well, our friends had to fly to Phoenix for a weekend funeral. Their normal dogsitter was unavailable. So we volunteered to help by taking Riley, a 10 year old Aussie Shepherd, for a few days. It was love at first slobber.

Since our dog passed last June, the house has been lacking any canine presence. And it isn't until there's a dog in the house that you begin to realize how they fill a home. It's a little uncanny.

Especially with an Aussie hound like Riley, who immediately identified me as the alpha male in the house and then behaved accordingly.

I went to get a cup of coffee, Riley was there.

I went to watch some basketball, Riley was there.

I went to the bathroom, Riley was there. OK, well parked outside the door waiting with baited breath for me to finish my business.

I had his undivided attention the entire weekend. It's as if Riley saw me as some fat, swarthy sheep that needed to constant herding before being led off to the slaughterhouse to yield 210 lbs. of perfectly marbled lamb chops.

(Homer Simpson voice: Mmmmm, unprocessed lamb chops.)

To wit:

Today, I am sad.
Tomorrow, I am working.
And the day after that. and the day after that.
This weekend, it may be time for a trip to the rescue.