Brodie isn’t the most well behaved Labrador, and I do complain, oh how I complain about his behavior. He isn’t the devil all the time. He doesn’t deserve coal or anything that extreme. But getting your dog a Christmas present is akin to getting yourself a present. Brodie doesn’t know what day of the year it is. He will find it peculiar that both Mark and I are home in the middle of the week – together! But his routine on Thursday will be the same – a long walk (I don’t run on Thursdays, so we walk instead), followed by breakfast of kibble, and then a nap. When Mark starts to get dinner together that night Brodie will follow us outside to the grill and expect that one of us play fetch with him until it’s his dinner time, same kibble with rice & green beans, then an evening nap for him.
He will be so startled when we pack up on Friday morning to head to his favorite place. No, not the houseboat. I guess that makes this his second favorite place then, Carmel. He loves the beach, the ocean, staying in a hotel, exploring the dog friendly town – all the shop owners welcome dogs, have treats, etc. He loves, loves, loves it. When we drive into Monterey on Highway 1 and the salt from the ocean wafts through the car, he will sit up, awakened from his Friday morning nap and his cellular memory will kick in. When Brodie was very little I worked in Carmel and he frequently traveled with me. We rented a house and he could play and be ‘at home’ but every day included a trip to the beach. He knows when he smells the ocean he is close to the beach and soon he will be playing, swimming, smelling other dogs, and joyous.
We didn’t decide to go to Carmel the day after Christmas for Brodie, or maybe we did! We want to go for ourselves, to enjoy the beach, meditate near the ocean, have great foodie experiences, and bring our Labrador extreme joy! Everyone wins – that is the Christmas we are giving to ourselves and Brodie Brown. Merry Christmas everyone – and I will be sure to post some pictures of Brodie completely unaware it is Christmas Day and then the day after enjoying Carmel.
brandinarvaez
Living with a Labrador 