Long weekend!

Charcoal stayed with us...


He is so huge!


He sits patiently by the screen door, watching the world go by. The screen door opens outwards, and as soon as we open hit, he shoves his head outside. So we have to be careful not to slam it behind us or else we'll smack his schnozz!


Goober Linden looking cute and gooberdy:


The elderly ladies relaxing:


Elderly lady walk update:
It now takes us 50 minutes to walk two miles. Oh well, time to enjoy the scenery! After we take our elderly lady stroll, Starbuck and I run another 2-mile loop. :)

Starbuck and I are now also a full-fledged therapy team, and we can set our own schedule to visit our friends at the Denali Center and Pioneer Home. Starbuck lays her head on their laps to be petted. One woman told me, "You must have spent a long time training this dog to do this!" To which I replied, "Yup! Some people just have a gift for training dogs!" :)

After we make our rounds, Starbuck the Roo and I take a short visit to a local park. Fairbanks city parks are quite different from walks in our 'hood. I need to keep a leash handy and pick up all her poop, like the civilized people! I tried to take a photo of her walking into the distance, but as soon as she hears me stop walking, she stops and looks over her shoulder.

"Are you still coming?"


"What're you doing?"


This park has an informational sign on mosquitoes!

Ugh! That drawing of the arm is making me want to scratch my own arms! Ugh!

I have a new charity in my rotation list: K-9 Comfort Dogs of Lutheran Church Charities. I first learned of this team of trained golden-retriever-cuddler-lovers when a group of them were deployed to Sandy Hook after the shooting. Then I saw them show up in Boston after the marathon bombing. Most recently, of course, they showed up in Orlando, visiting memorial gatherings, churches, and the LGBT center where people had gathered. I went to their website to make a donation, and found that the Comfort Dog program is just one arm of a well-organized and effective charitable organization. They do all kinds of disaster response (donating both labor and love, as well as canine love). Anyway, I found that not only can you donate directly via conventional means, but if you donate $35 through this link, they will send you a stuffed comfort dog, and "one additional stuffed LCC K-9 Comfort Dog will be given to someone who is suffering and in need of comfort." And who has nothing fuzzy to cuddle. :((((

RRRRROOOOOOOOoooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!


Whooooooo are these people who don't even have Roo's paw to hoooold? RRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!


SO OF COURSE out flew my credit card, and here he is! My very own golden retriever puppy!


I also noticed that his bandanna is tied hanging over his chest, instead of over his back. I had Starbuck's tied over her back, until another woman with Companions, Inc. advised me to tie it the other way around, since people lovelovelove to pet the ruff of fur on the back of dogs' necks. And she was right! People cannot get enough of Roo's fuzzy shoulders!