A Baby, A Black Lab, and a Bloodhound

I have a pan of cinnamon raisin scones in the oven for the next twenty minutes, just enough time to tell you about my exciting Friday night. Katie and Bill went to the movies and I was taking care of little Henry. Added to my responsibilities were Oden the Black Lab and Hayden the Bloodhound. We're dog-sitting Hayden while my son Joe is moving this weekend.

Oden was next door in Katie and Bill's part of the house. Hayden and Henry were with me in my apartment. Suddenly there was a symphony of howling and barking. These dogs wanted to hang out together. I was wary of having two dogs and a baby in my apartment, but it was almost heartbreaking hearing the two dogs long for each other from opposite ends of the house. It was like Romeo and Juliet (or Romeo and Romeo) so I brought Hayden downstairs and these star-crossed canines romped outside under the stars and then came in and collapsed on my floor, snoring soundly after a few minutes. Henry and I played with toy tractors and read books and it eventually turned into a peaceful, quiet evening.

One thing about Bloodhounds. They fling. A shake of a head, the jowels go flying, and suddenly sticky things are flung. It's quite disgusting, actually.

After Katie and Bill got home (and dogs' barking woke a sleeping Henry), it was time to go to bed. I said to Hayden, "Come on buddy, we're going to bed." I made no less than three beds for him on the floor, with every blanket I own. Nope, not good enough. Suffering since puppyhood with a severe case of separation anxiety (that has previously sent him through a 2nd story window and, another time, off a 2nd story deck) I know that Hayden can't be exiled from human contact. He was missing Joe, playing detective, dog sniffing every door and window. He finally stopped whining and flopped himself down on the floor next to my bed. Minutes later he was up on my bed (which I covered with a sheet just in case) and he turned himself clockwise, counter-clockwise, and clockwise again and settled himself in a circle, his butt in my face. He relocated himself a number of times throughout the night. I woke at different times to find him across my legs, or with his paw on my shoulder, and the last time sleeping half on and half off my bed.

He's whining now to go play with Oden, and the timer indicates my scones are done. So that means that blogging, for today, is too.

Poster from movie Adventures in Babysitting