Waxing Philosophical

With me posting less and less, it seems like Pappy's Blog is dying the death of a thousand tiny cuts. The one assurance I can provide is that I give every bit as much attention to Pappy as ever, maybe a bit more since I spend less time pounding away on a keyboard. We go to the dog park every weekend morning, and you have to pry me out of the house if Pappy doesn't get to come along. Sick.

So here's the question... how has Pappy changed since two years ago when this blog started? One change is that he has figured out the whole ball retrieving thing, but that came pretty early on. Another is that he's packed on a few lbs-- we went to the vet last week, and they said he is now tipping the scales at a robust, Schwarzeneggerian 41.2 pounds, up two and a half pounds from last year ("perfect" said the vet). Shortly after we got him when we raced him to the vet because his eyes were red (eek!), I think his weight had fallen from 31 to a puny 29.5 pounds.

But the biggest way he has changed is that he truly appreciates being petted. Before he was always anxious to be around us, and getting petted seemed like the price he paid for being close at hand-- it was like he could take it or leave it. He's still a bit aloof, but now, when he's in the mood, he clearly relishes a good massage. And it still seems special when he comes up, gives me a poke on the elbow, and sits down next to me for a little head rub.