Sweet Cheeks

So, Fred was ridiculously adorable today. Of course, he was adorable in the way that it was impossible to leave him to go fetch the camera. He isn't normally in your face about getting attention. Not like Homer! Okay, that might not be true, it's just that Fred is more subtle about it. Today we had two moments where I just melted in his cuteness.

First, he took a "frogger" turn on the sofa. Lately, we have had a fair number of doggie pillows and doggie fleece on the sofa. I tend to keep the house just warm enough, which is better for the environment and my pocketbook! Fred, Homer and Atticus have all learned to love their fleece. But they can, on occasion, be rambunctious boys, and their rough-housing around the house can cause the pillows and fleece to fall to the floor. This gave Fred the chance to do a full-on stretch: he stretched so that his back legs were flat on the cushion, stretched out behind him, like a frog. And he was really stretched out, almost enough to reach from arm to arm on a substantial sofa. If the sofa wasn't there he would have looked like he was flying (which he has done before):


So, I had to decide, should I go over there and kiss those little butt cheeks or fetch the camera? The cheeks won, hands down.

Later, as the pre-dinner (for dogs, around 3:30pm) walk approached, Fred came over and looked at me and started "dancing". This is when he just gets all excited, usually about going O-U-T-S-I-D-E. If, when he's doing this, you lightly rub his back, near his tail, he will "dance" even faster, tapping his paws on the floor. It's so cute. But this time, I encouraged him to jump up on my lap (hey, there were no other dogs around!) and once he was up, he was right in my face. Fred, as many of you know, has mesmerizing eyes. And he was SO happy, getting all of the attention. He petted my face and head several times. And then he started rolling around in my arms. He likes to be face-to-face, but he's also a bit of a hedonist and knows that when he rolls over he's going to get petting all-over his body. Fred likes to be touched everywhere. Everywhere, I say. He would have layed on his back like that, his head up against the crook of my neck, his neck in the middle of my chest, his butt on my stomach, getting a rub-down, for hours ... except it was so close to mealtime!

This is not a recent shot of Fred, just a favorite one. Just me and my boy on vacation at Manitou Cliff Dwellings near Colorado Springs, CO. Oh, and this was cute: we approached the entrance to the cliff dwelling, which is like a cave, and Fred did not want to go in. It did look dark, I'll admit. But once I shoved his butt into the entryway, he loved, loved, loved exploring in there. It's nice that they allow dogs there. I'm sure, when I finally get to Mesa Verde, that I will have to keep the dogs in the car. Harumph!