So ‘splain to me why I can’t stay at the picnic? Source citarikennels.com
Long-time readers think I am a cat person. Really, I am an animal person. I would have pet chickens (and had them in my past) if it wasn’t frowned upon in my neighborhood.
I had a horse too. Lots of work.
And canaries. Beautiful singers. However, they didn’t get along with the cats.
But my very first pet was a dog. He was a small-sized terrier mix. As I remember, he was very hyper so he may have been similar to a Jack Russel terrier. But this post isn’t about my pets. Just to note that I love them all.
When the beloved husband lived at his house (before he was the beloved husband and just Mr. Wonderful) he had a large yard. Being the opportunist I am, I moved my reunion to his back yard.
There were 30 people having a great time. There was beer, music, food — the works! There were several games going on including a very active game of badminton.
Out of nowhere came a flash who jumped up; grabbed the badminton bird midair; and ran around the yard. Clearly this was a very skillful professional badminton puppy.
Soon there was a stranger (the puppy owner) running around the yard too. It was pretty hysterical. We caught the puppy who was the most adorable springer spaniel ever. After some discussion (with the puppy) he finally relinquished the bird but not without much angst.
He was not happy to leave the picnic and we offered to include him (there was no shortage of dog admirers) but the owner did not think that was a good idea.
Our reunions are never dull and we are very inclusive. He was one of my favorite intruders!
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
Im a push over with any animal too Kate your reunion sound fun. I can’t look a dog in the eye if they are begging for food they usually win.
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They ALWAYS win with me! I have SUCKER tattooed on my forehead.
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Puppy’s make the best athletes.
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At least they are happy with very little pay!
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And even better, they do it all for the love of sport.
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and you never see them in the news doing bad stuff!
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And they don’t need an agent! 😀
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What a grand reunion that must have been Kate. I wish I were there. But I would have cuddled with the kitties too if they would let me.
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The pup was the hit of the reunion for sure! I am a pushover for any pet. Almost any pet. No a big snake fan and one of my friend’s son had a pet snake.
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Kate … I’ve also had a variety of pets: dogs, cats, a bat (When I was a kid, I traded a gum and nickle for it. It disappeared from the cigar box I put it in in our garage. I suspect Dad released it. 😉 I also have had bunnies and other wild critters.
I would have welcomed that cute little intruder, too. S/he sounds like a lot of fun.
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You win! I never had a bat and hopefully your Dad released it! I didn’t have bunnies either. I was a deprived child!
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A former neighbor found the 3 bunnies and gave them to us because we lived in the country. (I’m assuming they were orphaned.) One escaped when I took it outside in a big box. (Unfortunately, a neighbor’s beagle caught it about a week later. End of bunny.) The other two were released to the woods where I hope they had a long and happy life.
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Let’s hope so. Baby bunnies are sweet little things even when they are nibbling on my bedding plants. Bless em.
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We’re dog people too, Kate.
They’re awesome, aren’t they?
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They are. I would have one (or two) if I didn’t have 3 cats (unwilling to share) and a husband who (while loving dogs) doesn’t think we should.
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My friend had a Springer that mistook for an ottoman. Her name was Lady and was “loved” a little too much. Puppy intruders are so much better than anything I can think of!
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Yes, they are so much better than most invited guests!
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I am definitely an animal lover as well. I would love to have chickens and if I could live on a farm, i would! Over my lifetime I’ve had many more cats than dogs, and both have personalities that win my heart, just for very different reasons. This was a great story! I think you can tell a lot about people by the way they respond to animals, especially when the animals display some mischief! Fun times!
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I have a bias against people who don’t like animals. Not allergic people or people who have other reasons not to have pets but people who truly don’t like or respect animals. Over the years my intuition has been reinforced over and over again. Perhaps it’s empathy they are missing or maybe something more basic.
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I love your posts!
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Awww, thanks!
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Did you trade the birdie for a burger?
I would have laughed so hard. We live across the street from a middle school, and there are soccer games every weekend. We have a labrador mix who loves everyone and everything, especially balls and kids. His favorite game is stealing a ball and having kids chase him.
If it weren’t for potential lawsuits, we would totally set up a camera and let him “escape” into the soccer field. He’s got some moves. It would be fabulous TV.
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That would make his day. Dogs like making humans run!
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I know the doggie isn’t a basset but still reminds me so much of Carmela…same coloring, those eyes. Oh my. Sweet piece Kate 🙂
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She was a great puppy. The race with the badminton birdie lasted at least 15-20 minutes with one puppy and 10 people. Wish I would have had a cell phone to take a video. That puppy had everyone going. Those sweet eyes work for all dogs.
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Bless his heart, the little bird thief. He just wanted to be part of the action!
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He wanted to play so badly! We would have all loved him but the owner (who was very nice) was afraid it would encourage her to go outside her yard.
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Great story. Our last dog was a springer. They are so sweet!
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My niece had springer spaniels as hunting dogs. They were wonderful.
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Wonderful story. I took badminton in college as one of my required PE classes. It was so much fun… who’d of thought?
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So much more fun than parallel bars or those damn horses you had to spring over!
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You’re not going to believe what happened to me this morning, Kate. As I’m driving down a busy, dark, city street, out of no where, a tiny weenie puppy (like your picture) appeared in front of my car. I slammed on the breaks and swerved…not the smartest thing to do, as I didn’t know if anyone was around. I think I actually drove over top of him. I looked in my rear view mirror and the little guy was still trucking toward the median.
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Oh my! I wonder if he was lost or had gotten out of a house. Hope someone rescues him!
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Me too! If I wasn’t in the “hood,” I might have stopped.
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Let’s hope someone did…like maybe the owner?
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I used to treat myself to a particular cheese for Christmas. The GSD pinched it but left me the crackers!
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That dog had good taste. I don’t like crackers either. Their only purpose is to scoop things up.
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Cute scoundrel, Kate! I spent Christmas with a friend’s family a few years back. They had a giant black lab, Toby. We were eating appetizers, which were arranged on the coffee table. In a split second Toby leaned in and put a whole rectangular block of cheese in his mouth and took off. The guests were amused, the owner not as much. 🙂
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The whole block? Perhaps he didn’t know he was supposed to slice off a piece! I did have a cat that stole a pork chop. I was a child. My mother found no humor in that incident.
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The whole block! I wasn’t around once he digested and had to poop, thank goodness.
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He must have been in doggy heaven.
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