Raising Romero

June 8, 2011

141 - One Puppy's Trash ...

... could be your treasure! Romero has been helping us with the final preparations for our garage sale this Saturday - stop by if you're in the area. All funds raised will go to Dog Guides Canada in support of Romero.

Black lab Romero is decked out in his green Future Dog Guide jacket and thick red leash, sitting near the front of our open garage. He looks unusually young in this picture, with his head slightly tilted and his wide brown eye staring curiously towards the camera. Behind Romero is a large pile of STUFF stacked on and around a big plastic table. These items have all been sorted and priced for our upcoming garage sale. The pile contains, among other things, a red metal desk chair, a blender and other kitchen supplies, two bags of kids' golf clubs, shoes and boots, a Barbie suitcase, a humidifier, a push lawnmower, boardgames, a small blue bookshelf, and many miscellaneous decorations and office supplies.

June 7, 2011

140 - Long Day At The Office

Black lab Romero is lying on the beige tile floor of my office near the corner of the L shaped wooden desk. In the nook behind him are several translucent green plastic containers filled with puppy jackets. Romero's thick red leash is looped over the back of my empty pinkish-red office chair. There is a brown dog bed at the foot of the chair, but Romero prefers to keep cool on the tile, and to make things difficult for me by lying directly behind the wheels of my chair.

June 6, 2011

139 - Stuffed Kong

Black lab Romero is lying in his open wire crate on a comfy bed of a brown mat covered with a bunched up red blanket. The crate is on the white carpet of my bedroom, and is surrounded by a cloud of black dog hair! Romero is happily working away at a medium-sized black Kong that is stuffed with wet dog food and frozen. Romero's tongue is out, licking the opening of the Kong. His ears are pulled back and his eyes are closed in bliss.

Yum!

June 5, 2011

138 - Outdoor Baseball

On a sunny day, Black lab Romero is lying near the bottom of a grassy hill with a baseball diamond behind him. The baseball game is in progress, and a group of pitchers in blue jerseys can been seen chatting just beyond the short metal fence that surrounds the field. A few spectators are leaning up against the fence watching the game. Romero himself is a very happy baseball fan. He's facing towards the camera, looking slightly down and to the right, with a huge smile on his face and his long front legs stretched out in the grass in front of him. He's wearing his green Future Dog Guide jacket, a blue and grey patterned collar, and a black leather leash.

The Blue Jays were out of town today, so Romero and I headed to a different ball park in Toronto to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League play a double header.

June 4, 2011

137 - Hand Height

Romero has just reached the perfect height - I can pet him without bending down!

Black lab Romero and I are at the top of a mint-green carpeted staircase. I am standing and Romero is sitting on my left side in the heel position. The photo is taken from my chest level looking down at Romero. His blue and gray patterned collar is clipped to a thick red leash that is slung over my shoulder. My left hand is resting on Romero's head - he's just at that perfect height where I don't have to bend down to reach him. Romero is looking up towards my face. He looks rather comical with his big brown eyes rimmed in white and his helicopter ears sticking out from his head. With the angle of the photo, his front paws look tiny and delicate at the end of his long legs, and they are slightly turned out like a ballerina.

June 3, 2011

136 - 7 Months, 54.6 Lbs

Seven month old black lab puppy Romero is sitting on the metal platform of a vet clinic scale, raised about an inch or two from the floor. He is looking forward but with his body facing slightly to the left. He has a gentle face, his dark brown eyes looking pleadingly into the camera. His head is slightly tilted and his right ear rests against his head while his left ear is slightly folded back and sticks out to the side. He is wearing a collar patterned with blue and gray squares. To the right of the picture is a wood-paneled counter, and Romero is now about 3/4 of the height of it. The scale's display is mounted on the wall well above the counter, and it reads 54.6.

June 2, 2011

135 - Garage Sale Prep

Black lab Romero is lying on the floor of our bedroom in front of a very big cardboard box filled with items for our upcoming garage sale. Only Romero's head and shoulders are visible. He is looking slightly off to the side with his silly left ear folded back against his head. The objects in the box are pretty random, but visible is a chair for a doll, a stack of clothes on top of a blue pillow, and a big white stuffed bunny sitting in a small wastebin decorated with pictures of poodle puppies. Behind Romero and the box are two bookshelves filled with books.

We'll be continuing our fundraising for Romero's "scholarship" with a garage sale this month. Romero and I are looking forward to getting this big box of STUFF out of our room.