By Jamie Rieger

It is always nice to take a bit of a breather, a few days off work with nothing to do but enjoy the lazy dog days of summer.

There was nothing I wanted more than to do exactly that and maybe do a little bit of daytripping and exploring along the way. But, like most plans, there is always something that gets changed and usually at the last minute.

I did get a few things accomplished during my days off. I got a few household projects done that should have been tackled ages ago, had a minor medical issue attended to and that too, should have been taken care of a long time ago, and I have had the sheer pleasure of getting to dog-sit during the overnight hours. Now, this is not a little puppy, but a huge four-year old Alaskan Malamute whose owners are in a transition of moving. What a beautiful, well-behaved and majestic creature this pooch is, too.

I had a few concerns about how he would get along with my two ferrets who are considerably smaller than the dog, but my worries were put to rest when all the three creatures did was a lot of sniffing of each other. Still,  when the dog is around, the ferrets are kept in their cage for their own safety.

On Sunday night, this massive dog laid completely across my living room, nose nestled against the patio doors and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the cool, gentle breeze that was blowing in.

Now, this is exactly what is meant by the dog days of summer; lounging in the  fresh air with not a care in the world, but getting fresh food and water, a walk or two, some play time and the occasional belly rub.

Well, maybe I did not need the belly rub, but the rest of it seems pretty accurate and not far off from how I spent this summer’s staycation. And, instead of finding me with my nose nestled against the patio door, mine was most likely up close and personal with my computer monitor as I got caught up on as many baseball games as I could squeeze in.

Now, as the dog continues with his dog days, mine have come to a close aand it is back to the daily routine and trying to enjoy what is left of the summer.