Hi everyone, it’s me Nina! First I want to say thank you to all of you for welcoming my mom and I to blogville. Especially the lovely comments about how sweet I am {blushing}.
The purpose of this post is to throw my hat in the ring of the prestigious Mango Minster in the Working Stiffs category. At first I thought I might enter into the Too Darn Cute category, but seeing the competition I would be up against I thought I might have a better chance as a working stiff.
My credentials might not be as impressive as Clive or even Bert (who recently retired from his search dog duties), but it takes a lot of work to keep this house safe and running smoothly. I’m not much of an alarm clock as many of my fellow canines often are, but once the day gets started I make sure that the day progresses without missing any regular scheduled event. Mainly these are the parents meals, my meals and my regularly scheduled snacks.
Here is the schedule I like to stick to on a daily basis. After the breakfast routine is completed there is the 10 a.m. peanut butter stuffed kong snack. If this doesn’t happen automatically I usually go tell Dad what time it is and he yells down to Mom to tell her what time it is and she prepares the kong for me. Around Noon, but no later than 1 p.m. the parents must have lunch and I get a Dentastix to chew. If they are getting behind on the schedule I start pacing back and forth between them until they realize it is time to get to it. Mind you I don’t get fed, but there is always food prep assistance and plate licking when the meal is done. At 4 p.m. it is time for my dinner. No matter what is going on (and usually it is an afternoon nap for all of us) I make sure everyone is aware that it is time for my dinner. About an hour later it is time for the parents dinner. Here I do the same pacing routine as earlier at lunch. Once dinner is completed I make sure that the dinner prep dishes have been properly pre-cleaned before they get put in the dishwasher. That is how I keep the meals flowing throughout the day. You might think that would be enough of a job, but there is more to my duties to keep this home running.
Nina Keeping Watch
When I am not directing meal prep I am on guard duty. Our house sits on 5 acres and is about 300 feet from the road so it isn’t often we see traffic up our driveway. If anything comes up the driveway I make sure Mom and Dad know about it. These intruders range from feral neighborhood cats, deer, a leaf blowing across the yard, or any number of dangerous beasts. Most of the time by the time my parents get to the front door to see what all the fuss is about the danger has passed.
Nina Helping Charlie in the Garden
My protection duties also are needed outside as well especially when the weather is nice and my Dad is doing his gardening. As you can see in this video I have to make sure nothing sneaks up on him while he is busy planting and weeding.
But wait there is more! As I previously stated our home is a long way from the road so every day I help my Dad (or Mom, but usually Dad) go get the mail or newspaper. Just like the mail delivery goes on through rain, snow, sleet or hail, so does my retrieval duties as you can see in this picture from yesterday.
Nina and Charlie get the mail
I also like to help Mom when she is working in her sewing room. I am no Dave as my Mom isn’t color blind like his is, but just like protecting Dad when he is working in the yard, I keep Mom safe from anyone trying to sneak up behind her. When that sewing machine gets humming, especially when she is running the embroidery unit, anyone could sneak up behind her and surprise her. I make sure that never happens.
Nina sleeping in sewing room
Um…I know it doesn’t look like I am doing a very good job of protecting her, but I am situated right at the door so nobody could get into the room without getting past me. Of course since I am a senior doggie and my hearing isn’t so good if I am sound asleep I guess Mom is on her own.
Oh yeah, just one more thing to add to my working duties. When Mom gets in bed I am usually laying on her side of the bed at the foot of the bed. Since she is not very tall this is ok since we both fit, but she also likes it because she slips her toes underneath me and I warm up her feet for her.
I am telling you it is no wonder I sleep so well at night. It is hard work to keep this house running and safe. I am honored to be part of this year’s Mango Minster and competing against so many worthy opponents. May the best dog (or cat) win!
Bird Brains & Dog Tales 