Dog Walkers Unite! [Open]

[Cecil Wathen]

Cecil had received very little interest regarding the advert he had placed on various bulletin boards around town, but he was doing his best to not be disheartened by that. He knew there were numerous dog owners in Pilot Ridge and with the weather starting to perk up there was a much higher chance some of them at least would be up for a group walk. It was good for everyone; socialisation for the dogs, talking and having company for the humans, and who could resist drinks and snacks in a pub garden in the spring sunshine?

It wasn't a long walk from the pub to the lakeside, and Mephit trotted along happily at Cecil's side as they made their way to the gazebo near the boat marina. Thankfully the weather was in their favour, warm and sunny but with a calm breeze that stopped the air being too warm and stuffy. Perfect weather for sitting outside to enjoy cold drinks and the snacks and delicious treats that were sat waiting in the Churchkey's fridges ready for their return. Hopefully the $2.50 donation wouldn't deter too many people, because it was at least going to a non-kill shelter at the end of the day.

The gazebo was thankfully empty when they arrived, and Cecil let the Kelpie off her lead for a run around while they waited to see who, if anyone, would turn up.

[Damien Tremblay]

Damien had been content to text Cecil to let him know he planned to bring Gypsy and NPH. Josef, he wasn't able to confirm or deny if he was able to come due to his work schedule. As it had worked out, Josef had ended up having to teach classes. Damien had promised to bring NPH out with him and Gypsy anyway, if nothing else to try to tucker NPH out. He was still very much a puppy, always bouncing around Gypsy and chasing Charlie.

Both dogs were leashed on the walk over to the lake, Gypsy heeling nicely and NPH bouncing and pulling at the end of his. He just wanted to go. Damien sighed and gently flexed his hand against the straining puppy. "Relax, Patrick. Seriously." They were still making progress with training, and while Damien had every faith that he would train up nicely, he was still going to have to finish his puppy phase. No amount of training was going to dull NPH's sense of adventure.

As he approached the gazebo, he recognized Cecil and Mephit right away. Grinning, he stooped to let Gypsy off her leash, who made a mad dash to Mephit, wagging and play bowing at her friend. Damien shook his head and jogged the rest of the way. "Hey, Cecil." NPH bounded up to the other man, tail furiously wagging as he pawed his way up his leg. "Hey! Down, Patrick." No, he did not use the dog's name, not even the short form. Especially not in public. Not that NPH actually listened. He continued to paw and wag until he was unclipped from his leash. The lake was safe enough for him to off his leash, and if he got desperate, well... Damien would use that name. The one he came to unfailingly.

The second he was unclipped, he made a beeline for Mephit, making puppy squeal noises as he bowled into her and took hold of her ear. At least he was being socialized? "Do you know if anyone else is coming? Josef wanted to, but he's teaching classes. He might come later." After a beat, he dug in his pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill. "Here's for Patrick and Gypsy, by the way. And Charlie. He pays double because he's a cat." And currently lounging in a sun beam, the lazy thing.

[Idalia Tsavaris]

Ida had seen Cecil’s advertisement and knew that she couldn’t pass it up and she was more than happy to donate the small fee for the benefit of the shelters. Besides, Ike had been doing really well and while she didn’t trust him off the leash she trusted him to behave and it would be nice for him to socialize with other dogs. As Idalia walked with Ike from their home to the lake her eyes flashed and all she saw was a clear and sunny day. She blinked confused when Ike touched her hand with his nose. She smiled at him and patted his head. She couldn’t tell if the vision she just had was for a few minutes into the future, a few hours of a few days. Because today it was bright and sunny out. She sighed and shook her head at Ike who cocked his head at her interested.

She saw Cecil and Mephit as she walked up and Ike’s ears perked, he remembered Mephit and Cecil too. He let out a booming bark and Ida rubbed his head. It was with Cecil’s books and help that she’d gotten Ike trained well now. He was still a handful but she was spending more time with him and they were both exercising and their relationship was stronger. The Great Dane, himself had not stopped growing and he was bigger than the last time she’d seen Cecil. The fawn colored dog came to her hips at his shoulders and when he held his head up all the way he could easily lick her elbow or shoulder. It made keeping treats away from him quite a challenge. But he was out of his teenage stage it seemed and listening well now.

“Hey-ya, Cecil,” she said when she got into range, “How are you?” She asked with a bright smile on her face and she started digging in her pocket for the cash she’d scrounged up for the donation fee. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a sleeveless blouse that allowed her to feel the breeze on her arms. Her hair was down in a dark and wavy tumble, the wind giving it a little more volume than she would have liked but she had a hairband on her wrist in preparation for a crazy hair day. Idalia yelped a bit when Ike caught sight of the other man and the other dogs. She dug her heels in but Ike was still much stronger than her and he wanted to say 'hi'. "No! Ike! Quit!" She snapped and the dog satisfied himself by ramming into Cecil and giving him a good lick and then quickly going to see the other man. "Hello, sorry, he's a monster, but he's sweet. I'm Idalia," she introduced herself and handed a five over to Cecil. Ike's tail beat her leg as she reined him in.

[Russell Sands]

It was too far from his home for Russell to walk his dogs to the lake and so he had driven there, pulling up his Honda Odyssey in the parking lot and getting out for a stretch before going to the back to let the dogs out. Due to the fact that he had no idea who might be turning up, and not wanting to intimidate any potential new acquaintances, Russell had only brought two of the dogs along for this trip. They waited patiently in the car while Russell put their treats, a bottle of water, a spare lead, some granola bars and a couple of tennis balls in his jacket pockets, and then hopped down onto the ground once their leads had been attached to their collars.

Russ was glad the weather was pleasant enough to allow this to happen; his dogs got to socialise often enough at training sessions but it was pretty rare they got to completely relax and unwind around other dogs and people in a non-working situation. They would still be on guard of course, doing their job, but Russ was glad they would (hopefully) get a chance to just run around and be daft with unfamiliar dogs for a change.

Nessie and Mitten trotted along calmly at Russell's left side, Nessie closest to his leg with Mitten on the other side of her, the attention of both of the huge bitches perking as they spotted the other dogs running around on the grass. Russ gave a soft shake down the leads, making sure both of them were still focussing on him, and he smiled brightly as he approached the people gathered by the gazebo. “Morning everyone! Good day for it.” As Russ stopped a short distance away from them Nessie sat down obediently but Mitten's focus was locked on the giant Dane. Russ gave a sharp check down the lead and Mitten sat, her attention coming back to her owner. Apparently he was going to have to keep an extra-close eye on her today.

“Sorry, she's in cuckooland today, it seems. I'm Russell, by the way. Who is it that I give the donation to?”

[Cecil Wathen]

[Sorry for dropping the ball on this a bit, guys. I also forgot to say that it is free order; you don't have to wait until your 'turn' to post if you don't want to. You are also still welcome to join in if you haven't already!]


If nothing else, this would be a great experience for Mephit. Cecil socialised with her as much as time allowed and they often ran into other people and dogs in the park, but it was very rare she got to play with a larger group of dogs and, hopefully, it would help give a bit of new stimulation to the incredibly clever little dog. As Cecil saw Damien approaching he smiled brightly and waved, laughing as Gypsy charged at her playmate, the kelpie barking brightly in greeting and wagging her tail so hard she looked about ready to take off.

“Hey Damien, it's great to see you all! Thanks so much for coming; been having nightmares about being the only one here.” Cecil chuckled and knelt down to fuss the very enthusiastic puppy, ruffling Patrick's ears gently and managing to avoid any playful nips to his fingers. As the pup was unclipped and ran off towards the other dogs, Cecil gave a small shrug. “I don't really know. Had a couple of calls but...” He tapered off, rolling his eyes as Mephit gave a startled yelp as the puppy latched around her ear. It didn't take her long to bat Patrick off and try to roll him over, trying to assert herself without hurting the much smaller cattle dog. “Can you say hi to Josef for me, when you see him? I need to book some more lessons soon.” Cecil smiled as Damien brought out the money, and he took it and put it into a envelope marked with the Strickland Sanctuary logo. “Tell Charlie I said thanks for his generosity.”

A very familiar voice, coupled with a very familiar bark, caused Cecil to turn and his smile was bright as he greeted Idalia. “Ida! Hello! And hello Ike! Wow, I swear he's getting bigger every time I see him.” He laughed as the monstrous Dane barrelled into him, bracing slightly for the impact and rubbing the dog on the shoulder. “I'm doing great thanks, how about you? Is the training coming on okay?” Tucking the proffered five in with the ten from Damien, Cecil continued to fuss Ike until the Dane's attention turned to Damien. “Ah, I don't know if you two know each other. Ida, this is Damien, Gypsy and the little blue ball of trouble is Patrick. Damien, this is Idalia and Ike.”

As Cecil was making the introductions a man he didn't know appeared, but Cecil greeted him with the same bright smile. “Hey Russell! I'm Cecil, and that would be me.” He took the ten off Russell with a soft thanks, eyes casting over the two rather imposing dogs sat beside the man who was much shorter than himself. After getting their names, he introduced Russell, Nessie and Mitten to the rest of the little group.

[Damien Tremblay]

Damien was hoping this would be a good experience for Patrick. Gypsy was already well socialized, and did well with other dogs. NPH... well... they were working on it. Namely to get him to stop bowling into other dogs and biting at their ears, like he usually did. It was slow progress, but eventually he’d get it. ... Hopefully.

“Nah, we wouldn’t have missed this. If nothing else, it’ll make Patrick sleep like the dead.” Mentally, he wanted to groan at the shameful display of attention seeking Patrick put on for Cecil. At least the other man didn’t seem to mind his enthusiasm. Mephit, on the other hand, once he’d gotten hold of her ear, didn’t seem as happy about it. Gypsy barked at the two other dogs, running in circles around them. Upon being rolled over, Patrick made a pitiful yelp noise and ran behind Gypsy, tail tucked as he shook out his coat. Damien just rolled his eyes. He’d learn eventually.

“Yeah, I’ll say hi to him for you, and let him know you’re looking at booking more lessons.” Hopefully that would help Josef plan his next few weeks out if he knew Cecil was looking to book something soon.

He turned at the sound of the bark, smiling at the sight of a huge Great Dane. Staying back as Cecil greeted both the woman and the Dane, he watched the other three dogs race in circles until the Dane turned his attention to him. He patted the dog’s back before offering a friendly smile to the woman as she introduced herself, and Cecil did the rest. “Nice to meet you both. Uh, watch out for Patrick. He’s still in the nipping stages.”

The puppy at least seemed content to hang with Gypsy and Mephit, though as he watched the bigger dogs approach he went racing back to Damien, planting himself behind his daddy’s legs and peering out at the three new dogs. Damien sighed and crouched to rub the puppy’s back gently to reassure him. This was why he was out today, to get him used to other, bigger dogs.

[Idalia Tsavaris]

“You’re telling me!” Ida replied with a laugh, “I keep thinking he has to stop growing at some point, but no.” Idalia tried her best to reign in Ike but luckily he knew Cecil and Cecil knew Ike and knew to prepare for the huge dog’s excited greeting. “I’m doing really well, and well it’s coming,” she patted Ike’s rump, “We’re definitely doing a lot better, he’s no where as good as Mephit, but we’re taking it a step at a time.” She had control of Ike more or less when he was on the leash, but off it he was a loose cannon. They were getting there, he was no longer dragging her along, well sometimes if he got really excited, but otherwise she could control him. She tugged at Ike’s leash but this was one of those exciting moments and he was very interested in meeting all of the people and all of the dogs.

Idalia smiled brightly at the man and continued to apologize for Ike as she tried to reign him in. “Hi, nice to meet you all, too,” she offered her hand for a moment but soon had to use it to hold onto her monster as the puppy, Patrick, she assumed, came racing back. Ike pranced and there were so many new dogs and new people she thought he was going shake himself to pieces. He made a little high pitched noise that was his playful bark. “Sorry,” she said, “He’s harmless I promise.” Ike was pulling at the leash and he loomed over the smaller puppy and stretched his neck down to look at Patrick. Idalia had a tight hold on him, this was precisely why she didn’t let him off the leash, he would be good more or less with the smaller dog, but should something unpredictable happen.

“Good morning,” she greeted the newcomer Russell and gave a bright smile. “I’m Idalia, this is Ike,” she said affectionately scratching his head. Ike pranced again and Ida pulled him back to her side and got him to sit after giving the command a few times. But all was for naught as Ike immediately wanted to say ‘hi’ to Russell and the new dogs. Idalia was starting to get a little nervous, Ike needed some social interaction but she was getting nervous with so many dogs around, she was just going to keep Ike by her side… Well, okay maybe not. Ike pulled at the leash trying to get to the new dogs. “He’s big but he’s gentle,” she told Russell, she felt the need to tell that to most people, Ike was huge and he was intimidating and it didn’t matter if he was a sweetheart if he came barreling after someone. Ike was beside himself, he wanted to say hi to all of the dogs and he wanted to play with Mephit and then there was the puppy. Ike sniffed the dogs Russel had by his side.

Idalia had a tight hold on Ike, she immediately felt the need to look like she knew what she was doing. Ike was big and she was only so strong, she didn’t want to make it look like she couldn’t control him. Ida tugged on the leash and Ike got into play mode and hopped around his lower body comically close to the ground as he play pounced. He was still only a little over a year and as a result still had a whole lot of ‘puppy’ in him. “Easy,” Ida said tightening her hold on the bouncing dog who decided she needed to play too and so hopped up and would have collided his nose with her’s if she wasn’t prepared for these kind of antics. “Thanks for that,” she muttered and scratched his head. Idalia crouched, “Can’t you be good just this once?” She muttered to the dog and got a kiss on the cheek for her efforts. “Thanks,” she said dryly and straightened, but at least Ike sat now at her side his tail thumping audibly on the ground and his ears perked as he looked around at the other dogs and people.

[Russell Sands]

The check down the lead seemed to have done the trick and Mitten sat obediently, her attention still on the Dane but her body relaxing as she realised it wasn’t actually a threat. A deep guttural ‘wuff’ of a greeting left her before she lay down on the cool grass, tail wagging softly. Nessie was by far the more experienced of the pair and had clearly realised that the huge dog was just daft and not going to harm her or her master, and her attention was lazily wandering over the rest of the group as she awaited the next command.

“It’s great to meet you all.” Russell was all smiles as he took in the other people and their dogs, his smile brightening more as he saw the little puppy. “Aww, he’s adorable! Heeler, right?” Nessie spotted the puppy and her attention perked, tail wagging against the grass as she gave a quiet whine of excitement. Her first litter had been weaned and gone to new homes not long ago and seeing the puppy seemed to trigger her instincts, and Russell chuckled as she batted the air playfully in the direction of the pup. Russell gave her ears an affectionate scratch.

The Great Dane was clearly rather boisterous and the woman seemed to be having a little difficulty keeping him reined in, but thankfully it seemed to be just playful and not potentially dangerous. Well, of course any dog could be potentially dangerous, but Russell highly doubted this one would be capable of much. Generally the highly hyperactive and over-friendly ones were the first to run off yelping if tensions got too high. Hopefully that wouldn’t happen today. He smiled back at the woman at the other end of the lead. “Hey, it’s good to meet you both. He’s an awesome looking beast; is it okay if I give him a fuss?” Because it was always polite to make sure it was okay before giving attention to someone elses dog.

Thankfully Mitten and Nessie responded well to the Dane’s advances now they realised he wasn’t a danger. Sure the Dane was taller than the two bitches but they were hardly tiny themselves, standing close to their owners hip in height, and they were built like tanks on legs and looked not at all intimidated by the taller, lanky Dane. Both leaned forward to sniff and greet him, tails wagging and ears perked, and Russell offered his hand for the woman to shake, if she could manage to get one of hers off the lead. “He’s certainly a handful. Have you owned him long?”

Giving Nessie a rub on the top of the head, Russell addressed the little gathering. “Is it okay with everyone if I let them off the lead? They’re both good, I promise. They’re just big.”

[Cecil Wathen]

Cecil held no fear of Mephit’s possible behaviour today. Sure the Kelpie was energetic to the point of hyperactive at times, but she was mostly sensible and listened to instruction and he knew that she was no threat to either people or other dogs. Sure he knew that she could be defensive if threatened, but she was not easily riled and was generally pretty laid back and happy. It was one of the many things he adored about her.

The Welshman was only too happy to indulge the young puppy’s want for attention, rubbing Patrick’s back gently and fussing with his tiny little ears, managing to avoid the tiny little teeth that kept trying to play-bite his hands. “It’ll be good for all of them, I think. And Mephit’s missed her best friend.” He chuckled as Patrick ran off, charging towards where Mephit and Gypsy were playing on the grass. Keeping a close eye on Mephit as she rolled over the over-enthusiastic pup, Cecil relaxed when he saw there was no harm done, save perhaps for Patrick’s wounded pride. The Kelpie quickly went back to playfully barking and trying to get the other two to chase her. Cecil smiled as Damien said that he would let Josef know. “Thanks. I’ve been meaning to call him for about a week now, but you know what it’s like sometimes. Work gets in the way of everything.”

Not that he was really complaining. Outside of work, the only real things he had going on were the sessions with Josef and the time he spent training and playing with the dog. Today would be just as good for him as it was for her.

Cecil held a deep fondness for Ida and Ike; sure they were an odd pairing, but she was friendly and had a great personality and it was difficult to not fall in love with the dopey giant Dane. “Well, he’s not dragging you across the field so I’d say that’s a vast improvement already.” Cecil smiled brightly, scratching the huge dogs back. “Hah, maybe one day he’ll even be an obedience champion.”

At Russell’s question Cecil gave a small shake of his head. The two huge dogs seemed to be under control and friendly enough now they had settled, and he had no doubt that the others were quick enough to avoid them should the worst happen anyway. “Okay with me, but it’s Damien’s call really, because of the puppy.”

[Damien Tremblay]

The dogs really did wonders for Damien's confidence levels. If faced with a group like this without Gypsy around, he would have resorted right to the wallflower act. At least he was friends with Cecil and Mephit, so that helped, but Gypsy was always good at bringing him out of his shell. Thank God, too, being that if it hadn't been for her, he might not have ever spoken to Josef, and they wouldn't be where they were now.

Gypsy seemed thrilled to see her friend again, the high-energy collie racing after Mephit easily. Apparently it was much more fun without pesky little brothers in the way. She barked and twisted around in unpredictable circles after Mephit, tail wagging nonstop. Eventually, NPH would get there. For now, Damien was okay entertaining the fact that he was scared of the fast moving, much bigger dogs. One on one with Gypsy, he was brave, but Mephit had rolled him over. That was enough to scare any little thing off for a bit. Damien was confident he would regain a little pride and go back at it once he'd had a moment to recover.

"Yeah, I know that feeling," he answered Cecil. "Sometimes the law office is quiet, and sometimes it feels like it's exploding." Recently it had hit a happy balance, but that never lasted long before swinging to one extreme or the other. "But I'll let Josef know, so it's on his radar. I know he'll be happy to work with you again." They both liked Cecil, and saw him often enough casually at the Churchkey.

He stayed crouched for a few moments, keeping NPH from shaking out of his skin as the puppy stared up at Ike. "It's okay," he murmured softly, massaging the pup's back. Glancing up from Russel to Cecil, he patted NPH's side before scooping him up in his arms. "It's okay with me. He's got to get used to the big dogs eventually. If he gets too worked up over them, I can always carry him for a while. Gypsy'll be fine, though." At her name, Gypsy glanced over from where she was play bowing at Mephit, tail still going a mile a minute.

[Idalia Tsavaris]

Idalia’s attention was split between her dog and the people around her. She needed to make sure that Ike didn’t do anything stupid. Ida was glad that Ike was one of those playful types, he had never been vicious or even threatening. Well, a few times if someone knocked on the door, but he was all bark and no bite. She had her doubts about a potential break in, chances were Ike would show them right to the pantry. Of course he would be making her look like she was inept though, they were going to have to talk about this. Which would probably be her complaining at him while his tail thumped. He was definitely the one creature she could tell everything. She could rant and rave and swear and be all manner of ‘unladylike’ and he would still love her. It made her wonder why she even needed a man.

Her laughter had Ike’s head turning back to her and he gave his little Dane grin and pranced like a puppy. She patted his side and his tail whipped back and forth and he could barely contain his excitement for all of the people and all of the dogs. “I suppose you’ve got a point,” she told Cecil. The Dane jumped a little when Cecil petted him and he tried to lick the man’s face but seemed to decide halfway through that Ida was a better target and she shoved him down, fully prepared for his kind of antics. “I think he took that as an insult,” she laughed and gave Russell a bright smile. “Thanks, please do! He’s a nutcase and the more he gets tired out the more chances I have of sleeping tonight,” she chuckled and flipped Ike’s ears around making him shake his head and he looked up at her with a ‘why would you do that?!’ expression. Whoever said dogs weren’t expressive clearly had never met a dog.

She kept an eye on Ike and a firm hand on the leash and herself touched Ike’s shoulder and reminded him that she was there and prayed that he wouldn’t do something crazy like try to eat the puppy. Ike sniffed the shaking puppy and decided that the other dogs needed to be identified and Ida let him. “Sorry, he’s precious, how old is he?” She tried to reach a hand out to the small puppy but as soon as she was at eye level with her beast he decided she needed another kiss and she pushed his nose away with a laugh and straightened. She turned back to Russell, and took a risk to take his hand and give it a shake. “Oh man, how long’s it been? He’s a little over a year and I got him probably a little over seven or eight months ago,” she said thinking back. “He’s better now, god a few months ago, when I met Cecil, in fact, he was going through his growth spurt.” She held her hands to give a generalization of size. “He went from this big,” she held her hands about a foot apart then gestured to the dog, “To this big in about a month.”

She was only half exaggerating. He’d only just learned that he was indeed huge. “What about your ladies, how long have you had them?” She looked at the dogs he had at his sides, they were indeed tanks, probably build as heavy if not heavier than Ike was. The Great Dane was having a grand time trying to show off to the two girls. “It’s good with me,” she answered with a bright smile and nodded at Damien. Ike looked up at her his tail wagging. She looked down at him and scratched is ears, she wasn’t sure she could trust him off the leash, she was much more confident in her abilities to control him when he was in hand rather than when he was off running about and could do that thing he did where he pretended he didn’t hear a word she was saying. “I’m really glad you did this, he hasn’t gotten a lot of experience with other dogs, besides Mephit,” she said to no one in particular, “I’m still hoping these good manners will rub off.”

[Russell Sands]

Russell found it a little impressive but mostly shaming that he had lived in Pilot Ridge for much of his life and had never met any of these people. Usually dogs were the gateway to conversations and friendships, but the truth was he never really tended to socialise with other dog owners outside of the Schutzhund training meet-ups, and those were often few and far between. He was an incredibly social person by nature, but it wasn't very often he got the chance to just hang out with other people and their canine companions. So far, he was regretting that. Clearly he would have to find a way to actively make time in the future.

Smiling brightly as Ida confirmed that it was okay for him to greet Ike, Russell gave a the huge dog a rub on the side and somehow managed to keep himself from getting butted by the Dane's excitedly flailing head. Ike certainly was an incredibly impressive monster, and the joy was evident on Russell's face as he fussed the dog while Mitten and Nessie waited patiently laying down on the grass nearby. As Ida somehow managed to get a hand free from the lead for a shake, Russell's grip was gentle and his smile friendly as he gave a nod of his head. “Pleasure to meet you both.”

Listening politely as Ida spoke about her backstory with Ike, Russell smiled and nodded. “Yeah, it's scary how quickly they grow, isn't it? I still find it difficult to believe that Nessie used to like sitting in my shoes when I first got her. Now I think she'd struggle to fit her paw in one.” He laughed softly, giving Ike an affectionate pat on the shoulder. “If he gets much bigger you could probably get a saddle made for him and start riding him to work.” At the question about his own pair, Russell smiled fondly. “I've had Nessie, the tan one, since she was weaned; just coming on five years, near enough. Mitten's just turned one, and I've had her about six months. She was originally just a pet with a family in Detroit, but she's a bit too work-wired; she's much happier now she's got a job to do.”

As everyone confirmed that they were okay with the girls going off-lead, Russell smiled and said thanks before unclipping the leads and tucking them into his jacket pocket. Nessie began to move towards the puppy but Russell said a quick “ey!”, gently touching her back leg with his toe to get her attention back on him. Her head lowered for a moment as she took a step backwards, away from the tiny puppy, and then she began trotting towards the other dogs romping around on the grass, her ears alert and tail wagging merrily. Mitten was still far too interested in the Dane, and she wandered over to him and greeted him with a low 'wuff' and sniffed at his muzzle. “Well, the pack mentality tends to rub off. If one of them goes mad they all go right along with them, but if one or two come home generally you get them all back. Maybe he will pick up a thing or two.”

[Cecil Wathen]

It was very refreshing to see Mephit charging around like a lunatic with her friends. Sure she got to come out and play with other dogs fairly often, but it was often due to chance encounters or the occasional arranged meet-up. It wasn't often that Cecil got to take her out with the sole purpose of letting her run off some of her steam with other canines, but it was definitely something he would be arranging again. In truth it didn't really matter that only a couple of people had shown up. He was comfortable enough financially that he could make up the sum to a pretty nicely sized donation. Today was certainly proving to be worth it so far.

“Yeah, it's the same at the bar. Some nights it'll be dead, and others it's packed wall to wall. I bet it's more annoying at your place, though. It's no doubt harder to juggle case files than it is glasses.” Cecil smiled brightly, giving Patrick another gentle fuss before standing upright again. “Thanks, much appreciated. And you know you're both welcome to stop by any time; I'm sure the dogs would enjoy hanging out in the garden while we have drinks, some time.” The main thing that had sold Cecil about the Churchkey when he had first gone to view it was the small beer garden around the back. It had been overgrown, under-fenced and poorly maintained at the time, but now it boasted green grass, several tables and benches, a tall fence sheltering it from view of the road and a covered and heated smoking area for in winter. Overall he was incredibly proud of it, and it was a very pleasant place to hang out and have a couple of drinks and snacks in summer.

Perhaps soon he would even get a barbecue going out there. Hmmm, that was a thought worth entertaining.

Smiling softly at Ida, Cecil chuckled and gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “Don't mention it. I've been meaning to get something like this going for a while; I'm just glad you could make it. If nothing else, the exercise will tire him out a bit.”

Watching the dogs romping on the grass, especially now that the two strange female dogs were loose, Cecil kept a close eye on Mephit. As Gypsy looked over towards them upon hearing her name, Cecil laughed as Mephit took the opportunity to charge at her and playfully pounce on her side, batting her with a forepaw before bolting off in the other direction again. “I swear, my mutt isn't happy unless she's got an excuse to go at a hundred miles an hour. I sometimes think I got a greyhound wearing a Kelpie costume.”

[Damien Tremblay]

Cecil certainly had that right. Sometimes, when things got almost completely out of hand at the firm, Damien wondered what it would be like to work in a different industry altogether. But the thoughts would pass soon enough when he remembered that, while he still had no ambitions to be an attorney despite having the schooling behind him to do so, he still had an interest in law, and the civil rights cases they handled at the office were worth every hour of overtime he put in. “Yeah, you’ve got me there.” As for the invite, he nodded. “I’ll remind him of that. Maybe try to make a standing date for a Friday or Saturday night.” The thought made him smile. He loved just being with his boyfriend, but going out was special. Especially now they lived together.

Looking up at Ida and Ike, he ruffled Patrick’s ears. “He’s almost seven months old now. He’s actually my boyfriend’s... I kind of went against that whole ‘don’t give pets as gifts’ rule at Christmas. But it worked out well. He likes him.” Even if he’d saddled him with a ridiculous name.

Patrick continued to stare at the much bigger dogs – first Ike, and then Nessie – with his hind legs trembling and his tail tucked. He was quite social, but apparently his bravery ended with the much, much bigger dogs. At least he still liked Mephit, despite the nip. Damien wasn’t looking forward to having to carry him if he continued to be scared, but he’d do it if he had to. Though he wasn’t huge, Patrick had still grown since joining the family in December. Gypsy, on the other hand, barked a playful series of noises before taking chase after Mephit had bopped her. As Nessie approached, she turned on a dime to greet the newcomer, sniffing at her in excitement before bowing down and barking her invite to join playtime. Damien shook his head in amusement. “I think she likes her,” he commented to Russell, nodding his head towards the girls while still keeping a hold on Patrick’s collar to keep him from bolting away.

[Idalia Tsavaris]

As soon as Russell decided to mess with Ike. The dog definitely was enjoying the attention shaking his head as if trying to keep an eye on Russell’s hands. The dog pranced and moved more agilely than a dog his size should before he gave up and gave a bark and practically ramming his head into Russell’s torso. Ida smiled warmly as she watched his face light up with joy. Oh dog people, they were her kind of people. It had to be a quick handshake because Ike was all over the loosened hold. Idalia giggled. “Awe, I can’t believe she used to be so little! Yeah, they’re adorable when they’re babies. I’m just really glad Ike is finally learning that he’s not tiny anymore.” He was big, and he was strong and he couldn’t just step over her like he used to. Now that left bruises. “Now that’s an idea!” she exclaimed with a laugh, “Make you work for a living,” she ruffled the dogs ears.

Idalia nodded along making note and paying attention to what he was saying. He’d had his dogs for a while, well, the one longer. She smiled and looked down at Ike. “Oh, what kind of things do you have her do?” She asked. Her eyes shifted to Cecil as he spoke and she smiled. She was really enjoying these people and their company, hopefully they could make this a more frequent thing. “I might take you up on that,” she commented with a bright smile. Ike would probably enjoy having a little bit of space to run around. Sometimes she felt bad about having to keep him in her apartment but she made sure he got enough exercise, walking him several times a day when she could and letting him run around the lake on her days off.

Nodding her head Ida smoothed her hair and smiled. “I certainly hope so,” she agreed, anything that would tire out her dog would make her happy. It was again another reason she realized she was okay not having children yet. She had a bad feeling she would be one of those mothers that celebrated when her children were finally able to go to school and leave her in peace for a few hours. Her eyes traveled to Damian and she smiled, laughing brightly. “Awe, that’s adorable!” She said scratching Ike’s head absently. That was adorable and she couldn’t help but smile. Ike whined and looked up at her as he watched the rest of them romp around. “No,” she said to the Dane, “You’re not allowed off leash. I don’t trust you.” She ruffled his ears and gave a smile. As tempting as it was, if Ike got going there was little she could do to stop him, but having a leash gave her a little bit of control. There were a lot of dogs and she had never had him around so many and she didn’t want him to get hurt or to hurt another dog.