Bauer 

About four years ago, I introduced my dog, Jack Bauer (Bauer for short) on my blog. He's been a regular feature ever since, but it's been a while since I've taken some photos of him.

I thought I'd reintroduce my little guy. 

He's a sweet little bundle of cuddly pure joy. "Tumble-down love" was how I described him in that blog post. The description still fits. 

Sometimes I think we should have named him Pogo because of the way he jumps up and down, up and down, up and down...it's crazy how high the little guy can jump. 

Sometimes he disguises himself as a neurotic, shrieking, sharp-barking, crazy-ass dog.

I love him.

He's about 10 now, though I'm not sure exactly when his birthday is.  

There are a few things I've noticed about him lately. His eyes are a little cloudy - not as sharp and clear as they once were. 

Sometimes I have to encourage him to go on a walk. He used to pull me out the door.  He could easily fast-walk four miles but now I have to coax to get him to go 2.5. 

He's got some gray interspersed in his beautiful brindle coat. He beat me to that. I don't have any grays...yet!

He still shrieks sometimes when he sees other dogs but it's not quite as bad as it used to be.  

Here's a photo from the post four years ago:

Bauer four years ago

I tried getting the same photo for comparison but he wasn't having it. 

Sometimes I can get a good photo of Bauer. Most of the time, though, when he sees my face go behind the camera, he gets freaked out. 

He'll sit because he's good at sitting on command. But as soon as the camera goes up to my eye, his ears go back, his nostrils flare, and he looks scared. He often turns away from the camera.

I hate making him feel that way so I tried getting a few "candids." 

He's always aware of me and the camera, so they're not exactly candid. 

Bauer's a submissive dog when he's not on high alert and barking, shrieking, or a combination thereof. He loves to roll over and have his belly scratched. I'd rather have my back scratched. 

He hates walking in the rain.

We've had a lot of rain lately so I do my best to watch the weather and drag him out when it slows to a sprinkle. 

Bauer has a small dog door that leads to the back yard. He used to fly through the same size dog door at our old house. 

He's gotten a little bigger. He can't go through it at a run anymore.

It doesn't deter him. If he really needs or wants to go out he does. 

Watching him come in is hilarious, though. He always has a little Winnie-the-Pooh moment pulling himself back in through that little hole. 

Bauer putting his ears down and turning his head away from the camera

I may spoil him just a tad. 

I'm not a "dog person." I'm an animal person. I like all kinds of animals, including cats. 

Growing up we had dogs, cats, birds, a snake, a rabbit, a guinea pig, a hamster, and a couple of rats - not all at the same time but always a few at a time.

We had a babysitter who took care of a horse so we also got to do a lot of horseback riding, which I loved. My sister and I begged our dad for a horse but that never happened. I can understand why.

Our brother was the one who had the snake. I was never into reptiles. 

The French word for a pet is "animal de compagnie." The exact translation is "animal of companion" or a companion animal. 

Yep. Bauer's a great companion, rain or shine. 

Hopefully, the rain will slow down a little in the next few days and I can get out and get some new photos.

I'm working on a few photos to send out for some local "calls for art." I'll share those when I have them done. 

See you between the raindrops!

xoxo,
Susan 

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