"Ah, isn't he handsome!"

“Jack” is our four-year-old (February 19^th) golden retriever who has made the trip to Florida with us this year. Previous years, he has remained at the kennel where he was born. That has not been a burden for Jack or the breeder. However, this year we decided to bring him along. He travels very well!

Jack was my retirement gift to Rob. That means Rob has now been retired just over four years – though he continues to work on a part-time basis (even when we are out of the country) on projects for NB Power's Point LePreau Nuclear Generating Station. So, here are a couple of recent pictures - of Jack.

The first picture above was taken on January 3^rd. The second picture, taken on January 5^th, has Jack resting his head on the rungs of a chair at the kitchen table while I am doing some computing. He does not like to be too far away.

This is my first time ever for sharing responsibility for the care of a dog. Feeding, brushing/combing, daily walks, training – this is a lot of work, continually. The walks are very good for me. Jack and I do a morning constitutional that we both enjoy – mostly. I like the walking; I don't like it when Jack is distracted by other dogs, people (especially women), unexpected things on the route, or just about anything, especially if it has a smell. On our morning walks, I say “Jack” and “Heal!” and “Here!!” quite a lot. The volume and the tone of exasperation usually increases as the walk lengthens. But I persist; so does Jack!

He is great company. He is definitely a people dog. And he does not like being alone which, translated, means he does not like being more than five feet away from his human companions at any particular time.

On our drive to Florida, he did very well. He does not mind driving in the car. He handles staying in hotels quite well. And we quickly adapted to stopping for Jack – as well as ourselves – for pee breaks, stretches, drinks, just because. Jack especially liked the hotels because that meant he got to sleep in the same room with us. He thought he would continue to do that once we arrived at our Florida destination. Sorry, Jack! A couple of chairs currently prevents that from happening. Hopefully, we will not have to continue to do that much longer.

Jack has been in the Gulf of Mexico once already. He and Rob had a brief “dip” the other day once we found the “Dog Park and Beach”. Jack had lots of play pals, didn't seem to care for the wave action, but did get wet. We will go back soon and Rob and I will have bathing suits on. That might make a difference. I'll let you know.