Officemates

Vince

Gigi curled into a tight little ball.
She uncurls and sprawls more at night lately.

I work from home and I work alone, but I am sharing my office with six dogs these days.  When we have a thunderstorm I seem to be sharing my desk with at least four.  The heat and humidity are on this week and no one wants to spend much time outdoors after mid-morning.  There's eight dogs indoors now at night and during the heat of the day, six of whom are in my office most of the time.  Five are in the bedroom at night.

Vince is ever-present, usually on the dog bed under my desk.   He has the worst storm fear and he pants and drools until it's all over.  He used to stay in the office at night but now he's in bedroom.  Vince usually has a worried look on his face, even in good weather.

Gigi isn't particularly concerned about the weather, or anything else.  She's usually curled up in one of the big, open crates.

Trooper, and the ever present Maya

Trooper's fear of storms is second only to Vince's, but Trooper's reaction is different.  He tries to get as close to me as possible, like Vince,  but Trooper barks at the thunder.  That's his go-to move for anything he's scared of.  It works on people and birds, so he uses it to chase the storm away as well.  I have serious doubts about it's efficacy against the weather.

Maya, cute and sweet when she's curled up
napping, but rotten to the core.

Maya isn't particularly scared of storms, but she is wherever Trooper is to be found, so she's always here in the office with me as well.  I prefer that in her case.  She's one of those dogs that you suspect of being into or up to something if you can't see them at all times. 

Charlie in his crate

All Charlie wants out of life is a gig as a housedog.  Since it's been getting hotter I've been bringing him inside after a little dog yard time in the morning.  He goes directly to his crate, settles in, and doesn't want to leave it even for dinner.  I'm also bringing Ochie and Max indoors during the day when it's hot.  They have been staying in the two crates set up downstairs in the kitchen.  I'm hoping it will help Max normalize a bit.

Gambit

And then there's Gambit.  He follows me around like he's been here all his life.  He doesn't hesitate to make unnecessary trips up and down the stairs even though it's a bit difficult for him.  He's got the best house manners of anyone around here.  He chews only his own toys, he doesn't get on the furniture, up on the kitchen counter, or into the trash.  He exhibits no fear or anxiety during storms.  The only thing he doesn't like is Ochie but they can get along outdoors in the dog yard.  His adoption prospects may not be great, but he is a great dog.  Personally, I think there's nothing more rewarding than caring for a senior dog; their gratitude is boundless and they return everything you give them ten times over.