Helper Dogs

In the middle of August the grass is usually brown in our front yard and and there's enough bare spots that mowing over it to cut the few weeds that are growing will raise a cloud of dust. Not this year. It's mostly just crabgrass but it's thick and growing fast. When we finish mowing it's time to start again. Saturday morning Clay and I made our way around the yard cutting low hanging branches from trees to make the mowing less hazardous. That's something we need to do every year and hadn't done so yet this year. We had help, of course, from Rugger, Mercedes, Theo, and Max.

Rugger is the best yard work helper. He makes a real effort
to be involved in whatever we are doing.

Theo hangs out, but he thinks anything other than playing
ball is just a waste of time and effort.

I refilled all three water tanks. Theo hopped in but
never took his eye off the ball.

Max found a shade spot to lay down and watch.

Max, Mercedes, and Rugger, under the birch trees.

Max is much more sociable than he used to be.

The maple tree lost a big limb or two that had to be taken off.
L to R: Theo, Mercedes, Rugger, and Max.

Theo, with a tennis ball in his mouth, and Mercedes.

Rugger likes this ball a lot and he
brought it with him as we made
our way around the yard.

Rugger among trimmings from the pear tree.

Checking out a pear. Our old rottie, Jack, liked
to eat the pears. Bremo took it up in his later
years too. No one has since then. Rugger
tried chewing on one but wasn't impressed.

Theo with a branch cut from the sweetgum tree.

Rugger "helping" by dragging a branch.

Clay cutting off suckers from a sycamore tree, with help.

Theo and Rugger running next to the mower as I took a
load of limbs down to the brush pile in the pasture.

Mercedes continues to impress me as
a really good dog.

Goldenrod growing in the brush pile.

Rugger trying to drag away a branch that I'm
trying to throw onto the brush pile. 

This is where Rugger's help isn't so helpful.

At 11 years old Mercedes was the oldest dog
out there with us, but she hung in there and
went everyplace we did. 

The idea that someone would dump an 11 year old dog when
they were moving is reprehensible, but Mercedes has adjusted
very well and seems very happy here.