Cosmo's back (for a visit)

Cosmo arrived today. He will be with us for a couple of weeks this time. He knew what was happening and he wasn't happy that his owner was leaving without him, but as soon as he was gone, Cosmo was my dog once again. Cosmo was a former foster. He's a Bernese Mountain Dog and he holds the distinction of being one of few, if not the only, foster who was more afraid of women than of men. World history and almost everyone's personal experience tells us that men are nearly always the bigger assholes. Cosmo's experience was different, in that his former owner was a solitary and alcoholic woman. He didn't trust anyone but his greatest distrust was reserved for women. It still is, I suspect, but he has come a very long way in spite of being adopted just before covid hit, which limited everyone's opportunities for socialization. Anyway, Cosmo is with us for a couple of weeks and he's an easy keeper.

We had a little excitement here on his first day. Everyone is fine but it was not a good kind of excitement. I was outside mowing. Clay was up in his covid isolation ward (our bedroom). Della and Max were outside with me, Paisley and Elvis were in the a/c yard, Rita and Olivia were in Daneland, Maya and Cosmo were loose in the house. I was mowing in the front yard when Clay came running out, waving at me. When I shut off the mower I realized that he was trying to tell me that there was a fire in the kitchen. He had put it out, but the downstairs was full of foul smelling smoke. I hadn't cooked anything all day, but someone had turned on one of back burners of the stove and two kitchen towels I had left there had melted and ignited. 

Clay had already smothered the fire with a frying pan and turned off the burner. We got all the dogs out, opened all the doors and set up some fans. We were very lucky but here are several lessons learned: 1. check those smoke detectors; 2. don't leave anything on top of or even near the stove that could burn; 3. mount that fire extinguisher that we all have in a place where it's obvious and easy to grab; 4. crate your dogs. I think they make something to child proof the knobs on a stove. I may have to look into those.

The dogs all had a good runabout while I finished mowing as the house aired out.

Elvis

Paisley

Paisley and Elvis had a great time chasing each other around.

Paisley and Max. 

I finally got ahold of Max and gave him a good brushing before he came back in the house.

Max and Elvis. This is definitely an odd couple but I saw this

bed sharing combo a couple times today.