Treats, for dogs who treat us well

Last Friday at 12:20 pm, I picked up my friend Beverly and we headed to New Jersey to visit our dear friends, Janet and Lior Hod, for Shabbat. Our husbands were leaving a little later from the city and taking a bus.

Bev and I left earlier, so that we could stop off to pick up her gown, as it was only 15 minutes from the Hod abode. Both of us were starving, having not eaten breakfast, and didn’t have time for lunch. We figured if we had no traffic we would have time to grab a bite in Teaneck and then head to the dress salon. A while later, once over the bridge I realized it was 12:15. Having a senior moment, which are more like senior hours and days at this point, I exclaimed, “Bev, we made great time — we’ll be there in plenty of time to grab lunch before you have to be at the salon at 1:30.”

It five minutes for it to register that my car screen had frozen, and that it was impossible to be 12:15 as I picked her up at 12:20. Sigh. We got there on time but couldn’t take the gown with us as they still had to do some alterations.

When we arrived at the Hods, we were greeted by their five lively dogs — Bubba, an Old English Sheep dog; Kevin and Pablo Sanchez, both bigger than me and Labradoodlesl and cocker spaniels Charlie and Queen LaFifa. I can’t imagine that house without dogs. They’re lively, fun-loving and mischievous. Janet grooms them herself also trained them. For the most part, they are well behaved and lots to fun to be around, unless they are left alone near food and it becomes too tempting.

They are known to work well together, as they are great teammates. One eyes the food on the counter, one nudges it toward the end of the counter, and the others catch it and they’re off to the races, down the hall and out the doggie door to the backyard quicker than you can scream “nooooooooo!” Each time they are caught, they either look completely guilty, reflecting the Jewish guilt complex they internalized, or they feign astonishing innocence, shocked that they would even be accused.