The Boys
This summer I am living in Denver Colorado. I have family living out here and was lucky enough to be invited out here to live/work this summer. I’m living with my cousin and her husband, as well as their two dogs, Ripple and George. Ripple and George are two of the most charming dogs I have ever been around.
They’re truly a match made in heaven in terms of dog-pairing. Ripple, who I will refer to with both his Christian name and the shortened Rip throughout the rest of this piece, is a ball of energy. If he was a tv show he’d be Seinfeld, but every character is just Kramer. He also happens to be the cuddliest dog I have ever been around, which is no small feat considering I grew up with lazy pugs. If you are in the same room as him he demands that you touch him. If you’re sitting within reach, which rest assured he will make sure is the case, you better have a hand on him or there will be a cold nose pressed into your arm or leg.
I have no idea what breed Rip is, or anything better than a rough estimate of his age. What I do know is he’s very photogenic, particularly with the 0.5 lens. He’s like a needy infant, even down to the pacifier. He has these rubber tennis balls- every time I have ever been around him, for the years my cousin and her husband have had him, he has always had one of these balls. He gets them confiscated occasionally for chewing too aggressively. Not in an actually aggressive way, but rather in a way that makes a shocking amount of noise to the point where it’s gross for everybody in the room.
Just the other night we went to a park. We took a ball- or rather Rip took it with him. We would throw it and he’d go get it, over and over again. It reminded me of the Simpsons gag where Santa’s Little Helper just keeps eating for hours and somebody remarks that dogs don’t have a “full” trigger in their brain, so they’ll just keep eating. If you keep throwing the ball, Rip will keep chasing it. This makes it the ball-thrower’s primary job to make sure this dog doesn’t get heat exhaustion. We took a small walk in between ball-throwing sessions. Rip decided he would take the ball on this walk, a decision I’m sure he has made dozens of times. The problem happened to be that he was already exhausted.
The walk was supposed to be a cooldown. We played some ball, you ran a lot, now let’s catch your breath with a walk. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to walk with an object approximately the size of a peach in your mouth, but it doesn’t make it easier to breathe. This dog would stop every hundred feet or so, drop the ball, take a breath, and then pick it back up to keep walking. I eventually decided after a few minutes of this practice that Ripple was not making efficient use of his recovery time, so I took his ball until we got back to the car. This is one of many instances of him not being able to recognize the limits of his ability to breathe, and that’s ok. Everybody needs some help sometimes.
Ripple likes sitting in a hammock, but only if there’s a person in it. The thing with hammocks is you really can’t be in there with a person or animal without touching that person/animal. This works out great for Rip, who will hop right in regardless of your awareness level/preparation for a clumsy dog to attempt jumping in a hammock. I imagine his brain is filled with one of two things- either elevator music, or the secrets of the universe. Both would explain his eternally bewildered expression.
George is the other dog in this pair. Before George I had never met an introvert dog before. George is a rescue and there’s speculation he had a pretty rough go of it to start out. He’s a very sweet dog but could not be more different from Ripple in terms of behavior.
Throughout the day George drifts between rooms- occasionally hanging out with me but also drifting between the master bedroom, guest bedroom, and his bed outside. If George does want to be pet he’ll let you know with a cold nose to the arm though. Once I really settled in, George came to me more frequently for attention. Most of the time it’s when I’m home alone- the hours of my job make it so that even on weekdays that I work I’m still home 2+ hours before anybody else. I think George appreciates having a person home on those days. I can keep the dog door open for him or give him attention. I can feed him a little earlier than he would normally be fed if I wasn’t there. George and I have developed a quiet understanding over the last two weeks and I can tell he at least appreciates the ways I make myself useful.
George is absolutely the older sibling in this relationship. They’re both rescue mutts but George is somewhere between one and two years older. He was also an only dog for over a year before Rip joined- he remembers a pre-Rip world.
During the day George floats between rooms. If I’m not at work occasionally he’ll hang out where I am, but mostly he likes to hang out in a bed or outside.
Rip and George are what I would describe as “too big to ignore.” Growing up with pugs this is never a problem. If it isn’t dinner time and they want dinner they can only do so much to make you feed them. Even if they get a little crazy they’re never at eye level. Ripple and George on the other hand are decently big dogs, both between about 50 and 70 pounds. This means if they want dinner, and it’s not dinner time they can stare at you. And breathe. And become progressively more excited as it gets closer to what they think is dinner time
“Too big to ignore” is a great thing to be if you’re a hungry dog. Rip will jump in your lap regardless of how hungry he is, but you can tell he’s making a point of it when it gets closer to dinner. George, the king of subtlety, will occasionally drop a low “woo woo” as if to say “hey man it’s like, time for dinner,” like a dog doing a Jeff Bridges impression.
One of my all-time favorite activities is “getting the dogs all riled up.” If you aren’t in possession of any dog toys it’s probably the most fun you can have with your dog.
Aiden’s Guide On How To Get The Dog(s) All Riled Up
Step One: First you’re going to want to make direct eye contact with your dog. You can also contort your face, but usually the eye contact is plenty.
Step Two: Slowly rise from your sitting position and move slowly towards the dog while maintaining eye contact. If you’re already standing just start moving.
Step Three: SUDDEN MOVEMENTS. If you did the first two steps correctly the sudden movement should function as a trigger for the sleeper-cell agent that is your dog.
Step Four: Keep moving wildly. At this point the dog will be so excited that they will begin chasing you and trying to join in on the activity.
Ripple and George are the first dogs I have ever met that are rile up-proof, but on opposite ends of the spectrum.
George really does like to chill. Occasionally he’ll be freaked out by a person that walks by, but as far as my own attempts, it’s like trying to get a brick wall excited. He’s one of the only dogs I have met that I can’t rule up.
Ripple comes pre-riled up. He’s like if the Tasmanian Devil got into Elmer Fudd’s pre workout. I don’t know how to measure a dog’s heart rate, but if you told me his resting heart rate was ten thousand I would believe you. If anything, Rip gets me riled up.
The further along I get the more I realize I’m with a perfect duo. Rip can be as needy as he wants, and George can chill. They really are two peas in two separate but adjoined pods- a perfect compromise for Rip and George.