The Grimace Walk

Grimace Robert Geronimo Shanks

Grimmy, or Pug-a-pot-0-mous, or Grimples, or Grimple-stilt-skin ... for short.

Be Warned!

This posting shows a lot of pictures of my Grand-dog, Grimace, taking a leak!

If you stood still long enough, you would be marked by his ever full bladder.

I once apologized to a little girl's mother for Grimmy doing exactly that to her child.

I still remember Grimace's look when I scolded him.

"Really, Gram, she was sitting there so quietly. I thought she was a Red Wood."

You were warned!

Grimace is my "middle" grand dog. His place in the pack is ahead of Milo, but behind Meathead. Technically he is the oldest of the three dogs ... but dogs don't rank themselves by age.

Grimace is a Pug. A very large Pug by Pug standards. He was 3 years old when my son adopted him from Pug Rescue. The little we know of his background goes like this: he and his brother were having problems getting along, the couple that owned them were expecting a baby, and they decided to give up both dogs.

Grimace is not complicated. He lives his life by two simple principles:

• Be devoted. And he is. We joke that Grimmy thinks that I own him and he just visits with his papa. It is probably more truth than joke.
• Leave your mark on the world. Leave it on this tree, this blade of grass, this chair, this wall, this person, this fence, this dog (Meathead doesn't seem to mind an occasional sprinkle on his head. Go figure.), this car, this trash, this ... anything you can name. That is why he is the proud owner of "pooch pants", or dog diapers ... or, as my son likes to call them, "camp trousers."

So today I thought I would take you on our walk together. Every sleep over night, Grimace and Grandma go for a long morning walk together. Sometimes Milo comes, but on this day it was just Grimmy and Gram ("the way it is meant to be" says Grimmy).

On morning walks Grimace gets to chose the direction.

He is in charge.

Which way to go?

Which way to go?

So here we are checking out this tree.

And this tree.

And this tree.

I swear they are different trees. They may look exactly the same to you, but if you had a dog's nose, you would know they are as different as horses and pumpkins.

We are lucky to have a small park near by.

The entrance is a stopping place for all the dogs of the neighborhood.

Walking by this fence without stopping to sniff would be like

taking this 40 minute walk without breathing.

Impossible.

"Grandma, I love our morning walks."

Sometimes I make him stop for a rest. He is getting up in years.

Look at the dear gray face.

Even the tips of his ears are gray.

It makes me sad because it reminds me that our years together are becoming shorter!

Time to be moving on.

Usually the walk back up the stairs to the house is a slow climb.

And getting back in the house for a drink, breakfast,

and some couch time is a priority.

After all, the bladder is empty.

No sense staying out.

Grandma and Grimace are BFFs ... but I have said that before!