Harlan pulled an Oso on the visit today.

We went up to the second floor, and they had these big picture
windows. While not the fourth floor, Harlan was still impressed with
the view.

He was also fascinated by the TV in one of the rooms. Not sure why;
perhaps because it was so much larger.

He was a very good schmoozer, especially with the men.

He was definitely more relaxed this time around. We did more "just
hanging out" in the common rooms this time around. Harlan would say
hello to everyone who wanted to pet him, do a few tricks (catch the
cheese being his favorite) and then, while we chatted, he did his "dog
in front of the fire place" impression, sometimes lying on people's
feet. I was worried that maybe he should be interacting more, but the
aide I was with speculated that a "dog on the hearth" was more homey,
anyhow.

One lady, sitting by herself, remarked that she was surprised they
would let a dog that big in. So I asked if he was bothering her, and
she said no, she was just surprised. So we explained that he was
trained, and talked about the tests he had to take, and all that.
While that was going on, one fellow rolled right up in his wheel
chair. Thought he was gonna get Harlan's tail, for a moment. Harlan
acted like this is the sort of thing that happens every day, and just
sat up for schmoozing. Wheelchairs are no biggee, apparently.

It is interesting how dogs give you so much to talk about. When his
tail would brush someone, I was reminded of the way my neighbor's
one-year-old follows Harlan around so that his tail will tickle her
face. So I'd tell the story, complete with my impression of Harlan
trying to figure out why this small human was following him around the
house. Or we'd talk about how he was supposed to be a small short hair
dog, except I was suckered by The Face. Or the time he ended up on the
check-out counter at Petsmart (my mistake: telling a dog who nose was
causing him to wander off "Harlan, get up here!").

Turns out I have a lot of Harlan stories, so even when he isn't doing
something silly at the moment, he can still get a laugh.



--Terri & Harlan (send in the clown)