Gualby Nation : Bubby 4/2/11

       The dynamics in our boat right now are hysterical. Penny is claiming the whole starboard hull as her territory and Bubby doesn’t really seem to care. It looks exhausting trying to keep a constant eye on a curious, roaming puppy. Her new spot is at the bottom of the stairs, guarding the hull and the dog food. Bubby doesn’t seem to be bothered by Penny dominance, he does his own puppy thing in other areas of the boat. I’m not sure if this is making Penny more adamant to show her alpha-ness or not. A good example of this is this morning Conor and I woke up to a jingling sound of a new collar and rabies tag and look up through the hatch above our bed to an adorable Bubby face and a thumping tail on the deck. Where was Penny?--sound asleep by the stairs. He found his own way into the “forbidden hull.” We didn’t pull Bubby through the hatch into bed with us because we didn’t want to upset Pen Dog too much but we had to laugh at the ingenuity of the newest member of Gualby Nation. Con’s story of how Bubby came into our lives is pretty accurate but I do have a small “editor’s note.” Although I was the one that formed a relationship with Bubby’s mom, there were definitely two people falling in love with the bug infested, funny looking, adorable pup under the pier. Anyone that knows Conor will back me up on the soft spot he has for all animals.
       We were by no means looking for another dog but Bubby came into our lives and it just seemed to work out perfectly. At first he was just a lil guy we said hello to each morning while we exercised Pen Dog on the beach and then it turned into he was looking for us each morning to run out to say hello and we were looking for him. Then, his mom said she wanted to give him away because they had too many puppies and when we checked at the humane society we found out it was neither hard nor expensive to adopt and take him out of the country with us; so the decision was an easy one to make. As for our loyal pup, Penny, yes she is a little put out by the whole situation but she is adjusting and we know she will love and protect Bubby as a member of the family soon. We think it will be good for Penny. She was getting a little bit of an “only child syndrome” and a new puppy in the house is taking her down on the rank ladder a notch or two which is good. Also, once Penny accepts that Bubby isn’t a mistake that will be re-delivered to San Pedro soon, we think they will play together and wear each other out a bit. And for those of you that are thinking we are crazy: In our defense, the small amount of extra work it had been taking Penny (which we are incredibly glad we did) we are already doing, so a few extra papers for another dog is not a big change or effort.
       We are not sure what breed Bubby is, muttly for sure. The vet didn’t give me much insight and on his paperwork under breed the vet put “small.” How about that for vague?! I think he has shepard, daschaund, and maybe collie or golden retriever, and some others in him. I’m sure there will be a plethora of Bubby pictures soon to follow so feel free to guess what kind of mix he is. His personality, well what we know of it at this point, is very chill and loving. He doesn’t have that high energy, can play for hours because I am a crazy puppy mentality. He plays for a little bit, with a few puppy-esque noises but then just wants to snuggle up next to you and take a nap. He is brave and sure of himself, probably from his street roaming days. He is funny, we think smart, loving, adorable, relaxed and we are very happy to have him on board; and we think he is happy to be here!
M.