A week with Siena...

Siena in the zone...
Originally uploaded by smamidi

Sir Lancelot, a brave strong knight who guarded the king
Miss Poop-a-lot, a mild 60 pound friendly golden retriever

Her name is Siena, and she is the friendliest heavy weight golden I have ever met. I guess the friendly aspect comes from being a golden retriever, but this one is special. Last few days have graced me with the an opportunity to take care of my adviser's dog, Siena. She is mellow, patient, and very eager to please me. But lets head back to the part where I get enlightened about a dogs life:

* Get up in the morning, have a nice hot cup of coffee, take the news paper, and the rest should not be mentioned on a public blog. Apparently, fresh green grass has the effect on dogs what coffee has on us bipeds. A few blades of grass here and there, and no news paper needed, if you get my drift.

* The bigger they are, the more they poop. This one is big, trust me on that.

* All my t-shirts are layered with golden brown strands of hair. She aint the Goldilocks we read as kids. Either that, or Goldilocks was bald at the end of the year if she shed so much. And yes, pizza is disgusting then when you find golden hair in it.

* There is nothing much one can do if a grown golden retriever decides to sit in the middle of the road. And then, she starts looking at people with eyes so charming to melt coldest of hearts, people become patient, simply drive around us and give me a sympathetic smile.

Finally, they shed like crazy, and we clean up after them, spend tonnes of time and money on their medication such as fiber pills, vitamins, heart worm treatment, ear medication, allergies, and finally, we pick up their poop. Is it still rational to call them man's best friend? Siiigh...I question, but would do that all over again.

[Click on the picture to see more pics of Siena]