Sadie in the City

Sadie had her first visit to downtown Vancouver today, and met her ..cousin? niece? .....well, my daughter's newly-adopted dog, Becky. Becky is a very active senior, a beautiful girl who has a great big doggy smile.

Happy Becky

Sadie was on her best behaviour - I was so proud of her as she dealt with noisy traffic, tons of dogs and people, pavement and traffic signals and all the hustle and bustle of city living as if she'd been doing it all her life. She heeled beautifully on our walk, greeted dogs and adults and kids nicely. She is one rock solid dog and I am very blessed to have her in my life.
On the seawall

Becky seems much younger than her estimated 10-12 years. Age estimates for dogs in rescue/shelters are generally made on the basis of the condition of the teeth. But the amount of tartar and plaque can also be due to poor nutrition, so it's not a perfect measure. She certainly has lots of drive and energy and enthusiasm - reminded me a lot of Caleb's personality. Like Sadie, she also has a rock solid temperment and happily greeted other dogs and humans. She will be starting obedience classes on Wednesday, but she's already coming along nicely.

Sadie and Becky

We had a lovely walk through parks and along the seawall, and stopped for a latte at the outdoor tables that scattered the sidewalks. Shop owners had large stainless steel dishes of water conveniently placed for the canine customers.

Yuppy puppies at the bistro

Getting luvin'

One thing that quite astounded me was the incredible number of dog owners living right in the downtown core, the number of people out walking their nicely-mannered, healthy looking on-leash dogs, and (best of all) the miles and miles of great walking trails, green space, and designated dog areas right outside my daughter's condo. And hardly a dog turd to be seen! While I wouldn't trade my country life for anything, I think there's a lot of downtown dogs living a very good life with very caring, responsible owners!

Here's a couple more pictures from today:

Beautiful Becky

Sadie, Becky and boats