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Dog Lounge Closes in Belltown

My mom has been feeling sad because the Downtown Dog Lounge closed its doors in Belltown. The location was so convenient. We could walk (and sometimes did). We could be there by bus in 10 minutes.

My Big Sister Summer at the Downtown Dog Lounge

The staff were so nice to us. “They felt like family,” my mom says.

I used to go there almost every Sunday, while my mom went to work out at her gym. I would sit up front with the receptionist. I got spoiled by Summer, who’s my adopted big sister.

Everybody liked me. “Gracie gets along so well,” the staff told my mom. “She invites the other dogs to play but she doesn’t come across as aggressive.”

Aggressive? Me? Why would I?

One day my mom Cathy brought me in for a bath. When she came back, my nails were painted bright red. I finally looked like a real princess. Mom was a little mortified. “I hope nobody thinks we paid for this,” she said. But of course she told everybody we met, “Look at her toenails!” She even insisted we blog about the “pawdicure.”

Then when my mom had to go to the Emergency Room, my Uncle Lance dropped me off at the Dog Lounge. Summer was thrilled to find me there when she came to work the next day. She found me some terrific new dog food and charged Mom’s account. She made sure I had so many treats I didn’t miss home at all. They sent me home via dog taxi with a cute “Get Well” card for my mom.

And then there was the time a couple of years ago when Mom went out of town. (She hates to travel.) Of course I got to spend the night in the Dog Lounge. When mom came to get me, the staff person said, “Gracie was barking in her crate. She wasn’t happy. So I took her out and she slept with me.”

Or the time Cynthia said, “Gracie tells us what she wants. We put her in back and she comes to scratch on the door to come up front.” Well, of course. Cynthia knows how to treat a real princess.

Or Summer taking me to Ewe-topia so I could herd sheep. We had a great day together.

Or the time they dressed me up for Halloween and gave me treats on my birthday. (I got to spend Mom’s birthday there too, but she didn’t get any treats.)

Sure, the Dog Lounge has branches nearby. There’s one over on Elliott. To get there we have to walk through Lower Kinnear Park, which my mom says is dangerous. Or we could walk but there’s no sidewalk that goes directly there. Yep…you read that right. The sidewalk disappears. My mom opts for the park. “The odds of being attacked by a homeless person are a lot less than the odds of being run over by a car,” she says. “Maybe when we get a new mayor the city will fix Mercer Street.”

Then there’s Capitol Hill. We tried it last Sunday. “Forget it,” Mom said. “It’s a long trek to get there and gong home? The worst bus in Seattle and a TON of traffic. If I have to spend an hour getting you, I might as well take you for a walk to the Regrade Dog Park.”

But I know we’ll be back. My mom knows how much I like Summer and the rest of the gang. “Maybe every other week,” Mom says. “Or once a month at least. And then, Gracie, your bath…”

Yeah, I know. We’re both feeling sad right now. It’s like losing a family who moved away.

Downtown Dog Lounge: Hangin’ Out

Mom left me at the Downtown Dog Lounge on Sunday while she swent to work out. While she was gone, my good buddy Sue took this picture. Mom fixed it up a little in Photoshop.

Yep, that’s me. Hangin’ out with my buddies. I look like I’ve just had a couple of beers and am waiting for my Designated Driver Mom to come take me home.

Ophelia: A Cat With Personality

My mom says Ophelia has more personality than any cat she’s ever had. That’s not saying much since most cats are kind of wimpy. She was talking about Ophelia on the phone to her friend Bill (so what else is new).

Today mom heard crunching coming from the kitchen. “Gracie, stop eating!” she yelled.

Then she remembered I was in the Dog Lounge.

“Oops…now, which cat could that be? It’s Ophelia!” Sure enough, Ophelia was diving into a plate of crunchies. When she saw my mom, she looked up with that guilty “Caught in the act!” expression and dashed away.

“If Cathy thinks I’ll eat those crunchies,” Ophelia seems to be saying, “then I’ll never get the canned food and the other crunchies I like better.”

Dogs are smart. We never look guilty. When I get caught, I give my mom the “What’s the problem? I’m not doing anything!” look.

Too late, Ophelia. Mom’s on to you.

Dog Mom is a Frustrated Sports Fan

Last night my mom went off with a group of people to watch the Seattle Mariners baseball team. She hasn’t been to a live baseball game in over 30 years she says, and she doesn’t watch baseball on television. She just likes the group and wanted to join them. So she wasn’t too upset when the Mariners lost 8-0 (or was it 9-0? she’s not sure and dogs can’t count).

“Being a baseball fan is a lot harder than being a basketball fan,” Mom told me as we had our nightly walk. “The stadium is huge. You can’t relate to the players as people. There’s less spontaneity. And the crowd was so quiet.”

Then today she really wanted to watch the WNBA All-Star game. Some of her fave players were in! Of course we don’t have cable television. Mom actually was going to buy a used television from someone who’s moving out, because she could get local channels. But the seller didn’t know how to set up the television so Mom is still deciding whether to buy it. “I don’t need to watch anything for another six months or so,” she says.

Her gym doesn’t get the network channels. (“Gimme a break,” she says.) And by the time she figured out she could watch by computer or go somewhere else, it was too late.

But my mom looked up the interviews and videos with the team, especially Diana Tauraasi. Mom thinks Diana is showing real character. “She’s a role model of how to handle adversity,” Mom says. “We all make mistakes. Diana is showing how you can talk about them and handle them, while getting on with your life.”

So what’s the big deal? When I make a mistake, such as chewing up Cathy’s socks, I get right on with my nap. Human beings like to complicate things.

But I’m glad my mom is a basketball fan. It keeps her occupied so I get more time in the Dog Lounge.

Canine Princess Gets Pawdicure At the Dog Lounge

My mom left me at the Downtown Dog Lounge while she went off to the gym today.

“Gracie needs a bath!” she said.

Summer and Sue were thrilled to see me. I played on the couch until time for my bath. Then after my bath, Smmer brushed me…and brushed me. There was enough fur left over to make another dog. (Yeah, it’s an old joke, but I like it.)

Summer knows how to brush me. I just leaned back and enjoyed every minute.

But that’s not all. I got a pawdicure. If you look closely at this photo, you will see my toe nails are painted bright red. I am finally looking like the Canine Urban Princess (CUPPIE) I am.

My mom was amazed. “What if Gracie chews off her nail polish and runs up a big vet bill?” My mom’s mind runs in that direction.

“It’s doggie nail polish,” Summer explained. “Totally harmless.”

“They make nail polish for dogs?”

My mom can be so clueless sometimes.

Maybe my mom will take the hint. She needs to make her own hair appointmet and she hasn’t had a manicure in ages. “I hate that stuff,” she says. “I like my massage therapist, Larry Swanson, but the nails? forget it. And I’ll never have a pedicure. Too ticklsh.”

Mom, you don’t know what you are missing.

Friends over for dinner? No way…

My mom was skimming through a library book, Life Is Friends: A Complete Guide to the Lost Art of Connecting in Person, by Jeanne Martinet.

She isn’t crazy about the author’s idea: Invite people over for dinner. My mom would have to bring food from the deli section of Metropolitan Market. Her guests would have to sit on the floor.

“And we would have to schedule dinner for the day the cleaning service comes.” Alas, so true! The book says don’t bother to clean for guests. I think they need to make an exception for my mom.

“This book is so filled with detailed instructions,” Mom said, leafing through the pages. “Look at this, Gracie. All these details about houseguests, househosts, challenging situations like drunken brawls…

“Oh no!”

My ears perked up.

“If you’re single, you are supposed to invite two couples over to avoid the dreaded triangle…and preferably a single friend for yourself.”

Mom tossed the book ainto the “return immediately” pile. She got up from our couch and headed off to find her shoes.

“Come on, Gracie. Let’s go for a walk. We need to go by the pet store and order you some food.”

Yes! She just said the magic words. They usually have a treat for me, too. Dogs have friends everywhere.

Mom’s a dog-gone fitness fanatic

My mom is truly a fitness fanatic. She works out three or four times a week at the gym. When the weather’s decent, she takes me for walks.

In fact, that’s why she adopted me. When she took me for my first check-up at the vet, she wasn’t there for my health. She was there for her own benefit. “Will Gracie be able to go on long walks with me?” she asked the vet. “That’s why I want a dog.”

From the beginning, I was set up to be an accessory. I’m not loved for my self and my scintillating personality.

As if that weren’t enough. Cathy worries that I don’t get enough exercise. So every Sunday, while she works out at the gym, I’m in the Downtown Dog Lounge of Seattle. Fortunately the staff is not nearly as fanatical. They sneak me treats and let me snooze on the couch while Cathy thinks I’m running around chasing other dogs. I play with my special group of friends. I help out at the reception desk. They use me for temperament-testing when new dogs apply to join our pack.

This morning Cathy warned me, “Gracie, I’m off to the ballet this evening. I want to see my favorite female dancer, Kaori Nakamura, perform the lead in Swan Lake and this will be my last chance. So you’ll be crated up for at least for hours. Better be tired.”

No problem, Mom. I am zonked. I slept all afternoon. We’re both getting older. I don’t need to run marathons anymore. And a few more treats won’t wreck my midlife figure.

Good thing Mom didn’t have human kids. They’d be ready for boot camp by the time they reached college.

“

Rescue mutt turns sheep dog

Would you look at this? When Cathy adopted me, I figured we’d stay in our nice, clean city apartment. I’d sleep on the couch and rarely get my paws dirty. Okay, I go to Magnuson twice a week with my Aunt Sara. But we stay on the paths and on the beach.

Herding sheep: dont I look like a pro? — Herding sheep: don't I look like a pro?

But Summer from the Downtown Dog Lounge took me out for a day of sheep herding. We went to Ewetopia, a place that specializes in uniting dogs and sheep. Summer took a whole set of pictures of me working sheep.. Although I am a Canine Urban Princess (CUPPIE), it seems I may have descended from some common shepherd dogs.

I don’t know what came over me when I saw those sheep. Don’t I look like I know what I’m doing?

Now my mom wants to go out there. Personally, I think I’m getting a little old for this herding. I slept for 3 days afterward. It’s tougher than it looks.

Downtown Dog Lounge: they appreciate me

On Sunday mornings my mom goes off to the gym for her workout. She used to do sculpt class and now she tells me she does Elliptical, machines and Pilates. As a dog, I have no idea what she’s doing. It all sounds so weird. Why can’t humans just chase tennis balls for exercise?

Getting a tummy rub from Big Sister Summer at the Dog Lounge

But I don’t care. While she works out I get to chill out at the Downtown Dog Lounge with Summer, who’s like my Big Sister. See, I’m getting a family: my Mom, the pack leader; my mysterious Uncle Lance, who refuses to have his picture taken with us; my Aunt Sara, who takes me to the dog park twice a week; and Summer, my Big Sister.

Summer is looking up at the camera and I’m telling her, “Ignore the camera. Mom’s going to exercise class. I want a tummy rub.” My mom Cathy took several pictures but only this one came out. In the other ones, I was wriggling with joy and all you can see is a blurry brown shape.

I’m a sheep dog!

On Saturday I went off to Ewetopia with my best big sister, Summer from the Downtown Dog Lounge. My mom was supposed to go too, but she took one step outside and just about froze. She doesn’t do too well in the cold, especially cold and rain.

Just as well. I wanted some quality time with Summer.

Summer told Cathy that I am a natural. “Gracie knew what to do with the sheep,” she said. “She herded them into a circle.”

True. I don’t know how I knew this, but I did. Somewhere in my mix is a sheepherding breed.

My mom refuses to pay for DNA tests. “I’d rather spend the money on treats and extra time at the Dog Lounge,” she says. “Or extra walks with Aunt Sara.”

For once, Mom’s got her priorities straight. But I’m still getting over the day. Time for another nap.