Aside from sulking due to allergies and the massive heatwave that has hit New York, my little guy Riley has other reasons for being so mopey. This past Tuesday his daddy started working a second job on week nights. With the down economy and our incredibly bad luck (
#boatsunk) bills have been getting a little close for comfort. And although Justin only plans on working part-time for a little while to pay off a few things for breathing room (i.e. snowmobile, student loans, etc,) Riley doesn't quite understand why that should interrupt
his routine.
As much as Justin likes to say Riley's my dog (conveniently when he needs to be taken out) he is very much Daddy's Little Boy. They play fetch together first thing in the morning and again when Justin gets home from work. He's his snuggle bug on the couch when some logging show or baseball game is on the television. And Justin is Riley's bone holder when he wants to chew awhile before going to sleep at night. That's just the way it works. They do everything together and Riley follows him around seemingly by an invisible leash.
I can remember when we first held Riley in the pet store and Justin said "If you want him, we'll get him. We'll make it work." I can remember the first few weeks of potty training/house-breaking and wondering "WTH were we thinking?" But as a blessing in disguise, Riley was just what Justin needed when his Dad died. The two have had a very special bond ever since. Heck, when we got Justin's new truck the first thing he did was buy a "manly toy" for Riley to bring along. That's how we ended up with Moose sitting in the front console.
So although it tugs at my heart strings to see Riley laying by the back door until Daddy comes home, I have to remind myself that "this too shall pass" and thankfully Justin is not (*knock on wood*) scheduled for weekends so the two of them can reconnect.
