Alonso returned home of his own accord. We took him out to the woods and he decided to pay home a visit. He'd been here for three days and nights straight (again).
He's still not our dog, but if Alonso had to declare a residence for tax purposes it could go either way.
We were outside for a little too long in the cold, so Alonso went home for a visit. Someone must have been there because he didn't immediately come back.
That was 3 hours ago and it's getting dark, so I just put his blankets etc. away. As soon as I'd done this, of course, he returned.
WUFF! 🐶
Just in time for our next coding session.
When our neighbours go away, we watch their house. A day or so after they return we usually find a present on our doorstep. This is usually some sort of nice French food they brought back with them: pâte etc. 🎁
This time, they left us some delightful home-baked gingerbread they made just for us.
Alonso isn't allowed to have any, but he gets VERY excited by the smell.
He KNEW I'd eaten one. He sniffed my breath, then carefully checked my jumper for crumbs.
Alonso was collected just before dinner by his keepers. He wasn't very happy about this.
He returned half an hour later.
Alonso was collected by his owners and is spending a night at "home".
He had been here since dawn on Monday - four nights in a row (a new record).
His owners did collect him on Tuesday evening, but Alonso convinced them on arriving home that he needed a pee, and immediately escaped back here.
Ridiculous boy. 🐶
January stats are in!
Alonso visited every day in Jan except for the 1st, 4th, 11th and 25th. That's, um, 27 out of 31 days.
Alonso has been sleeping here with increased frequency, setting a new record of 4 nights in a row.
On any given day there was an 87% chance of an Alonso visit, with a 58% chance of him staying the night.
The longest time between visits was 43.5 hours and his record fastest for being collected by his owners and returning here was 34 minutes.
We do not have a dog 🐶
When Alonso was collected last night his owner said their young daughter has been asking where he is.
«Ou est Titi ?»
Titi is the nickname they usually call Alonso. It means something like "clever, mischievous boy" which fits. 🐶
Apparently he's been making quite a fuss when he's at home, whining and pretending he needs to pee so they'll let him out and he can come back here.
Clever, mischievous boy indeed 😉
Alonso likes sleeping across my lap with his head on my arm while I work. If I'm typing too loudly he has started putting his paw over my wrist and pushing downwards to make it harder to type.
🐶 🐾 ⌨️
After breakfast the sun came out and Alonso sat on the front step in the sun, occasionally growling or barking at something invisible to us. I think he's on guard. Guarding us from what? I don't know, but he's doing a Very Important job.
☀️ 🐶
After another 3 days and nights here, Alonso was taken home yesterday.
Overnight the winds from Storm Nils gave this place a battering. I woke up at just after 4am, convinced I'd heard a bark at the door. I got up to check, but I must have dreamt it so I went back to bed. I knew he'd be hating this storm.
Alonso actually arrived just after dawn, soaked, muddy, and whimpering. He was so worked up he retched a couple of times. Poor boy!
Took a while to get him dry and calm again. He's asleep on my lap now.
I think he deserves a cooked breakfast after that.
🐶 🌩️
Alonso wandered off home yesterday when we took him to the woods. He always looks back to see if we're going to follow, before trotting off on his own.
Today it has been snowing. This has never stopped him before. We're keeping an ear out.
🐶 🌨️
I sat down to do some coding, thinking how unusual it is to do this without Alonso (he went home yesterday).
I put my headphone on and 8 minutes later he's here. 😃 🎧 🐶
Back to business as usual.
I opened the door to let Alonso outside.
He stood in the doorway, carefully considered the pouring rain for a while, barked loudly at the weather, and turned and went back inside.
I'll take that as a "no".
🌧️
Alonso's owners collected him on Friday afternoon and dropped off some more food for him.
He was gone all weekend, which felt very strange. We've really become used to his constant presence and involvement in everything we do.
But, Alonso is here now, so normality can return. I think we might do some multicast.
What a beautiful day! Around 20°C, bright, clear and sunny 😎
We took Alonso to the lac for the first time since new year's eve. It has been so wet for so long, and any time it wasn't and we had the energy we've been out the in woods cutting firewood.
But today, we went to the lac. Couldn't get all the way around because the path is flooded, but Alonso was very happy, and astonishingly well behaved.
Last July, on our way back from the lac, Alonso found half a sandwich beside the road and ate it.
Every time we walk to the lac since, Alonso carefully checks that same spot beside the road. Just in case.
Alonso is an optimist.
🥪
Just tried to walk to the lac with Alonso. Halfway there we had to turn around. Gunshots. Hunting dogs. 😠
Alonso was a very good boy, and turned on the spot as soon as we did and stayed close. He does not like gunshots, nor hunting dogs.
Managed a walk to the lac with Alonso today. He gets very excited when I put my boots on.
All the way there, and all the way back to our place.
Then, as Alonso sometimes does, he made a DECISION. He sniffed the air, paused, considered a moment, then sprinted across the field to the woods and towards home (his other one).
I expect we'll see him tomorrow morning in time for breakfast.
Alonso was getting a bit smelly so we gave him a bath for the first time. He wasn't keen, but was surprisingly calm once we put him in the tub, seemingly resigned to letting us wash him. We were expecting more resistance given how much he hates water. Such a good boy!
His owners usually seem to give him a wash now and then, but he hasn't been spending much time there lately.
🐶 🛁
Alonso rarely barks, but sometimes he stands on my desk and gives a low growl or a warning bark towards the window. I've never been sure what at.
Today I put a little table in front of the window so he could stand on it with his front paws on the window sill and look out properly.
He's been standing there for a while now, barking and growling fiercely at... something.
Earlier it might have been a distant cyclist. Now he seems quite cross at a tracteur in a field 3 farms away.
🚜 🪟🐕
It snowed early, but when the sun came out we tried for a walk with Alonso.
He immediately went the wrong way. When I tried to persuade him to come, he obstinately refused.
So we started without him, expecting him to catch up as usual.
We were well down the hill, and there was no little white dot in the distance charging towards us like there usually is. You know the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where Sir Lancelot charges the castle? That's him. Usually, but not today.
Instead, we see his male owner driving towards us. We wave, he stops. We chat. We explain about Alonso. He's not surprised. We figure he'll probably turn up at their place in a bit. He drives home.
We walk a bit, and on the way back, we see Alonso's female owner. We wave, she stops. We chat. We explain about Alonso. She's not surprised. We expect he'll probably turn up at their place. She drives off to work, past our place.
A few minutes later, we see her coming back. We wave, she stops. She gestures to Alonso sitting on the passenger side of the car, looking at us. He'd been sitting on our doorstep, waiting.
She drives back home with Alonso. We walk on. She drives past again a few minutes later. We smile and wave.
He'll be back.
🐶
I'd just sat down to do some prerelease testing for lcrq when Alonso arrived.
He's already asleep on my lap. 🐶 💤
I may need to call for external assistance to get my second cup of tea.
Started taking Alonso out for a walk, but he was limping as he's hurt his paw.
So we just sat outside in the sun together for a bit.
He still has a curry stain on his head.
Alonso is a little bit overexcited that I'm making curry again. The stain from last time has only just worn off (fortunately before we had to present him to his owners yesterday).
I have it on a low simmer, but it still has a while to cook. Just now he leapt up on my desk, attacked his blanket, leapt back down again, tripped over the dustpan and fell on the floor, and tried to style it out.
Now he's trying to trick me into chasing him back into the kitchen.
Soon, my boy! Soon! 🍛
Alonso now refuses to eat until he's had a bit of whatever we're having.
The other morning I put out his dogfood, and he sniffed at it disdainfully, refusing to touch it until I added some of what we were eating.
We were eating porridge oats. 🥣
As soon as I dribbled some porridge over his kibble, he was happy and ate his food.
Alonso wandered off for about 1½ hours and we thought he might have gone home (his other one), but he's back.
Friday night wouldn't have been the same without him.
Oh no! 🫢
Alonso watched me make dinner and I'd even shown him which bit was going to be his, but a knock at the door interupted our plans.
Unusually for a Friday, one of Alonso's owners finished work early and stopped by to pick him up.
We might have to upgrade Alonso's account here to include a DaVinci Code style "safe-passage" clause - we distract his owners while Jürgen Prochnow sneaks him out the secret back entrance. Does anyone have his agent's number?
Alonso's dinner is in the fridge.
I knelt down to pat Alonso after lunch. He walked behind me, and while I was still kneeling, kicked me in the kidneys with both feet. 🐾
Apparently lunch was not satisfactory.
Brett Sheffield (he/him)
der.hans