Living With Oreo

Jean Levac sent me this photo today. He's the photographer who took our picture for my recent travel piece in the Ottawa Citizen. As you can see, Oreo not only rules the sofa, he rules the entire family. And for those who missed it, here's my Citizen piece:


"The dog days of holidays: There's something wrong when your pet enjoys your vacation more than you do"
The Ottawa Citizen
November 4, 2006 - Page: L4
Section: Style Weekly: Travel & Leisure
Byline: David Martin

It used to be that when our family headed south for March break, the only things we had to worry about were finding our passports and getting to the airport on time. But now, thanks to Oreo the Portuguese Water Dog, we have another concern.

Since his momentous arrival as a puppy the summer before last, nothing has been quite the same. A kitchen that hadn't seen baby gates in years quickly became a three-gated fortress. And a backyard fence that had more holes than Swiss cheese had to be secured on all fronts.

But as time passed, we all adjusted to our new Oreo-filled life. Except for me. From tripping on dog toys to stepping in dog pee to writing frequent, three-figure cheques to our local vet, I was finding it hard to warm up to our new four-legged friend.

So it came as a bit of a surprise to me that when we were preparing for last year's spring break getaway, I started to worry about how Oreo would fare in our absence. Luckily, Cheryl had taken extra pains to ensure that Oreo's week would be as trauma-free as possible. Rather than book him into a standard kennel, she discovered a doggie resort out in the country that featured a large fenced-in play and exercise area.

For $16 a day, Oreo would be boarding on the main floor of a country farm house with seven other canine guests. Instead of spending his week in a wire cage, he would get to spend it "free range" with some new friends.

Still, I couldn't help thinking that the separation would be hard on the dog. But it turns out that my fears were misplaced. Instead of worrying about how Oreo would make it through the week, I should have been more concerned about how I would do.

Our one-week stay at an all-inclusive, five-star, newly-renovated, over-hyphenated Caribbean resort got off to a great start. And for Cheryl and Sarah, it continued with a great middle and a perfectly fine end.

As for me, I developed a nasty case of bronchitis two days into our stay and spent much of the holiday hacking, coughing and whining. But at least I could lie in the sun and nurse myself back to health. What about poor Oreo, I thought?

In retrospect, I shouldn't have been wasting my worry on Oreo. He was having the time of his life.

The day after we got home, Cheryl drove out to the "resort" to pick up the dog. According to the resort owner (who doubles as the "concierge"), Oreo spent most of the week playing with another puppy his own age. Since the dogs had the run of the main floor of the house, he also warned her that Oreo might have picked up some bad habits.

Yet when Cheryl got home, something wasn't right. Although Oreo was happy to see us, he seemed tired and listless.

Once again, I worried about the poor pup. Maybe the week away was too much for him. It seemed as if he was slipping into a depression.

By the next day, it was clear that my concern was once again misplaced. Oreo was back to his old self. He hadn't been depressed; he was just exhausted. He'd had so much fun playing with his new pals all week that he needed a rest from his vacation.

And that's just what I needed -- a rest from my vacation. A few days lounging on the sofa would surely help me shake my Caribbean chest cold and get me back to normal. The only trouble was that one of those bad habits Oreo picked up at the "resort" was sleeping wherever he wanted to, including on the sofa.

Based on last year's experience, I'm thinking that maybe this year we won't go anywhere for March break -- except for Oreo. He can return to the doggie resort and I can get my sofa back, at least for a week.

David Martin is an Ottawa writer who blogs at http://www.livingwithoreo.blogspot.com/
Photo: Jean Levac, The Ottawa Citizen / After a week away from his owners, Oreo, the Portuguese Water Dog, believed the couch was his.