Guapo (“Guaps”) was one helluva dog.
He came to work (physical therapy clinic) with me for 10yrs straight - on the extremely rare occasions when he stayed home, the very first thing my patients would do was look around, look at me with some concern, and then ask where he was and if he was OK… only when i assured them that he was just fine, then would they ask how i was doing!
Other dogs played fetch with sticks — Guaps would haul logs out of Puget Sound. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about breakers and rollers whenever i threw a branch out into the water - people (and even their dogs) would stare in amazement at him disappearing between wave crests and then cheer when he’d finally make it back to the beach — with his precious prize!
People would call out (as I drove home, Guapo “surfing” (head out the window)),
“Hey! That’s GUAPO the therapy dog!!”
And, i went to the mat for him - right after i got him (with the express intent that he would be my therapy/clinic dog). Directly after I contacted him, i entered into negotiations with one of the biggest, most potent landlords in Seattle for my clinic space. It was abundantly clear to me that the building i wanted to lease in was “100% Pet Free” — ZERO TOLERANCE!
We had dickered over dozens of lease restrictions but had resolved them all, except - the dog clause.
i felt trapped - i really, REALLY wanted to be in that space, but i had made a heart deal with Guaps that i wouldn’t leave him at home all day…
My Dad’s words came back to me in that painful quandary,
No company, no huge corporation (that owned millions of sq ft in Seattle) was going to come between my hound and me!
i called my RE broker and told him that either the company wrote Guapo into the lease or else i was walking out on the nearly signed deal…
He double-checked with me,
“You sure you wanna go down that road, Wolf??” (He’d done plenty of dea
My name is Wolf and Sandy and I are the head of this group!!
I have an unusual hobby - I swim with marine mega-fauna.
The list is long (and, hopefully, will get longer) and varied.
People often ask me if the encounters are scary - and my absolutely truthful answer is “no”. They are -literally- often breathtaking, but what I’ve learned/been able to identify is that they involve a level of surrender we rarely choose.
Swimming with whales (and other sea creatures) means I am in their house.
I cannot outswim/outdive a sea creature.
I cannot even survive for very long in their environment.
My presence is present solely with the blessing of their consent.
It is a constant (and ever-needed) lesson in humility and gratitude.
My name is Wolf and Sandy, and I am the head of this group!
Mitiz Loves watching the dog show:)!!!! So sweet!