Rufus Adventures

Rufus tries to unseat the competition

2008-12-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

I looked up today, and could not believe what I saw. At first, I thought Seth had put Rufus there as a joke. But no, Rufus had climbed in by himself, and made himself quite comfortable.

Right into the baby bouncy seat. As we've said before, the dog knows how to make himself at home.

Rufus has competition

2008-11-28T15:37:00.001-08:00

Sorry, Rufus, but you just don't seem as cute as you did nine days ago.

Rufus is talented

2008-11-15T07:16:00.000-08:00

Rufus's greatest talent is his unerring ability to find the most comfortable place in any room.

For example, not minutes after Roberta started sorting out a box of baby clothes to wash, Rufus had honed in on the irresistible super-softness of the garments and bedded down on them.

The same sharp homing instinct applies to a comforter on the floor of the office.
And to Roberta's pregnancy body pillow.
Amazing, isn't it?

Rufus is back

2008-11-04T13:36:00.000-08:00

Rufus has been back with us in DC for about 6 weeks now. He's recovering well from his cruciate ligament surgery, and has settled down into his old groove. Which means sleep. Lots. He has to catch up after staying up late with Seth to watch for the latest election poll results.

Rufus is recovering

2008-09-08T19:19:00.001-07:00

He doesn't look too happy, does he, with a bucket on his head and the shaved leg? But the surgery appears to have been a success. Sadly, Rufus gets better medical care than millions of American people.

Politics aside, we wish Rufus the very best during his recovery period. Rufus' friends in DC should take note that he returns in less than one week. Hopefully he won't mind the dust and noise of construction inside the house.

Rufus is reunited with Seth

2008-08-22T14:34:00.001-07:00

We're on vacation on Martha's Vineyard, with Rufus! We wondered if he would be indifferent to us, now that he has Fran back and is back on his home turf. No worries - Rufus wiggled and whined and snuggled up and bothered us for petting, and was quite happy to join Seth for an afternoon nap.

Does this look at all familiar?

Rufus is limping around

2008-07-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

I don't have photographic evidence to share, but it appears that Rufus tore a knee ligament while chasing a rabbit on Martha's Vineyard. He may need surgery.

If Rufus were a person, perhaps he would tell all his adoring fans across the world that he could use their support.

If you'd like to send Rufus a get-well card, his mailing address is Box 3000, PMB 3105, West Tisbury, MA 02575.

Thanks.

Rufus says goodbye (for now)

2008-07-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the big day. Rufus was returned to his rightful owner, who has already whisked him away to Martha's Vineyard. Rufus wasn't too happy about our leaving him, but I'm sure he's adjusting. He was a good companion over the last 10 months. The house here in DC seems very quite and we're not quite sure what to do with our time without the food/medicine regimen, walks, and his demands to be petted.

Rufus sleeps in

2008-07-10T05:54:00.001-07:00

Rufus is spending just a few more day with us before he goes on his annual summer vacation to Martha's Vineyard. (Lucky dog! We wish we could go with him, but we'll visit later this summer.) We've started renovations on our house, so Rufus has finally been allowed upstairs to keep him out of the way of the work and workers.

He's probably gotten a little spoiled.

But he does like snuggling into the down comforter sooo much.

Rufus celebrates Independence Day

2008-07-04T15:54:00.001-07:00

Despite his time in London, Rufus is definitely an American dog.

Rufus surfs the Internet

2008-04-17T17:38:00.001-07:00

Rufus surfs the interwebs with Seth every night. He likes to shop online for Kobe and Wagyu beef. He checks his frequent flier miles on Virgin Atlantic. And he checks nephew Zachary's blog for updates on Zachary, Oscar and Daisy.

Rufus is cute

2008-03-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

Duh. Why else would we have a blog about him? We've been a little lax about the postings recently, so to make up for it, here are some gratuitous cute photos of Rufus for your viewing pleasure.

Rufus takes it all the way to the Supreme Court

2008-02-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

Rufus wouldn't settle, so he took our walk all the way to the Supreme Court (and by all the way, we mean 8 blocks). Justice Breyer complimented Rufus on his judicial temperament. Well, he would have if he were there.

Rufus has a familiar visitor

2008-02-10T18:06:00.000-08:00

Allan came for a 12-hour visit. Rufus gave him a double sniff because he was so surprised. Before dinner, Rufus made sure Allan felt at home.

Rufus watches the Super Bowl

2008-02-04T04:56:00.000-08:00

We went over to our friends' Andrew and Aimee's house to watch the game. Of course, we're rooting for the New York Giants.

Rufus is Seth's "emotional support animal."

The New Jersey natives rally over David Tyree's amazing catch.

It's getting really tense in the last few minutes of the game. Rufus can hardly watch.

Holy ****, they won! These hard core fans can't quite believe it. They're a little giddy.

Ah, sweet victory!

GO GIANTS!

Rufus gets a new bed

2008-01-20T16:32:00.000-08:00

Monogrammed and everything.

Rufus gets a massage

2008-01-17T15:43:00.000-08:00

No, we are not kidding. We are those ridiculous over-indulgent dog owners who did get their dog a real massage from a real massage therapist. What's worse is that he isn't even really our dog. But our genius human massage therapist Lauren does in fact offer dog massage. (The "Person 'n' Pup Package" hee hee.) Lauren is the proud parent of two dachshunds who have both had back issues, not uncommon in the breed. When her dog Slim was recovering from his back surgery, she did a couple of types of massage on him, and believes it helped him recover. Rufus (who has had 2 MRIs- more than most humans) has a condition called Cushing's disease which, when untreated, causes dogs to seem prematurely aged, and be stiff and lethargic. Rufus also has some compressed discs in his back that may be causing him discomfort. We thought we'd see if the massage (in addition to his medication, which seem to be working well) made Rufus feel any better. When Seth went for his most recent massage, he scheduled one for Rufus, too. Lauren kindly left her own dogs with a neighbor so that Rufus' visit to her in-home studio could be serene. (Apparently, she's done most of her other dog massages in people's homes. We're the only ones nutty enough to bring the dog to her.)
Lauren puts Rufus on the table and starts to relax him. (FYI, Lauren's studio is spotless and she changes all the covers on her massage table immediately after each client, human or canine, so no one get all oogy here about the dog on the table. And I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I wipe off his paws with baby wipes when he comes in the house after a walk. Blame my friend Fiorella - she gave me the idea - she does it with her dog, Moose. The animals are getting on our furniture, after all.)
Ohhhh yeahhhh - the eyes are closing....you are feeling veerrrry sleeeepy......

Lauren gets Rufus to lie down and get comfy.

The relaxing continues.
Complete and total floppy-rag-doll-dog relaxation. Namaste.

Rufus finally kills it

2008-01-09T19:24:00.001-08:00

His bed, that is.

You might remember that Rufus attacks his bed every night. This was the fatal wound.

The dog looks really proud. If he could be holding a shotgun, he would. He's practically a red state voter.

Rufus' first Yuletide celebration

2007-12-26T19:11:00.000-08:00

Rufus waits under the tree for his presents. He got some delicious treats, and lots of petting.

Rufus covets the Yule ham. (This pose might look familiar!)

After dinner, Rufus naps under the tree...

...and on the floor....

...and by the fire. The holidays are exhausting, after all.

Rufus wonders

2007-12-16T17:09:00.000-08:00

A few nights ago, we said goodnight to Rufus and went upstairs to get ready for bed. Seth said, "Rufus must wonder why we spend so much time in the bath." I was puzzled for a moment, then I laughed as I realized that as far as Rufus knows, the only thing upstairs in our house is the bathtub.

Rufus takes a long winter's nap

2007-12-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

...in front of the fire....

...and on the sofa with Seth. This dog is definitely a Kaufman.

Rufus tangles with fame on Capitol Hill

2007-12-14T06:09:00.000-08:00

We took Rufus for a long walk a couple of nights ago. Despite the hour - after 9:00 pm - it seemed that every Hill resident was out walking a dog. It was a crisp, dry night - the first non-damp, non-rainy, non-muddy night we've had in awhile, and the dogs were out in force.

We were taking one last long loop up A Street NE before heading home, when we looked up and saw a dog and his person heading our way. Rufus and a fashionably-jacketed Pomeranian started politely sniffing, and we realized we'd run into Donna Brazile and her dog Chip. We often see them playing fetch and playing with other dogs in a park near our house. We'd read all about Chip in a Washingtonian magazine article:

"Chip travels with Brazile--from Florida (he swims and surfs) to the Virginia mountains (he skis). He's frequently gone to work with her. An Andy Warhol-style painting of Chip hangs in Brazile's Capitol Hill home, along with photos of Chip with Santa and dressed up for Halloween."

Chip's even more of a jet-setter than Rufus, who lives in London, but of course summers on Martha's Vineyard.

Rufus and Chip continued sniffing and promptly got their leashes tangled, so Seth had to do the "happy leash dance" with Ms. Brazile to get the dogs untangled. Ms. Brazile laughed in her sonorous New Orleans-tinged voice, introduced us to "Chip-Chip" and showed us how much he loves to fetch his ball.

So, Rufus now knows Chip, at least as a passing acquaintance. Rufus was quite polite and a very good dog. It was what passes for an exciting night on a winter weekday on Capitol Hill.

Rufus gets dressed up

2007-12-09T11:28:00.001-08:00

Rufus's little cousin Abbie thought Rufus would look great in her long pearl necklace.

Rufus is not so sure. He looks to Seth for a second opinion on Abbie's fashion choice.

Seth assures Rufus that he is still a "real dog."
Rufus' "Jackie O" look.

Rufus basks

2007-11-18T12:31:00.000-08:00

Don't you wish you could nap in a patch of sunlight like this?

Rufus watches football

2007-11-12T18:24:00.001-08:00

American football, that is. Specifically, the New York Giants. The dog was born and bred a stone's throw from Giants Stadium, after all.

Rufus runs the New York City Marathon

2007-11-12T18:05:00.000-08:00

Well, almost. He accompanied runners Roberta and Melissa to the shuttle at the Meadowlands sports complex in northern New Jersey. The runners got on buses here that took them to the marathon start on Staten Island.

And Rufus kept Melissa company in the car on the drive home the day after the marathon.
We like to call this photo "Dog Tired."

Rufus Goes to the Mall

2007-10-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

Not the shopping mall, but the National Mall. First we met some friends at the Solar Decathalon.

Then we went over to a nearby Turkish festival. Roberta and I had baklava, but poor allergic Rufus had none. He did make some new friends, though.

After we got home, Rufus slept for about 3 hours. It was a big day for the little dog.

Rufus Gets Groomed

2007-10-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

The dirty dog got groomed today. When the groomer picked him up, she said, "you're a portly little guy!" Here are some before and after photos. I also got him a t-shirt.

Rufus Stays Downstairs

2007-10-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

Because of Seth's allergies, Rufus isn't allowed upstairs. Every night, while we're getting ready for bed, we look downstairs and see this:

Rufus Attacks His Bed

2007-10-08T14:31:00.001-07:00

This is what I alluded to a few posts ago. He's a vicious little dog.

Rufus Howls

2007-10-03T18:02:00.001-07:00

Rufus looked bored, so I riled him up.

Rufus Gets a Bath

2007-10-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

Ruf was getting a little smelly so we gave him a bath. It was his first time upstairs in our house, and he probably won't ever want to go back.

Rufus Covets

2007-10-01T19:46:00.001-07:00

The poor allergic dog wants the steak sandwiches.

Sitting politely is good, but it will only get you so far.

Poor dog hasn't given up yet. Mmmmmm......steak.......

Rufus goes to Ben & Jerry's

2007-10-01T19:43:00.001-07:00

He was a very good dog.

Rufus sleeps

2007-10-01T19:37:00.001-07:00

Every night, Rufus attacks his bed and puts in upside down. It doesn't seem to be affecting his sleep.

Rufus Marks His Territory

2007-10-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

Rufus marks his new territory.
One of the necessary duties of having a dog!
Going for a walk in our Capitol Hill Neighborhood.

Rufus' (temporary) new house.

Mr. Rufus Goes to Washington

2007-09-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

Rufus has immigration problems and won't be allowed back in the UK until February. So he is staying with relatives in Washington, DC, until he can go home. This blog will allow Rufus' many fans across the world to see how he's doing.