Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Pompey: Daddy's Little Helper

Pompey, like many (if not most) dogs (and humans, too), enjoys gamboling about outdoors when the weather is pleasant.  This past weekend at Darlington House, one of the loveliest weekends of this summer so far, Pompey was determined to slip out the door and into the sunshine at every opportunity.


As I've written before, we've had a dry summer in the Hudson River Valley.  So we've needed to do a lot of watering of our lawns and potted plants.


I spend much of each weekend pulling around a hose, delivering water from our well to thirsty plants and grass.


Pompey is a curious little fellow, and he likes to be in the thick of things.  He was determined to be helpful in my watering efforts.


What he really did was mostly get in the way.  But in a very cute way.


After a while Pompey lost interest in my watering activities, as pugs do in these sort of things.  They really don't have very long attention spans.


It is much more interesting to sniff around the base of one of the urns.


"Pompey, what are you doing?"


As can be seen by the pools of liquid on the bluestone at the base of the urn, Pompey did exactly what most dogs do after sniffing around.  Oh, that's not right!  That's the overflow from when I just watered the urn!


Afterwards, Boy asked, "Now, what do you plan to do, Pompey?"


Our little darling turned, then headed back up towards the house.


But first a stop was in order, on the way to the door, to examine the hose again.


"Pompey, do you know what time it is?" I asked.  "It's DINNER time!"


With that, he promptly turned and trotted toward the door.


Do you see that marble step Pompey is standing on?  We had it made for the house.  It weighs over three thousand pounds, and extends well below the bricks.


Eagerly anticipating his dinner, Pompey waits by the door, with visions of kibble dancing in his little head.


Hooray!  Dinner at last!

Photographs by Boy Fenwick

38 comments:

  1. So cute! We are in the dog days here, and I'm afraid I have far less spirit for the outdoors than sweet Pompey! I'm loving your herringbone brick patio/porch. It looks lovely in the shade.

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  2. What a charming post! I do love it when Pompey makes an appearance, and an entire post starring the adorable little guy is a real treat.

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    1. Thank you Bitsy, Pompey is a darling, isn't he? RD

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  3. Ah, he's a charmer, no doubt about it.
    Edward and Apple are enduring a hot, humid, sticky summer... once again. Fortunately, we keep the house cold as a cucumber for them and they are happy.
    xo,
    p

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    1. PT&E: We all love our air-conditioning, don't we? RD

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  4. Just loved this post. Pompey is adorable.

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  5. Precious pup - such personalities. Ours is thoroughly spoiled by my working from home and takes full advantage of running in and out whenever something ventures by and warrants a barking.

    The marble step is thoroughly and vigorously gorgeous. The boot scrap that you have attached is a great detail.

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  6. Dear Pompey...it's wonderful to watch you assist with the gardening duties...what a very good, and very handsome helper you are!

    The marble step is one of the most sensational house accoutrements I think I've ever see...just beautiful...especially with Pompey standing on it!
    xo J~

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  7. Hello Reggie:
    Pompey is certainly very much his own person and, in the way of pets, has clearly developed his own way of going about things.

    It must be very trying for him, as for all animals, to have to endure long, hot days of high humidity.

    Your lawns, in spite of the drought, look to be in very good shape. You are fortunate to have your own water supply but that said, the watering at times like these, as we know from past experience, can be something of a chore [and bore!].

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    1. Hello J&LH: Loved your recent post about your visit to Villa Massei, I long to return there one day. The drought in the Hudson Valley has blessedly ended, and our lawns are now greener than when these photos were taken. Now, if I could only get that crab-grass under control! RD

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  8. My dog liked to drink from the hose, so she was always right with me when watering.

    And I like your neoclassical iron garden seats.

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    1. As a teen I taught our German Shepard to drink from the hose. Unfortunately, he loved it too much. When the neighbors would water their gardens he would escape to drink from their hoses. Only he looked like a giant, scary, viscous dog that wanted to eat the people. He did not make any new friends.

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    2. Emmeleigh, It is too bad that German Shepherds have the reputations they do, fostered by TV and their use as military and police dogs, as the ones I've known are gentle and sweet. RD

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    3. TDC: Thank you, I'm afraid Pompey isn't up to drinking from a hose, as it would knock him over I would think. The garden seats are reproductions of ones designed by Schinkel, and were bought at Boscobel Restoration (on sale!) many years ago. We've painted them in F&B Off Black, No. 57. They give constant pleasure. RD

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  9. Greetings Reggie and to all in the Darling household. Thank you for your engaging tale of Pompey's adventures at ground level. Did you (or Pompey) ever think of writing some of these adventures in book form? Pompey has much to tell (show) the world and an interview with him might be a cult classic. Knowing your interest in signed copies, I can already imagine the autograph (auto-paw?) copy. David

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    1. Hello David, Thank you. The ideas for books are constantly running through my head, and this is certainly one of them. Would that there were enough hours in the day, given that there is this tiresome job of mine (my real one, not blogging) that I must devote ungodly amounts of time to! RD

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  10. This post brought me such joy! Adorable Pompey and his humorous human! Thank you!!

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  11. I adore Pompey's little adventures!

    Oh, and your herringbone brick is lovely with the marble step. Does he ever lay on the marble to cool off?

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  12. Just another random thought - what about a little photo book of Pompey's adventures at Darlington House? In the background would be great antiques and landscaping, appealing to both dog and design lover.

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    1. Hello MNH: A delightful idea, indeed! Now, if I only didn't have my pesky day job and could find the time to do it! RD

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  13. What a delightful series of pawtraits of your little scamper Pompey. He looks to be full of beans and enjoying a long and sunny afternoon.

    Your marble step is most attractive indeed, as is the boot scraper. I can only imagine how many hefty men it took to position the step in place.

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    1. Thank you. The boot scrape is antique, from the early nineteenth century, and was found at a Rhinebeck Antiques Fair. The step took four men and a forklift to install. It is extremely heavy! RD

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  14. What precious images of Pompey helping with the watering. Boy did a great job of catching him at just the right moment. Love your herringbone brickwork and that
    marble step is so spectacular. The story of installing that must be an interesting one. Love your blog.

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    1. Anon, Thnak you. The step took four men, a forklift, and several hours to install. It was quite the production! RD

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  15. Gorgeous house from what I could make out!Love the enclosed room!THAT MARBLE STEP IS BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!BRAVO, which one of you boys had that GREAT idea?

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    1. Contessa, Thank you -- neither Boy nor I can take credit for the marble step, it was the idea of our most brilliant architectural consultant, Isaiah Cornini. RD

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  16. He is just adorable.

    And your step is amazing.

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  17. The herringbone pattern, from what I understand is desirable in climes with snow: it being somewhat slip resistant, unlike a running bond, if iced over-- watch out. HBE

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  18. Pompey's perambulations make him more endearing than ever. His is a winning personality.

    Also, I love that marble stoop and the fact that you had it installed. If I lived there I would get a special enjoyment out of it every time I stepped on it or saw it.

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    1. Thank you, Parnassas, we love both our dear little Pompey and the marple step, both of which give constant pleasure. RD

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  19. Ach! Is that a fluted edge on your stoop?

    You've made me wrechedly jealous, yet again. I'm in the process of convincing the local tombstone man that my stoop and a few fence posts are worth his time. I should just have him carve my name on the back of the thing and save my heirs the expense.

    Pooch cute enough to eat.

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    1. Hello Nick, yes that is fluted edging on our stoop, technically known as "dressed." We felt compelled to do it as Darlington House is covered with white dressed marble--all the window sills, a drip line, etc., and we merely matched what was already there. Thanks, Reggie

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  20. Good looking........lawn you have there. Love the urn too

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  21. So THAT'S what a complete pug looks like....

    Oddly enough, all the pugs I've been around (belonging to three different friends in two different cities) came from "pug-rescue". They're absolutely delightful, quirky little dogs, but every one of them is missing an eye or a leg.

    Obviously, it's a testament to the breed's pluckiness (or perhaps just overweening egotism) that they don't seem to mind or even notice at all....they just keep happily popping around.

    One of the amusing aspects of my pug-owning friends' houses is that they are FILLED with pug-paraphrenalia. Apparently, there's a lot of pug-stuff out there....mugs, tea towels, pillows, t-shirts, lamps, etcetera. For some reason (and my friends roll their eyes over this), folks think that, if you have 1-4 pugs in your house (as my friends do), then the thing you'd want most in the world is 20 or so artificial pugs. one friend keeps all the pug-stuff she's been given over the years in a designated closet. All those slightly creepy pug-things are labelled, so that she can set them out when a particular friend or relative visits.

    I keep west highlands and can assure you that there's a world of "I heart WESTIES!" junk out there. Being ruder than my friends,however, I've simply made it clear that I don't want to look at "Westie" calendars, refrigerator magnets, etcetera; I'm sufficiently busy looking after the real things.

    In any case, that's a handsome dog you got yourself there. Does he, perchance, pee on suitcases and briefcases? My friends' otherwise-quite-housetrained pugs do, since they realize that the appearance of either item means that the owner is planning to go somewhere.

    Sincerely,

    David Terry
    www.davidterryart.com

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    1. Hello David, Thank you for your comment! We do have some pug figures at Darington House, but we limit them to a single shelf, and they are of antique Dresden (mostly), so not of the tea-towel variety of paraphrenalia your friends are subjected to. And fortunately, Pompey does not, as a rule, pee on suitcases or briefcases. Rgds, Reggie

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  22. P.S. I forgot to mention my favorite-pug-ever....an ancient female (must be long-dead by now, since I knew it in the 80's) which belonged to the owners of a fancy, oriental rug shop in Charlottesvile. The floors of the shop were, predictably enough, covered with immense piles of luxurious carpets. The owners' other dog was an immense, 2-or-so year old male mastiff; the dog must have weighed at least 150 pounds. Suffice it to say that its head was bigger than the entire pug.

    The owners brought the dogs to the shop ech day, whereupon the mastiff (not the most lively of dogs) would simply sleep away his day on a pile of rugs....while the pug would curl up on his stomach.

    If the mastiff moved so much as an inch in his sleep, that decrepit old female pug would go absolutely beserk on him (literally so)....barking and snarling and snapping him into completely submission, so that he just sighed, stretched out again, and she was able to go back to sleep. He would whine (insomuch as any mastiff can produce a "whine")piteously, and simply lie there until his pub-dominatrix decided she was through with HER nap.

    I suppose I'd be irritated, too, if my couch started doing things I didn't like.

    I should emphasize that the pug was just as friendly as could be with people. It was only that enormous, male mastiff that got the rod&whip treatment from her.

    amusedly,

    David Terry
    www.davidterryart.com

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  23. Dear Reggie,
    How lucky you are to have such a handsome helper. I always look forward to new chapters
    of The Pompey Chronicles.
    Your humble reader,
    BarbaraG

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  24. Speaking of pug paraphernalia - http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/a-belgian-faience-polychrome-model-of-a-5598107-details.aspx?intobjectid=5598107

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