Rooster is the kind of dog that defines the phrase “man’s best friend”. This rescue dog has never met a person he doesn’t love and has charmed his way into the hearts of many in my hometown. He’s sweet and gentle and does great with kids. He is, by all accounts and in my humble opinion, the best dog in the world.
The only downside is that he is now roughly 13 years old and as a labrador retriever, the odds of him living another few years are slim. We’ve seen the signs of aging catch up with him for years now and it’s more apparent every day that he’s not going to be with us forever, despite how much I want him to be.
So in the indeterminate amount of time we have left with him, I’ve come up with a bucket list of things to do before he leaves us. We might do just a couple or we might do them all. The only thing I can say for sure is that I hope he has an amazing time with us.
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Go to a dog bar.
The wonderful thing about my hometown is how exceptionally dog friendly it is. It’s so dog friendly that there is in fact a bar that allows both dogs and their owners! There are couches inside, treats and toys galore, and a fenced in area out back for wrestling and games of fetch. Rooster has been to this dog bar a couple times now but I think he might be up for at least one more trip
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Go to the beach
Another plus about living where we do is that there are no shortages of beaches that allow dogs! Rooster LOVES the beach and would gladly spend hours in the sand and wading into the water. While there are a few beaches in the northwest that don’t allow dogs (primarily for environmental reasons), there are many others that do!
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Watch ducks at a park
Rooster would have made an excellent hunting dog if given the chance. When we first got him, there were several times in which he took off into a body of water (usually a lake) after some ducks or geese! He never caught anything luckily, as the birds often just swam circles around him, and he isn’t doing much chasing nowadays. But there’s this one pond in my town that almost always has ducks on it. Even though he might not swim after them, he still has a blast watching them go by.
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Go back to Hovander Homestead Park
This park has a special place in my heart because I grew up going to it and during part of the year, there are all kinds of animals that temporarily call this park home. And with Rooster, this place is even more special! He loves going to this park, especially when there are rabbits to stare down.
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Meet more animals
So far in his life, Rooster has meet a whole lot of other animals. He loved coming over to see the sheep and Shasta the llama when they were still next door. He’s also meet chickens, cats, rabbits, and goats! While Shasta and the sheep are no longer next door, there are other ways Rooster can interact with other animals, including going back to Hovander Park!
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Have a party!
One of my favorite tidbits about Rooster is that he has to say hi to everyone in a room before he lays down for the night. He’s accompanied me to more than one dinner party or event and each time, he’s gone up to every single person to say hi! **This one is more up in the air, as party planning is not one of my strengths and while he does love people, I do worry about Rooster getting overwhelmed.
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Eat some cake and some gelato! (Dog friendly kinds of course)
Rooster is a notoriously picky eater and lately, that’s especially been true. But there are so many recipes and even a few dog bakeries in the Seattle area that it’s totally possible for him to have a cake and eat it too! And there’s even a place in Seattle that does dog friendly gelato.
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Nap in the cool grass under a tree
Rooster is one spoiled guy for so many reasons. One such reason is that he has so many comfy places to take a rest during the day! He has two dog beds and three comfy couches to call his own but during the spring and summer, he loves to be outside in the front yard. When we’re doing yard work in the front yard, he’s often right there with us, napping in the cool grass or underneath a Japanese Cedar tree.
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Wear a flower crown
It is exceptionally difficult to get Rooster to pose for the camera or wear anything on his head. He’s surprisingly worse than Milo and Milo often tries to eat the flower crowns I make for him. But I don’t think I can pass up making a flower crown for him!
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Get rated by WeRateDogs
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who would love their dog to be rated by the ever popular Twitter account WeRateDogs. Ratings are always funny and sweet! One day, I hope Rooster will get his own rating.
I’ll definitely keep you all updated on all our adventures! Follow along here on the blog or on social media using the hashtag #RoosterDogsBucketList.
Are there things that we should do? Or are there things you’ve done with your dog? I would love to hear from you with suggestions or stories! Let me know in the comments.
