Yesterday’s “Schnauzerthon”post (See #617), took on a new twist this morning. My wife and I went to the Soulful Giving Concert yesterday to benefit the Yoshida Foundation. It was a beautiful afternoon and evening with friends that involved several cover bands including Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, and Journey along with other groups that played Top 40 hits from the 80’s. We sat in lawn chairs under cover of the VIP tent, had a great lunch provided by several local restaurants, and enjoyed wine and of course the music. Part of the event was a silent auction that kept us engaged most of the day, and we ended up with a dog stroller for our aging pup, Tinker. Our friends bought a wicker picnic basket ensemble that we’ll all hopefully get some use out of on our frequent trips to wine country. We’ll all be together next weekend again at another outdoor, afternoon fundraiser, Polo Noir. It will feature “Nacho,” the polo “god” and the music of The Head and the Heart. Thankfully, there will be no silent auction to further drain our retirement savings.

From the minute we walked into the silent auction tent yesterday afternoon, my wife had her eye on this Air Buggy dog stroller, and frequently updated her bid while the bands played on. Our 100-year old schnauzer, Tinker has struggled on our last couple of weekend exercise outings that I just yesterday dubbed as “Schnauzerthons.” I run, my wife walks, and our two schnauzers get an hour-long airing each weekend morning to break-up their lazy condo-living routines. That all changed with the winning silent auction bid, as Tinker got to ride in her new Air Buggy rather than walk on sore feet this morning. Her schnauzer sister Tally I’m sure was envious, as she seemed even less anxious to run with me. I looped-back several times in an effort to coax her to join me in a sprint. Instead, she seemed even more protective of the pack and refused my invitations by sitting down to anchor any forward movement. I left her with my wife and took Tinker on a fast-paced buggy ride. Her ears were pinned-back by the wind just like when she was able to run, and I’m sure there was a grin on her face. This was the newest twist to the “Schnauzerthon,” that adds a little resistance to my run, especially on those up-hill segments. I do, however, feel a little silly pushing a dog in a stroller.

It’s like a fancy convertible, and looks far superior to the other baby strollers in the park. Tinker gets to sit up high and look down on even some of the tallest dogs in the park. Because of her appropriate nick-name, “The Poopingest Pup on the Planet,” we did have to stop on several occasions so she could do her stinky business. My wife apparently already recognizes her signals to “pull-over,” and we carefully lifted the princess in and out of her carriage, that comes equipped with a multitude of pockets to hold extra doggy-bags. I couldn’t help but notice the smug look on her face that erased the usual grimace of arthritic pain. My wife also felt like she got a better work-out since she could walk at a faster pace and enjoyed the resistance of the stroller as 26-pound Tinker’s primary limo driver. It was Good-Old-Tinker’s lucky day with new wheels thanks to my wife’s generosity, and the beginning of new “Schnauzerthon” twists and challenges that might be easier now that we’ve filled the tires with air.