Hey, friends! It’s Morgan Noel. You usually see my here on the blog when I’m doing The Dog Blog, but today I am taking a turn at Day in The Life. I have a pretty busy schedule, what with training Chocolate Chip for Junior Regional Dog Agility Championships, but I managed to take notes throughout the day of what I did – so here you go!
8:00 AM: Time to get up! Chocolate Chip wakes me by licking my face and rubbing my arms with his paws. If I’m lucky, I can take a quick shower before Crystal demands the bathroom for one two three hours. Chocolate Chip sits next to the shower the entire time.
8:30 AM: I feed CC his breakfast – dry dog food – and then feed myself – granola with coconut milk, since I’m lactose intolerant. After Chocolate gobbles down his food, he lays down at my feet and looks up at me expectantly. Unfortunately, granola is not the most nutritious food for canines, so I feed him a small doggie bone while I wash my dishes.
9:00: Before I start school, I take CC on his morning walk. He sniffs every stop sign and bush along the way, informing all of the neighborhood dogs that he’s passed through here today.
9:30 AM: Schoolwork time! I usually start with history. Today I read aloud to Chocolate about Aztec kingdoms. He stares up at me the entire time, listening intently.
12:30 PM: After three hours of schoolwork, CC and I head out on our noontime walk. This time, we go to the neighborhood park, which is occupied by several parents and their not-yet-old-enough-for-school children. Chocolate Chip is always a big hit when we come here. Little kids really like animals, that’s for sure.
1:00 PM: Back to the schoolwork grind. I finish up a report I’m doing on modern-day service dog training, as well as taking a math test. Finally, I can get to the fun part of my afternoon!
2:00 PM: Chocolate and I head out to the backyard, where CC’s agility course is waiting. To get warmed up, we review basic commands such as sit, stay, speak, and heel. Then, Chip and I practice the A-frame obstacle. Chocolate Chip always gets a bit nervous when he goes on it, so we practice until he can make it up and down without balking at the top.
4:30 PM: It’s my day to cook dinner. Crystal, Lindsey, McKenna, Emily, Molly, Tessa, and I take turns making dinner every day of the week. We don’t trust Grace with sharp knives, so she’s relegated to making dessert every day.
5:30 PM: I serve dinner and we all discuss what we did during the day. Emily, Tessa, and Lindsey went for a hike. Crystal forced McKenna to go to the mall with her (poor McKenna!) Grace and Molly practiced their French together. After dinner, Graces serves us raspberry and kiwi tarte tatin.
7:00 PM: I feed CC dinner and then we go on our evening walk. I bring Tessa with me – I’m trying to get her used to dogs. She didn’t have one back in Alabama. After the agility fiasco last week, I don’t think she really wants to hang out with CC and me anymore. She still has a small bruise on her forehead.
8:00 PM: I enlist McKenna and Grace to help me give Chip a bath. They’re the two most dog-friendly girls in the AGIA family. Chocolate is a fan of getting wet, but he’s so big that it takes forever for one person to bathe him. The girls and I rub him down with buttermilk doggie shampoo, and then rinse him off. CC keeps barking at the water coming out of the showerhead.
9:00 PM: Chocolate Chip and I get ready for bed. I pull on my pajamas, brush my teeth, and wash my face, and then CC and I climb into bed. Chip puts his head on my pillow and falls fast asleep. I stay up for a little while longer and read a chapter of my new book on agility training before turning off the lights. See y’all in the morning!
American Girls in Alaska 