Having begun the year with gratitude for the past, I had little idea of what the future held. Every lead had become a dead end, so I never got my hopes up. Then, finally, in the second week of January, Tucker and I were given official marching orders.
Thrilled to get the band back together again from our 2022 film adventure, we also gained a newcomer to the band but an old favorite from home: Gordie.
The plan was that since Tucker taught him so much about how to be a dog in a house while he was in our care, that he could extend his lessons to office work.
But Gordie got to be free-range, and Tucker was bound a bit closer to my side. Even though life has changed a lot for pit bulls in the last decade, pit bulls as large are often still frowned upon, if not screamed about.
Gordie was so grateful to have found his person, he never strayed far. Tucker, on the other hand, was always one step away of finding a new adventure and embarking on it with the assumption I’d catch up later.
Also, Tucker is a dumpster-diver and his head is the exact height of a wastepaper basket. If he was to free-range, he’d be eating everything in sight, and/or just leave with the person carrying the most tasty treats.
Even still, there was stuff for Gordie to learn, or at least have Tucker as backup if needed. And Gordie got to usurp Tucker’s bed.
Thrilled to get the band back together again from our 2022 film adventure, we also gained a newcomer to the band but an old favorite from home: Gordie.
The plan was that since Tucker taught him so much about how to be a dog in a house while he was in our care, that he could extend his lessons to office work.
But Gordie got to be free-range, and Tucker was bound a bit closer to my side. Even though life has changed a lot for pit bulls in the last decade, pit bulls as large are often still frowned upon, if not screamed about.
Gordie was so grateful to have found his person, he never strayed far. Tucker, on the other hand, was always one step away of finding a new adventure and embarking on it with the assumption I’d catch up later.
Also, Tucker is a dumpster-diver and his head is the exact height of a wastepaper basket. If he was to free-range, he’d be eating everything in sight, and/or just leave with the person carrying the most tasty treats.
Even still, there was stuff for Gordie to learn, or at least have Tucker as backup if needed. And Gordie got to usurp Tucker’s bed.
Occasionally, they shared a bed.
When we moved office locations, Tucker got a proper gate so he could be off leash within my office. However, I still wanted Gordie to be able to come visit, so that meant adding to my extensive dog gear collection: a dog gate with a mini-dog gate entry.
Tucker is a pretty smart dog, and as most parents of precocious children understand: that is both a blessing and a curse.
The mini-access door had three settings for height. The highest was a bit too big. On the smallest setting, Gordie would have to duck to get through. So I set it in the middle. We showed him how to use it, and he was happy to have full access.
Shortly after the gate was installed, I stepped out of the office for the moment and found Tucker close behind me. I thought perhaps the gate didn’t shut properly.
But no.
Upon catching him in the act, I discovered that he simply thought that the way I taught Gordie to get out was also his way:
Tucker is a pretty smart dog, and as most parents of precocious children understand: that is both a blessing and a curse.
The mini-access door had three settings for height. The highest was a bit too big. On the smallest setting, Gordie would have to duck to get through. So I set it in the middle. We showed him how to use it, and he was happy to have full access.
Shortly after the gate was installed, I stepped out of the office for the moment and found Tucker close behind me. I thought perhaps the gate didn’t shut properly.
But no.
Upon catching him in the act, I discovered that he simply thought that the way I taught Gordie to get out was also his way:
I stopped him before he dislocated a hip. And from there on out, Gordie was forced to duck his head through the smallest opening in the gate.
We had some pretty great views in our offices, and a change of scenery every few weeks as we had three different office spaces over the course of a month.
We had some pretty great views in our offices, and a change of scenery every few weeks as we had three different office spaces over the course of a month.
Tucker got to go to a couple of bars on Sunset Blvd, and live the Hollywood dog life.
(Clearly, not impressed.)
But that soon came to end. Six weeks into the job, instead of starting to shoot as planned, the gig ended, pushed to some undetermined in the future.
Disappointed that the band had to break up, but happy many of the members found work, Tucker and I returned home, hoping we could find another crew to care for.
Tucker enjoys working as much as I do: he gets to be part of a big pack, with all their equipment and trucks to explore at basecamp and he gets to visit all the friendly people who are doing what they love for living. A film set is a pretty exciting thing for Tucker and even though we’re in the office 90% of the time, I know he gets the stories from set from people who come to visit and whose lap he sits upon.
And while Tucker and Gordie maintained a professional relationship at work, when Gordie spent the weekend with us, it was all play.
Tucker enjoys working as much as I do: he gets to be part of a big pack, with all their equipment and trucks to explore at basecamp and he gets to visit all the friendly people who are doing what they love for living. A film set is a pretty exciting thing for Tucker and even though we’re in the office 90% of the time, I know he gets the stories from set from people who come to visit and whose lap he sits upon.
And while Tucker and Gordie maintained a professional relationship at work, when Gordie spent the weekend with us, it was all play.
With five months until the next union contract would expire, I was hopeful something would turn up for us. We'd miss the whole gang at work, but we hoped another pack would adopt us for a short time. It just had to happen quickly. However, I had very little control over that. I could only send gratitude and intent out into the universe and see what reflected back. With a new attitude and my bank account no longer running on “E" (just the line above it), it was time for adventures.
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