Happy Amsterdamiversary to Us!

On September 2, we celebrated our one-year anniversary in this new world. Because Suzanne spent almost two weeks traipsing around the U.S. - leaving me behind, I might add - I agreed to take on the blog-writing assignment this week. Also, I hear the previous blog I wrote was the most popular one yet, at least among the dog-crazed F.O.S. (Friends/Family of Suzanne). There are quite a lot of you.

It's hard to look back on the year and pick out just a few highlights. But I'll try my best. At the top of the list is making so many wonderful new friends. When we first got here, we wandered the streets and parks, just my Drucker-Vine parents and me. We were lucky enough to often be shepherded around (pun intended)  by our only friends in Amsterdam at that point: the Shepherds. They had two years of Amsterdam life under their belts, so they knew everything - from where to buy a vacuum (a necessity with my black fur) to where to get the best food (a necessity for both my parents). The most important thing about the Shepherds, however, is their dog Ruby.

Here's Ruby after one of her overnights at our place. That's her blue luggage behind her. The Albert Hein grocery store (where she must have bought her bag) is one of the few places here where dogs aren't allowed. Their loss. I could wipe the floor clean for them, for free.

I get to stay overnight at Ruby's house sometimes if my parents go away, and she gets to come here when hers do. Luckily for us, both of those things have happened quite a lot this year. Ruby eats her food really slowly, so I can usually muscle in and grab some before I get caught. Now I know her so well that whenever we get to her street (parallel to mine) I pull and pull just to get a whiff of her. sweet self. Here's the song that goes though my mind as we head down her street, Valeriusstraat. Only instead of Dear Prudence, I hear Dear Ruby inside my head. ("Dear Ruby, won't you come out to play?").

It's not that we were lonely when we first arrived. It's just that we knew no one, so we did a lot on our own. O.K., so maybe we were lonely from time to time. At some point, my mom got up her nerve to join The American Women's Club of Amsterdam and The International Women's Club. A wise decision, because many of those gals at AWCA have dogs. We message each other on Facebook and walk together. At the end of the walk, there is often coffee or other beverages. And some of the gals are packing...treats, that is. So I look forward to those expeditions. And once I became friends with those dogs, my mom found herself becoming friends with the humans. You're welcome, mom.

From the left: Wylie (originally from Texas), Buddy (from Georgia), Lucy and Oliver (from Georgia), me, and Baxter (recently repatriated to Washington. Miss you, friend). Worst part of that day: standing on a wicker chair. Whose idea was that? Not any of the dogs, that's for sure. 

This shot gives you a good view of the dining room in our apartment. That's my mom's knitting group. Do you see the important work you can do when you are on sabbatical? I park myself under the table to catch the crumbs. 

I'm working on my own project. 

All that walking helps keep me fit. In fact, I even ran my first marathon. It's one of those events that could only be in Amsterdam, home to all things dog-related. To be honest, the running part wasn't all that wonderful, but my friend Buddy was right in front of me, so I passed the time by following his smell. I was literally showered with treats from the moment we arrived, so that made the 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles) easier to swallow. I overindulged in the treats that day. I'll spare you the details. Let's just say it was a long walk home afterwards.

Before the race, we stopped at the booths. This one was for Doggy Dating. I don't need an app for that. I do just fine on that score.

Oh, the things I do to keep her happy.

Of course, I miss my family and my Maplewood friends. But I am beginning to feel like Amsterdam is my home. Most of the people around our neighborhood are really nice to me. I especially like the man who owns the local pet store, Jeroen, and the young lady, Minoes, who owns the dog salon. They both have a steady supply of treats at the ready when I pass by. And pass by we do, because they are right on the way to Vondel Park, our neighborhood park. 

And when I lift my head every so slightly, I can get a better whiff of the treats in his pocket. He is the happiest man I know. He whistles and sings all day long. And he delivers my big bag of dog food right to our door, on his motor scooter. My stylist (on the right) is Rachel's age, I think. 

As I have mentioned, it's a dog-centric world here. I have ridden on a tram and a bus, been to clothes stores, the pharmacy, and to many a café.  That's not to say that everyone here likes dogs, however. We're still trying to figure out what the rules are. Most people let their dogs walk free in the park, and some even let them roam around off-leash on busy streets. I'm pretty sure there's a rule that dog owners have to clean up after their dogs, but you might not know it from the look of things. My folks carry a plastic bag around like it's their wedding ring. And yet, we have found ourselves scolded more than once for offenses we didn't know were even a problem. The other day, a woman stopped us when I was in mid-leglift next to a lamppost and told us (in Dutch) we shouldn't "go" there. It's just one of those moments when you realize you are in a foreign country with a different set of rules.  We did have to pay a hundred-euro dog tax last year, which some say made people cranky. "I'm paying enough in taxes, so the city should pick up my dog's poop," seemed to be the prevailing philosophy. Well, they just repealed that dog tax, so let's see what happens now. Look out below when you walk, my friends! 

Just to be clear: the bike wasn't there at the time of the offense. I guess fancy lampposts are off-limits here. Or at least they were that day. To this dog. With that lady.

On the other hand, some experiences are different - as in way better - here. Take my frequent visits to the vet. I've made more than a few visits to the vet for the usual medical glitches we older dogs get. Imagine my surprise when I found an office filled with ladies (no gents), each one more tall and beautiful than the next. They shower me with koekjes (dog treats) and call me Meneer (Mr.). As you can see, my Dutch is improving. I especially like it when they say, "Goed zo!" ("Well done!") because it usually means a koekje or two is about to rain down on me. What's not to love? Plus, if they do any tests, they call my mom that day with the results. We have heard that when humans go to the doctor here, you will almost always be told you don't need medicine or any tests. Just rest up and you'll be fine. My mom says that's what her father, a gastroenterologist, used to say no matter what ailed her. So she was raised with a Dutch medical philosophy in Trenton, N.J. That philosophy doesn't apply when it comes to four-legged creatures, however. I've had an ultrasound, several blood and urine tests, and am currently on two meds. One is to make my coat more shiny. The other is to tune up my kidneys. They spare no expense when it comes to pet care here.  

You can make yourself a coffee while you wait. Don't tell anyone that I licked some of the mugs while looking for the treats.

Here's one of my friends, Caitlyn. She's so friendly, and she always has a treat for me, no matter how busy she is. Plus she looks like a model. Any wonder I love going to this place?

I'm not going to lie: it hasn't all been a bed of tulips. For one, I don't have my own house anymore. Up until a few months ago, there was a British family living upstairs with three adorable kids with posh accents and loud feet. At eight a.m., they all ran down the stairs for school, and it made me crazy. But we figured that it was an even trade-off: their clomping and my barking, so neither of us complained. They moved back to England this summer, so we'll see who moves in. Hopefully, a family who believes in wearing soft slippers. All that noise has made me a little crazy at times, so my folks have taken to using a baby gate again to keep me from climbing our steep stairs to the bathroom and gorging on toilet paper. Hey, a dog has to do what a dog has to do, right? I still have that famous appetite, and am ready for the next meal while the current one is going down. My mom says I take after her side of the family.

I think it's all of the exercise I get that has kept me hungry. I do love the parks around here. 

All the rain we have had this summer has made the grass really nice. Those houses across the pond aren't too shabby, either.

I think Fall is starting early. Do you notice that I look a bit less morose when I have to pose for photos this year? Many of you remarked that I looked forlorn in most of them when we first arrived. Observant creatures, aren't you?

We have had our eye on this Greta Garbo/Jackie O.-lady since we arrived. She wears dark glasses even in the rain, and walks her five dogs without sharing a smile or a word with any humans. Just another mysterious dog person in Amsterdam. 

Here's the Amsterdamse Bos, where my dog walker Chantal takes me when my mom is busy or when my folks are traveling. The website proudly proclaims that it is three times bigger than Central Park. I love it, no matter how big it is.

Here's Chantal. We go for a hike even in the pouring rain. Then she writes a note in a diary at my house about how our adventure went. Just like at the vet's office: service with a beautiful smile!

So, all in all, it has been a wonderful year, full of new adventures and smells. I do miss the old people, places, and perfumes. When our friends Kate and Howard showed up on our doorstep in July, I knew right away from the smell who they were, and I made a big fuss over them. Even through the haze of their jetlag, I could tell how happy they were to see me, too. So bring your smells with you to visit. I'm always happy to show people around my new home.

I think that moving far away may just be one of those big life events that are a little easier when you have a pet to help you through them. Or maybe that's just how it seems from my perspective. My mom's friend Laurie brings dogs in to help people who are in hospice, and when Rachel had spine surgery, the hospital brought a dog in to cheer her up. It worked! When my mom was in the U.S., she met one of Rachel's professors, whose dog is having some serious health issues. The prof brings his dog into the office every day. I'm no expert, but it sure seems like those two were helping each other through some tough times.

Moving to Amsterdam isn't quite like those events. It isn't life-shattering, but it is life-splintering. All your routines are new and different, and so are the people and places you frequent. So I like to think that I played a big part in Suzanne and Peter's adjustment to expat life. Some of you may say it all boils down to science: that when I gaze at my folks, I'm releasing oxytocin in their brains. It's what the New York Times called a dog's "look of love". I can just hear my mom's dad (PopPop) laughing at the idea that a dog can understand and communicate with a human. Call it what you will, our bond helped keep us sane during the dark and rainy days here. And no recap of a year In Amsterdam would be complete without a brief mention of the weather. Good thing I don't mind walking in the rain! 

The rain and wind combine for some pretty crazy tree-tipping here!

Just like the late, great Whitney Houston (what a voice, before her sad unravelling) I was born in Newark. And the words of the song ring true for me as I think back on our first year here in Amsterdam. In the beginning, I was all they had, especially Suzanne, and I know they needed me. And that's how we made it through the year!

Home is really where your bed is and your peeps are. Whether I'm in Maplewood or Amsterdam, as long as I've got them around, I'm happy. Oh, and I need my food, too. I'm on a low-salt diet now, so if you bring me some treats, you'll have to sneak them past my vets.

And here are some of the people I like to turn my "look of love" on.

This one's for you, Uncle Don. Apparently, there aren't many photos of Peter in this blog. That's because he likes to have his photo taken about as much as I do.

Rachel, on the other hand, is usually happy to pose. Paris may be taking down their love-locks, but they are still going strong in Amsterdam.

Happy Amsterdamiversary to us!