Babu (Not to be confused with Baba)

Babu is our "Guy Friday". When I need milk from the grocery store, he's the man to get it. When I'm out of fruit for Luis, I call Babu. When the A/C guys come to service the units, Babu is the guy who follows them around, watching them like a hawk, to make sure they don't steal anything or eat our food (equally offensive crimes around here). When Pavarti (the cleaning lady) was out sick for a week, Babu covered for her. I've never seen the landscaper, but Babu has been caring for the plants on the terrace.

Babu also walks Ashley twice a day, usually for about 45 minutes each walk. Ashley hasn't gotten this much exercise since we worked construction in Arizona. When it's raining out (or if she happens to find lots of puddles along the way), he cleans off her paws and belly before bringing her back into the apartment. And after each walk, he gives her a cookie. He does, like me, make her do a trick for it. His favorite is to set the cookie on her nose and then have her catch it in the air.

I would love to say that I take her for 90 minutes of walking a day. Heck, I'd love to say that I take ME for 90 minutes of walking a day. And I think I would if it weren't for the heat. I just can't do it every day. With a dog and a baby. Regardless of who takes her, Ashely is much, much better off to be getting out so much.

And, almost every day, Luis and I join her down in the garden for a frisbee session. I'm not sure if it's all this exercise, or the fact that Ashley doesn't have to navigate any steps, but her hips seem to be in great shape. She can play frisbee until she can barely breathe - jumping, twisting, catching the disc in the air - but her hips never seem to bother her afterwards. It really makes me happy to see.

It seems that Ashley is mostly settled in. She knows the people who come each day and now barks at them with the "excited! welcome!" bark, as opposed to the "stranger danger" bark. (Unfortunately, both barks are equally annoying to Diego and me.) She carries her rawhide bone with her all around the apartment - except for when she's carrying her kong. If she'd only do some more chewing on the raw hide, I'd be certain that she's feeling at home.