On the phone with Land’s End tonight (ordering new pants) when Ripley started barking from the deck. The Land’s End lady says, “You have a Golden Retriever.” Whoa! “We have a Golden,” she explains, “and I recognized the bark. I do that with customers all the time.” Give that lady a biscuit.
Category Archives: Dogs
Barb’s new Lexus
Barb’s Camry died (after ten years) so it was off to St. Louis to shop for a new one this weekend. I spent two very comfortable hours in the waiting area of the Lexus dealership while Barb talked herself into buying an RX330. Hard to call something this nice a sport utility vehicle. I confess to being pretty impressed with the Lexus “experience.” A greeter met us when we arrived and introduced Barb to her “sales and leasing consultant.” Apparently, you don’t have to sell the Lexus. The consultant is there to “assist you with your purchase.”
Lots of nice touches. If you have a breakdown on the road, Lexus sends out a flat-bed truck (“…we don’t tow”), puts you up in a hotel and provides you with a loaner. I watched the switchboard operator for a couple of hours. When she paged someone from the parts department, they arrived as quickly as they could. If they tagged on “…for a customer” to the page, the person arrived immediately. Just lots of little things like that. The dealership provided lunch for all employees. So, we started with a Tercel, then a Corolla, a Camry, 4 Runner and now, a Lexus. Well over a million miles in Toyota’s.
He’s home!
Every night I arrive home, pull into the garage and get out of the car. Above me, Andie and Ripley are scrambling. I can hear their toe nails on the hard wood floors. Andie is frantically searching for a favorite toy. As I trudge up the steps, we’re both making noises. They’re moaning with anticipation at seeing one of their humans. I’m speaking that modified baby talk that child-free dog owners use with their pets. I always know what I’ll see when I turn the corner and head up the last flight of stairs. The two Golden’s, side by side, delighted to see one of their humans. Just one of life’s little joys that I try not to take for granted.