August 5 is National Work Like a Dog Day. It’s a day for people to emulate the work ethics and perseverance of canines. It’s also an occasion to acknowledge those who work hard and make our lives better. 

We celebrated this holiday a little early this year by having a garage sale in July. My husband helped me lug boxes, books and furniture outside and set up tables. And despite my vows to never have another garage sale again, he unearthed the signs he’d saved from the previous sale. I was grateful I didn’t have to buy and make more signs, and I appreciated him dutifully going out at sunrise and affixing them to street signs and telephone poles one last time.

Chip was up early too and barked to let us know that the alarm would be going off soon. 

At 16 1/2 years old, Chip has spent his life as a model worker. He consistently shows up for his job, has called in sick just a couple of times and only used a total of 10 vacation days when we drove around the Gulf of Mexico with all three of our dogs in 2018. 

He is an experienced and passionate professional with a stellar resume! He is detail oriented (keeps the floor completely free of food debris), results driven (has zero tolerance for squirrels in the peach trees and yard), an excellent team player (is a congenial and engaging host to visiting dogs) and possesses impeccable people skills (gives unconditional love and protection under any circumstance).

On the morning of the garage sale, which was advertised to start at 8 a.m., our self-motivated pooch took up a position at the front door. With a sweeping view of the street, the sidewalk and our driveway, he began to bark excitedly around 7:15 a.m. when the early birds arrived. As the day wore on, I made dashes into the house for snack, water and bathroom breaks, confident that Chip would let me know when a bargain hunter arrived so I could hurry back out to the garage. Our model employee faithfully sat by that door all day.

By Saturday evening we were exhausted, relieved to be finished with the last garage sale ever. Chip was rewarded for his hard work with a trip to the ice cream shop where he devoured a well-deserved Doggie Dish. My husband and I treated ourselves to takeout and a couple episodes of “Daisy Jones and the Six” with Chip snoring loudly between us on the couch. We all three had worked like… well, dogs on that garage sale. 

I’m not sure how we will commemorate August 5. Who knows? Maybe we can tackle all the weeds that proliferated during our bountiful rains, which could lead to another special day designation—August 6: National Ache to the Bone Day.