Have you ever been asked by a dog to weigh him? I have been about twice a week.

I'm an early riser.  Too many years of getting up at stupid o'clock to get to Fairmount Park on the weekends and to the gym at work before checking in did it.

Beat the rush, you end up resetting your clock.

After all, a full workout, shower, and getting done in time for whatever normal is takes time.

So here I am, at home, and I can't sleep past 5:15 in the morning no matter how hard I try.

There is a definite routine, and even that is carved in stone.  Now that Rack the McNab SuperDog (TM) is getting older, I have to get him outside immediately.

Oh sure, he is at my side of the bed, on his back, waiting for tummy rubs.  100 count, I am not stingy when I can.

Then I get him out, and wait. 

After all that I am in the bedroom.  Right in front of the full length mirror, there is an electronic scale.  I weigh myself, and start to get dressed.

However.

Many mornings, Rack decides "me too".

I look down and see twin brown laser beams looking back up at me as I pull up the zipper on my shorts and T-shirt over my head.

"Rack, show me?"  I ask him to look at what he wants me to do for him.

Lately, he looks at the scale.  It's like the little kid looking up to big brother because "Me Too" is how we all learn.  If he doesn't look at the scale, he walks over to it and touches it.

Gently.  One foot on the grey vinyl covering, then the other.

He doesn't yet understand all feet have to be on the square so I have to help.

"Let me help" I say as I scoop him up and lift all four feet on the scale.  It's more like a hug.  I think he likes the physical attention.

I bend deeply and get two readings.  "You're such a good boy".  I feel his tail brush my legs as he steps off the mechanism and walks off.

Rack has always been small for the McNab breed.  He has had digestion issues and allergies, and I made his food as a result.  So there is a blue post-it note stuck to that mirror telling me that his weight was 43.6 pounds as of September 1 and was 41.2 as of April. 

Good.  A little padding is fine.  He's an athletic dog, and a little extra padding helps.

Then I sit on the bed to put my shoes and he helps.  We play the Leg Game where he weaves between legs and gets extra praise and pets and more contact.

You know, it really is a great way to start a day.