What was lost, now is found

Sunday I found my missing ball. It was under the sideboard in the dining room. I couldn't reach it, so I stuffed my head under there as FAR as I could. Then mom saw me & retrieved it. I am SO happy to have this ball back. I love it. I forgot how much I loved it until it returned. So now I play with it all the time. If mom & dad won't throw it for me, I toss it for myself. I can bounce it, too. Wanna play ball?

Daycare has real-life applications

Normally Shadow & I like to write about the good stuff in his life. When he was a very young puppy he wasn't snuggled and fussed over 24/7. So I like to focus on how great his life is now.

But this week I was reminded that I can't protect him from every bad thing out there. Thankfully, he's a very smart little dog and he doesn't need 100% protection.

We went for a walk Sunday evening in our little neighborhood. He was on the flexi leash and I was zoning out because no one is ever walking on our street. I mean, it's Q-U-I-E-T in our little cul-de-sac subdivision. What's the worst that would happen? A cat might cross our path?

And then I looked up and saw 2 BIG dogs standing in the middle of the road with no owner in sight. The big dog's head is close to belt-buckle height and I've heard that the big guy has bitten a woman in our development (not badly, but still...) I had just enough time to say, "Oh bleep" when they both started running toward us.

I thought about picking Shadow up, but then realized with the 2 of them I wouldn't be able to protect him (or hold him high enough). So I did the only thing I could think to do ... I unclipped the leash & told him to run home. Then I turned to yell at the oncoming dogs to GO HOME.

Why would I unclip Shadow? (just in case anyone thinks I was a lunatic for releasing him)

If there was a fight, a leashed dog is physically at a disadvantage.

Leashed dogs are more likely to feel defensive and protective of their owners. The last thing I wanted from Shadow was a bold display of aggression.

Shadow is fast & agile, he had a better chance of outrunning them (or getting into a small space) without being attached to me.

But trust me, as I unclipped that leash I thought, "Please don't be stupid and run the 1/2 mile to the busy road."

Shadow was smart, he ran toward home & stopped about 100' away from me. I got the 2 dogs to stop running just before they reached me (I guess I'm pretty scary) and the smaller one headed for home. The bigger one stayed in the road, but at least he didn't follow me when I started walking backward. Eventually I caught up with Shadow & put his leash back on.

How does this relate to daycare? Simple - Shadow didn't react badly to the charging dogs. He followed directions and didn't become defensive or aggressive toward the other dogs. His body language was appropriate for the situation, and that probably helped prevent a bad situation.

And guess where he learned that? Look at this picture of Shadow and a Great Pyrenees at daycare and you'll know where. Daycare keeps his doggy-skills sharp.

Meeting LARGE groups of people

Camp Bow Wow had a fun day recently with lots of dog rescue groups & games for people (and pets). We all went & I got to see one of my bestest buddies, an American Eskimo Spitz named Pearl. Ailsa wasn't there because she's still traveling with her mom (I miss Ailsa, but she's coming back soon).

I did GREAT! I barked at people at first, but then something happened and I just relaxed and had FUN. I guess everyone was so friendly that after meeting the first 5 people I figured they were all probably nice. I got lots of treats and had a blast. Man, was I tired on the ride home. Its exhausting to meet a few dozen people and dogs.

One of the daycare staff was dressed as a clown and she made balloon collars for us, Pearl and I looked particularly cute in ours, see?

Some pics from Daycare :)

First, we have 3 dogs who look a lot like me. Ruby is a very pretty white german shepherd. She's about 3-4 times my size. Pearl (wearing the bunny ears, how humiliating) is an American Eskimo Spitz and she's a little smaller than me. She's younger, too, and super cute. And Alaska is another spitz-mix. Mom thinks it's cool that Alaska has brown freckles only on her ears. Alaska is a little bigger than me.

Speaking of those awful bunny ears ...

They made me wear them, too. Here I am hopping out of the bucket :) If you make me LOOK like a rabbit, then I'm going to act like one, too.

Of course, the whole point of going to daycare is to play.

Here I am playing with Gracie, and in the next photo I'm playing with Alaska (she's biting my head).

In these pics I'm modeling the ramp with Aubrey (I like to nap on the ramp when I need a break) and showing the all-important "How to Pin your opponent" technique.

Not much else is new. Mom & I have been working on greeting strangers politely lately. I mean, strange people. I like other dogs, but I'm not sure about most humans. If you ever see me out and about the best thing to do is ignore me. Once I realize you aren't going to try to eat me, I'll wander close enough to sniff you. Just give me time.

Recently we took a walk and I was VERY brave about people playing basketball in the cul-de-sac. I didn't even bark at them, mainly because mom kept me busy with stuff to do (sit, down, circle, shake, sit, down ... ). And she had treats. Well, gotta run, I think there's a toad in the backyard that needs to be menaced.

It's good to see the big picture in life

Sometimes you need to see the whole thing to understand life.

For instance, in the photo below it looks like I'm about to chase a furry animal.  Like a squirrel, or a chipmunk, or a cat.

But what I'm really after is that magic water-squirting device my dad is holding. 

Here's another example.  In the first shot it looks like I'm snuggled up to a bed I've made from random things, because I have no real dog beds.  Aren't I pitiful?  See how cheap my mom & dad are, that I have to scrounge for things to use as a bed?

But when we look at a larger picture, you see there is a dog bed.  Hmmm.  Maybe mom & dad aren't as cheap as it seems.

And if we take an even larger view, we can see another dog bed in the upper right corner of the image (next to the blue Wii Fit step that mom & dad don't use as often as they should).

So when I think my life is all work and no play - between daycare, farm dog auditions, and cat herding - I have to think about the bigger picture.  And I probably need to go make a new dog bed, I think there's some clean laundry on the bed that I can reach.

 

Hey, Hey, I wanna be a farm dog

(with my apologies to Nickeback)

Cause we all just wanna be big farm dogs

Living in log cabins, guarding 15 hogs

Farm dogs make the rules, we get to boss the sheep

Working hard all day we really earn our keep

And we hang out with the cats and mom

In the fields and the barn til the daylight's gone

Then we head to the house for a great big meal

Fall asleep happy, it's a darn good deal

Well, hey, hey, I wanna be a farm dog.

It's true, I think I want to be a farm dog.  I love hanging out with Mom & Dad in the yard.  It's the best job ever, and that's what farm dogs do.

I can also help inspect tools:

And I can keep an eye on the woods, scouting for coyotes or other dangerous predators:

       

You may try to tell me that farm life is hard.  It's hot and sweaty work, and the fields don't have running water.  That's okay, I can drink from a watering can.

And I know when to stop & smell the flowers (or eat them):

So I think I'm extremely qualified to be a farm dog.  Now I just need to convince Mom & Dad to live on a farm.

Fun times, Tiring times

Mom didn't come home a few nights this week.  She said something about a business trip.  I missed her, but when she came home I got to go to the dog park.  There were some other dogs there that were just my size - we had fun chasing each other.  This nice lady played with us, too, she threw a ball for us.

While mom was away, I had to play with the cats & with Puff.  But today we played in the yard today, she was moving dirt around and I got to help.  She likes to use a shovel & a wheelbarrow.  I like to use my feet.  Same difference, right?

After all that digging I was very, very tired.  I didn't want to do any exercise, so I took a nap on the treadmill.

Hiking at Hanging Rock Park

Today we went hiking at Hanging Rock Park.  I led the way most of the time.

I got to sniff lots of great smells.  It was a lot of fun.

Here I am at one of the waterfalls with my dad.  He took most of the pictures because he remembered to bring his iPhone but mom forgot her camera at home.

This is me with mom.  Although she forgot her camera, she did bring poop bags and water for me.  I didn't need the bags, but after the walk I drank a lot of water.

One of the hard things about being the trail leader is knowing where to go.  They have lots of signs to help you find your way.  We went to both the hidden falls and the window falls.  There are tons of stone steps that lead to the falls and I climbed down and back up all on my own.  Dad was talking about having to carry me, but I showed him.  All in all, it was a good time & I was smiling almost the whole time we were there (when I wasn't sniffing).  I hope we go back again.

Rainy Day Play

  Today it is raining.  Yesterday it rained.  And the day before that it rained, too.

The yard is muddy & I need to play.  So we play Fetch in the house.  I like to play fetch with lots of stuff.  A ball is cool because it bounces and rolls.  And Puff is cool because I can chew on different parts of him.  If I chew on his big belly he squeaks.

So Mom throws Puff down the hall & I get him.  Then we play tug-o-war with Puff a little bit, then I chew on him.  Then Mom throws him again.

You will notice that even if Puff curls up and plays dead, I keep biting him.  I find it very soothing to gnaw on his spines and ears.  I also like that in Puff's eyes I am a formidable dog.  This is a Puff's eye view of me (don't I look dangerous?)

S-N-O-W !!!!

Where are the normal yard-smells?  What's under this stuff?

This stuff is everywhere.  Look at it!  And it makes my feet cold.