This week is vacation for me...well, not really because I rarely get away. But this week I have one less dog to care for. One wouldn't think one dog would make that much difference, but Nuala has BIG personality. She also happens to be one of my favorite dogs, but every once in a while it is nice to take a break from those we love.
Nuala is a Wheaten Terrier. Nuala appears to have a severe case of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Not unusual in a terrier, but really she has the most amazing case of terrier brain I have ever experienced.
Nuala is only a knee high dog, but I end up looking her in the face most of the time, she bounces. And she is fantastically trained not to jump up on people, well, on their front side...so often you will find her bouncing off of your back side....just a gentle tap of the feet to let you know she's needing you, in case you'd somehow missed it.
Nuala's game is fetch...tennis ball & chuck it fetch...she is definitely keeping my arm in shape. And she retrieves really well most of the time, unless another dog makes a serious move for her ball, or I don't throw it exactly where she wants it, in which case she just turns around and asks me to throw another ball for her...easily done when we have a multitude of balls to choose from, not such a great game when we have the only ball around. Then I end up fetching...traipsing a hundred yards at a time across a field, on her whim.
My favorite thing though, is that Nuala doesn't want me to feel like I am missing out on the fun, so when she does bring it back, she thanks me for the game of fetch by playing hide and seek with me. She loops around behind me where I can't see her, and deposits her ball behind a tree or bench or any other thing that will cause me to have to search for it. Barring the ability to do that...she will find the muddiest, deepest puddle possible, and place the ball in the middle....if I cannot seek, I must wade.
And Nuala does have a special affinity for puddles. Her game....pee in them. Every one she comes to. Combine this, with Ollie, my mud puddle sponge (see my earlier blog for more info on that), and you can see why a trip to the hose bib is required for Ollie after each park trip.
Which brings us to Nuala's mud velcro. Imagine trying to bathe a cat who just doesn't want to be bathed. That is the same effect you get if you try to hose Nuala down. Her owners have told me to just do my best to towel her off, and leave it at that. Honestly, mud sticks to her like Velcro, and doesn't let go until it dries. I cannot imagine how they manage to keep their home clean...I do my best, but she is just a mess when I am done with her.
So that is what I am missing out on this week. My groups have not been nearly as interesting without her injection of high energy. Benny is doing his best, as a good terrier will, to fill the void. But really, no one is as Nuala as, well Nuala. She's sort of a Nualatic!
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