Thursday was a rare day. I only had two dogs with me at the park. So much individual attention is a really nice thing once in a while. However, the two dogs I had with me were my terriers, Nuala and Bennie. So of course, they chose to spend their time on opposite ends of the park. Nuala wanted to be at the North field. She likes playing fetch there because she gets to hide the ball in the trees once she has fetched it up, thereby having a game of hide-and-seek with me while I am having a game of fetch with her.
Bennie decided the tree at the south end of South field was the place to be. The weekend bartender for a fine local establishment was sitting at the picnic table under the tree there, and Bennie really enjoyed his quiet calm demeanor, and his fun dogs. Bennie enjoyed it so much, that even though he came and checked in with me once, he immediately went back to the corner, and never came back. So once Nuala was appropriately exhausted, I went to check on Bennie. And instead of following, Nuala being a terrier and in charge of her self, stayed under the big tree in the middle of the park for about 15 minutes before she came to find me.
Having a pack follow you around you can feel a bit like a pied piper sometimes. Thursday was a nice change for me. A chance to enjoy each of the dogs for their own beauty and style without balancing their needs against the needs of the other dogs in the pack. As small as my packs are, this isn't generally an issue for me, but sometimes it's nice to be able to give one dog 99% of your attention, even if it is only for 15 or 20 minutes.
Teddie the Golden Doodle
Lazy Summer Days
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Fickle Furry Fiend
One of my old clients got tired of her job, and decided to go into the dog walking business as well. One might think having more "competition" would be a bad thing, but in fact our businesses are so completely different that it has been fantastic. She does not take dogs to the off leash areas, she does leash walks and handles vacation care. And having her around has made it possible for me to take a couple of vacations over the last few years, because she can leash walk my dogs when I am away. She is also a great referral source for me, as I am for her, because she will occasionally end up with a client whose dog needs more than she is set up to give.
Izzy is one of those dogs, but it a completely weird way. Izzy is stubborn as the day is long. Yesterday I got a phone call wondering if I was near home. It seems Izzy had walked to a certain point, say 1/2 mile from where they had parked, and was refusing to move. Not dragging along behind, not really busy sniffing something. Butt planted on the ground, feet dug in, refusing to move under any circumstances in any direction. Fortunately, I had just arrived home from finishing my dog day, so I loaded up again and went to pick them up.
Now you have to understand. Izzy goes to the park with me once a week. She could easily handle two trips, and she has a great time at the park. But getting her to walk from her house to the truck is really tough. Some days she just walks right out as if nothing was unusual, others she requires bribes, and others she refuses to go, at which point I've taken to dealing with her like I would an obstinate toddler. Do you want to walk to the car, or do you want me to carry you? Seriously! I would normally never force a dog to do anything. But with Izzy, it isn't fear, or a dislike for the truck, or the dogs, or the park, she is really happy once I have loaded her into the truck and loves the park beyond measure. It is just stubbornness and a determination to be in control. On the one occasion when her signals say "no", which has only happened once and it was this week, I made sure she peed, gave her some love, and then left her at home.
So the greeting I got when I arrived to pick them both up was hilarious. She could NOT have been happier to see me. All tail wags and loves. And she ran over to the back of my truck and hopped right in. Silly girl. Silly fickle frustrating, damn my back doesn't need to carry you to the truck 50lbs of DOG! Normally I say I really don't think I want to know what my dogs are thinking. But honestly, I'd love to know what goes on in that dog's mind, and how long they would have had to stand in that spot had I been elsewhere.
Izzy is one of those dogs, but it a completely weird way. Izzy is stubborn as the day is long. Yesterday I got a phone call wondering if I was near home. It seems Izzy had walked to a certain point, say 1/2 mile from where they had parked, and was refusing to move. Not dragging along behind, not really busy sniffing something. Butt planted on the ground, feet dug in, refusing to move under any circumstances in any direction. Fortunately, I had just arrived home from finishing my dog day, so I loaded up again and went to pick them up.
Now you have to understand. Izzy goes to the park with me once a week. She could easily handle two trips, and she has a great time at the park. But getting her to walk from her house to the truck is really tough. Some days she just walks right out as if nothing was unusual, others she requires bribes, and others she refuses to go, at which point I've taken to dealing with her like I would an obstinate toddler. Do you want to walk to the car, or do you want me to carry you? Seriously! I would normally never force a dog to do anything. But with Izzy, it isn't fear, or a dislike for the truck, or the dogs, or the park, she is really happy once I have loaded her into the truck and loves the park beyond measure. It is just stubbornness and a determination to be in control. On the one occasion when her signals say "no", which has only happened once and it was this week, I made sure she peed, gave her some love, and then left her at home.
So the greeting I got when I arrived to pick them both up was hilarious. She could NOT have been happier to see me. All tail wags and loves. And she ran over to the back of my truck and hopped right in. Silly girl. Silly fickle frustrating, damn my back doesn't need to carry you to the truck 50lbs of DOG! Normally I say I really don't think I want to know what my dogs are thinking. But honestly, I'd love to know what goes on in that dog's mind, and how long they would have had to stand in that spot had I been elsewhere.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Picnic Table Pain
As you all know, Ollie is a rather enthusiastic boy. Monday he was having so much fun in and out of the water. He had his girlfriend Mazy along, and a new friend Zoey. Maizy and Zoey were "sharing" a small soft Frisbee, as dogs do. In other words, playing tug with it, or chase - depending upon how many mouths actually had a piece of it at the moment.
In this picture, Ollie's job is referee. He feels it is very important to bark and otherwise encourage the other dogs during the tug portion of the event. Once the chase portion begins, he is all about being hot on their heels. Unfortunately for Ollie, event though he must be approaching his second birthday by now, his wiggly puppy butt still has control of those hind legs at moments. So while the other dogs ran around the picnic table, Ollie's back half figured it would go through the picnic table, at full speed. CLUNK!
Dogs are interesting when they hurt themselves. They go to "all stop" in a big hurry. I would have sworn Ollie had broken or dislocated his hind leg, he hit the picnic table so hard. He stood there on three legs, and just looked around as if to ask if anyone got the license number of the truck that had just hit him. Then he let out a little whimper, which was what really concerned me. Dogs are actually much like small children, they look around to see from your reaction how they should react. So I calmly walked over to him, and started feeling his legs to see if he reacted to my touch anywhere. I found nothing out of place...so gave him lots of love and appreciation for what a good boy he was, and of course we commiserated over how that wicked picnic table had jumped out in front of him.
And this is when the real test comes, when the clunk is out of his short term memory and he wants to go play with his buddies again. If the hurt is real, he'd feel it on his first few steps and become a three legged dog for the time being. If not, he'd go on as if nothing had happened. Which fortunately for both of us is what happened. It is a LONG way from the water to the car, it would not be pleasant to have a truly injured 80 lb dog to carry all that way. And he really was back to his normal self, played like a crazy dog the rest of the day. Warned his owner about the collision, so she could keep an eye on him. Like with us, the second and third day can be much worse than right after the incident for dogs too. Good news, he ran with no limp the following day. I'll let you know if he goes anywhere near the offending picnic table today!
In this picture, Ollie's job is referee. He feels it is very important to bark and otherwise encourage the other dogs during the tug portion of the event. Once the chase portion begins, he is all about being hot on their heels. Unfortunately for Ollie, event though he must be approaching his second birthday by now, his wiggly puppy butt still has control of those hind legs at moments. So while the other dogs ran around the picnic table, Ollie's back half figured it would go through the picnic table, at full speed. CLUNK!
Dogs are interesting when they hurt themselves. They go to "all stop" in a big hurry. I would have sworn Ollie had broken or dislocated his hind leg, he hit the picnic table so hard. He stood there on three legs, and just looked around as if to ask if anyone got the license number of the truck that had just hit him. Then he let out a little whimper, which was what really concerned me. Dogs are actually much like small children, they look around to see from your reaction how they should react. So I calmly walked over to him, and started feeling his legs to see if he reacted to my touch anywhere. I found nothing out of place...so gave him lots of love and appreciation for what a good boy he was, and of course we commiserated over how that wicked picnic table had jumped out in front of him.
And this is when the real test comes, when the clunk is out of his short term memory and he wants to go play with his buddies again. If the hurt is real, he'd feel it on his first few steps and become a three legged dog for the time being. If not, he'd go on as if nothing had happened. Which fortunately for both of us is what happened. It is a LONG way from the water to the car, it would not be pleasant to have a truly injured 80 lb dog to carry all that way. And he really was back to his normal self, played like a crazy dog the rest of the day. Warned his owner about the collision, so she could keep an eye on him. Like with us, the second and third day can be much worse than right after the incident for dogs too. Good news, he ran with no limp the following day. I'll let you know if he goes anywhere near the offending picnic table today!
Monday, July 25, 2011
La La is Back
Well, I wish I could say that I'd been away to France watching each stage of Le Tour de France this year from the side of the road. But truth be told, I spend every morning watching every stage from the comfort of the window seat in my breakfast room. I understand that this may seem like a poor excuse for not posting, but in reality it effectively took up all of my spare time, and the momentum I had built up for blogging. However, thanks to Cadel Evans and his success in the alps and time trial victory, it is now time to return to doing those things which get me through the day, including my dog blog. I would like to thank those of you who checked in with me and let me know you missed the posts. It feels good to know someone is enjoying them.
So where to begin, there have been so many dog park trips since I last posted that I am not quite sure where to start. Perhaps with Maisy, who has learned to love a new toy. It is a soft mini Frisbee and she loves it to death. She is obediently sitting before I throw it, if I am on shore. I have been insisting on this as otherwise she can barely contain her enthusiasm and hobby horse hops in front of me.
The beauty of summer is that I do not have to remain on shore. I am able to wade or swim out with the dogs. If I do this, I can play fetch with her without the other dogs on shore distracting her and she gets much more exercise. She is really looking svelt these days. Ollie will join her out in the water when we are doing this, but after a few minutes he gets tired, and instead of going back to shore will try to climb me as if I am a little island out there. Needless to say, I push him away and send him to shore. Goofy boy.
So where to begin, there have been so many dog park trips since I last posted that I am not quite sure where to start. Perhaps with Maisy, who has learned to love a new toy. It is a soft mini Frisbee and she loves it to death. She is obediently sitting before I throw it, if I am on shore. I have been insisting on this as otherwise she can barely contain her enthusiasm and hobby horse hops in front of me.
The beauty of summer is that I do not have to remain on shore. I am able to wade or swim out with the dogs. If I do this, I can play fetch with her without the other dogs on shore distracting her and she gets much more exercise. She is really looking svelt these days. Ollie will join her out in the water when we are doing this, but after a few minutes he gets tired, and instead of going back to shore will try to climb me as if I am a little island out there. Needless to say, I push him away and send him to shore. Goofy boy.
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