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.