I’m still pretty young – in a few days I’ll be six months old. Imagine that! Time has sure been going by fast since I arrived here last spring. I then could be carried around in Alys or Pete’s hand. Now, Alys has a hard time carrying me with both hands. She’s strong, so she can easily lift me up onto Tinni’s back.

There’s always something going on around here, and this makes life interesting. For instance, yesterday I accompanied Alys, Pete, and their friend Sarah on a lengthy trail ride. They were riding horses, and this was the first time that neither one of them were walking. Raudi and Hrimmi are generally quite calm. Sarah’s horse did have me a bit worried – Spiffy has a lot of spunk, and so I stayed out of her way when she was dancing around. So did Ryder and Petey, Sarah’s dog.

Alys Raudi and Shdow at Grizzly Camp

Petey recently had surgery, and so her belly was shaved. I asked and she told me that she was going to have a single puppy but the puppy died before it was born. I asked her how she felt about this, and she said she was still sad. I then asked her if her owners got a puppy, how she’d feel about it. She said she had no idea, but she said she would let me know what her feelings might be after Neil and Sarah brought it home.

I told her and Ryder that I wasn’t keen on the idea of having puppies because I’d heard that they are eventually taken away from their mothers. What fun is this? Best just to get sprayed and get it over with. Ryder, who was spayed shortly after Pete and Alys found her at a trailhead in Idaho, agreed. Alys does seem to like puppies though.

On Saturday, Pete went and got dog agility equipment. I knew this was what it was because I heard Alys and Pete talking about it. I also watched some dogs and their owners doing agility at Claudia’s place a few weeks ago. And during the second to last week of Puppy 1 class I got to go through a tunnel.

Alys cleaned the Toybox in the Playground of Higher Learning so that there would be room for all the equipment. When she finished Pete helped her unload the truck. I stood by and watched. Wow. They set up the teeter totter in the Playground, and the tire jump in the driveway. Raudi made it clear to the rest of us that the latter is a fertility symbol. She really wants a baby bad.

So Alys is going to work with me and Ryder the way she works with Raudi, Hrimmi, and Tyra. And, she says she is going to see if the goats are up for doing agility. Ranger told me later he can hardly wait. So we will all have a good time, though it does seem to be a lot of work for just a handful of treats.

It’s late. I’m signing off. I sleep next to Pete on his side of the bed. I am crate trained, but of course I prefer to sleep next to my master. Indeed, life is good.

Next: 283. 10/13/20: A SAAB Story