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September 6, 2021: Shadow’s Dog Blog

It’s about time that I again get to do a dog blog. It’s been a while. Alys always seems to think that what she has to say is more important than what I, or the others have to say. The one exception is Tyra who somehow convinced Alys that she is all knowing. The truth be known, Tyra doesn’t know any more than any of the rest of us. She just speaks her mind when Alys is most receptive to hearing what she has to say.

Well yesterday Alys supposedly watched the Canine All Stars at the Alaska State Fair and came home with all kinds of ideas about what to do with me. What she did today was something she learned watching the other dogs. The other dogs were rewarded after they performed. Some got treats, and some got praise, and some got stuff toys.

Lately, I haven’t been that enthused about doing agility. Seems to me that once you’ve seen one jump, tire, dog walk, teeter, a-frame, tunnel, you’ve seen them all. I have been thinking that those dogs that stay obsessive about doing agility are brain dead.


Shadow


But Alys actually had what I thought was a brilliant idea. She put the large, inflatable ball at the end of a run that consisted of the table, a jump, the tire, and the teeter, then told me to go for it. I shot off that table like a man out of a cannon. And I slammed that ball around like it was nobody’s business. I even knocked over the plastic garbage can containing the plastic bottles for the horse agility obstacle.

Alys did a few rounds of agility with me, and she continued to include ball time after. I am now thinking, yes, this is the way to go. I’ll do just about anything in order to chase that ball.

Alys also took Ryder and me for a combination road/trail walk. I rode Tinni. I now can get onto and off his back pretty easily. I got on using the large rock in the front yard and I got off by jumping onto the side of a hill. Today we passed by a neighbor who was pushing a stroller with a baby in it and holding three dogs. Alys was walking Tinni with me on her back and had Ryder, on leash, by her side. We got passed them, and then the human male of the species went by on his motorcycle.

I just stayed put. I figured out some time ago that remaining on Tinni is for the best in such instances.

Tinni – he has this new habit – he stops every hundred yards or so and waits for Alys to give him a hay pellet. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that Squirrely Whirly has been getting into his stash. Cheeky fellow – he sat on a stump in the yard and held that treat for all, including Tinni, to see. Tinni’s response was “whatever!”

Next: 247. 9/7/21: Build it and they Will Come

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