What can I say about the Liz McGuire seminar besides fantastic? My brain was completely full by the time we left on Saturday afternoon following roughly eight hours packed with great information. Big thanks goes out to Sheila, a Pals and Paws Club member who graciously offered the use of her home and yard to accommodate the ten working dogs and handful of auditors. I know we left a lot of hair on the floor to be vacuumed!
I was originally hesitant to sign Xander up for a working spot, as he tends to get weird in tight spaces with strange dogs and people. However, he was a SUPERSTAR. He was not fazed by anyone or anything, was happy to work, and friendly toward everyone! I was extremely proud of him, in spite of his obnoxious, repetitive protest barking during the times he was stuck in the crate (sorry fellow seminar attendees!) It was fortunately a very cool, overcast day (for Florida that is), so I was able to leave him crated in the car with the vent lock for the first 2.5 hrs of the seminar which was lecture. That only left another 5 hours or so….
Anyway, we arrived at Sheila’s home in Fleming Island at 9am and met Liz McGuire, who specializes in human strength and conditioning and physical therapy, but is bringing her knowledge to the dog world as well. She presented an incredible amount of very relevant information during the lecture, and I really appreciated her straightforward, direct, logical style and mentality. She made it obvious that she is more concerned with the health and longevity of our dogs, rather than making money, so she doesn’t sell or endorse any particular products that she uses in her seminars. This immediately increased her credibility in my mind. Her slide show included a few pictures swiped from Facebook, including two of Xander! Unfortunately, both were demonstrating something less than ideal. In one, he was doing the teeter in Vero Beach for the first time, which was VERY light, so he slid all the way to the end before it sort of crashed down under him. He made the contact, but it wasn’t pretty. She did say that he was demonstrating excellent body awareness in the shot, as he was able to react to the unpredictable obstacle and maintain criteria. Poor guy, he is just so good! Sometimes it would be better if he would bail off…..The other picture was him taking a jump so tight to the upright that he has that closest eye shut. No damage done, but he could have jumped into the upright itself. Fortunately, these were plastic, but that is not always the case. Liz showed us video of her dog that was impaled on a metal jump cup. After being impaled, the heavy metal jump pulled through his body, requiring 22 external stitches and 18 internal. We all cringed and could not believe that the dog took another jump after the injury! The biggest lesson here was that just because the WILL, does NOT mean they should. Our dogs give us so much effort, heart, and sometimes work through what must be excruciating pain to play our game. We owe it to them to recognize when they are hurt, to be proactive in preventing injury by avoiding dangerous activities, and for conditioning and resting them appropriately in order to give them the best chance at staying healthy.
After the lecture, we were taught to manually examine our dogs to determine their current state of balance and to look for any sore, troubled spots. I knew from my experiences with Kaylee’s bad back that the back muscles will twitch when sore, so it was some familiar information. Xander currently is very well balanced with no apparent issues. She did tell me that he has a very long loin, which given that I am no structural expert, I was already fairly aware of. She compared him to a 7ft athlete. Although he is very athletic, he does have weaknesses, including that long loin. I have always wondered why he has trouble with tight turns, and will sometimes face-plant after making one, so it was great when she explained it to me. He has tons of power in his rear end, and knows speed, but not control. She told me that if I work to strengthen his front and his core, that it will greatly improve his control and prevent injury. I am very excited to have something to work on!
Liz introduced us to a number of different ways to strengthen our dogs. The first way involves a large, inflatable “peanut” which is used in human conditioning. Similar to the large balance ball most people are familiar with, the peanut is larger, and a good shape for introducing dogs to the concept of balancing. Xander was first in line to give it a try, and gamely hopped right on! (salmon treats help) He immediately dropped into a down position for stability, which most of the other dogs did as well, but soon was coaxed into standing. Liz asked me if he was fast, and several of my fellow attendees chimed in “yes” which made me chuckle. She again demonstrated that although he is obviously athletic, she was able to push him off balance with a slight push to one hip, and he quivered with the effort to maintain balance. She said it will only take a short session initially to give him a full body work out, and tire him out mentally and physically. And it can be done indoors in the A/C! I ordered one the very next day.
After the other dogs had a turn on the ‘nut, we headed outside for some other activities. Some of which had our dogs wondering what on earth we were thinking, particularly the “wheelbarrow.” However, they were all good sports and gave so much effort. There were some weaves, and some cavallettis, which were trickier than they looked, and even a miniature aframe. There were balance disks, a bosu ball, and the peanut.
The afternoon included a break for lunch and a little walk around the neighborhood for Xander, followed by some muscle measurements and more outdoor activities. Xander was chosen to demo a sequence of collection/extension exercises in which he really had to think and focus on his body position. The sequence began with cavalettis, followed by the balance disk in 2on2off position, followed by the aframe, then another balance disk, and a pair of jumps in the 270 degree set up, finished with a balance disk. After ten minutes or so, he was done and trying to hide behind Anna Marie! Liz again emphasized that these exercises push them mentally and physically, and don’t need to be long!
Overall, the seminar was extremely informative, fun, and left me with a lot to do for homework. I have ordered some equipment to work on Xander’s core strength, as well as learning to run him down hill to strengthen his front. Liz warned me that I better be in good shape if I hope to keep up with him in the future, so we are excited. And most importantly, I want to protect him from injury. We plan to apply the warm up and stretching routine that she showed us, as well as the rest, active rest, and strength and conditioning calendar she helped us form. I would recommend that anyone who has not yet attended one of Liz’s seminars should do so as soon as possible! The sport has changed, and we need to keep the health and longevity of our dogs the number one priority. They are athletes, and we need to treat them as such!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Bridal Biscuit Birthday Blowout
What a weekend!
My North Carolina cousin and bridesmaid Kara made the long trip with her friend Julie the Cruise Director to spend the weekend with me and the gang. Kara, my other cousins and bridesmaids Jane and Becky, as well as my cousin Andie and her son Leighton all met at the Starbucks across from David’s Bridal on Saturday morning just before 10am. Kara caught us up on her life, as well as telling us about the all important trip to Krystals that Julie the Cruise Director had so carefully planned. Personally, I tend to plan for avoiding Krystals, but that’s just me. After a cup of java and some catching up, we got to the business at hand and headed to David’s Bridal.
Although Jane had thoughtfully made an appointment, the customer service at this particular store is consistently lacking. The employees were rude and quite often just ignored us, so we basically took matters into our own hands. Leighton was not in the mood to hang out in a bridal store, not that I can blame him. Even at less than two, he knows that this is nowhere for a man to be! Andrea took him home shortly after we arrived, so Kara, Jane, Becky and I proceeded to rifle through the bridesmaid gowns and color swatches. Although Becky had been yelled at last time for handling wedding gowns without an attendant, we were told that they basically didn’t care about the rest of the merchandise, so it was fair game! After some modeling and research, we picked three nice colors, and two nice designs that will suite everyone. Mission accomplished!
We then proceeded to the mall for lunch (and bridal biscuits) and to look at shoes and other things. This was followed up with a trip to Michaels and Hobby Lobby to look at decorations and for brainstorming. After 6hrs, we were all wiped out and headed home. The party was not over, however, as we reconvened at 7pm to celebrate Jane’s birthday with the entire family at Carabbas. We took over the middle of the dining area, and enjoyed a delicious meal before gathering at Becky’s house for presents and the world’s biggest cupcakes. (I ate the frosting, and Buster ate the cake, it’s a perfect relationship)
After celebrating and laughing well past 10pm, I was up again early to meet Jane and Kara for more planning. My beautiful girls stayed up past 2am on Saturday night doing research and working on a master plan and budget. I was amazed, and ever so grateful. If this was all left up to me, I’m afraid we would have been missing a lot, because I had NO idea where to start on my own.
Becky wasn’t up to hanging out with us, but we three spent the morning and early afternoon at Panera’s discussing the plan before hitting up the Dollar Tree, Joanne’s, and DSW. Kara had to leave at around 1:30 to meet up with her ride and head back to NC, so the weekend was over quickly! I came back home and took my poor neglected dogs to the park to make up for leaving them at home all day on Saturday. Afterwards, I took a nap! I was a bit overwhelmed after everything was said and done, but with my wonderful family, we will have an awesome event to look forward to!
Oh, and just to remind you that this blog is still mostly about dog training, Buster and I spent Friday night setting up an ISC JWW course I saw on facebook, and he filmed while I ran. It was so much fun! Enjoy!
My North Carolina cousin and bridesmaid Kara made the long trip with her friend Julie the Cruise Director to spend the weekend with me and the gang. Kara, my other cousins and bridesmaids Jane and Becky, as well as my cousin Andie and her son Leighton all met at the Starbucks across from David’s Bridal on Saturday morning just before 10am. Kara caught us up on her life, as well as telling us about the all important trip to Krystals that Julie the Cruise Director had so carefully planned. Personally, I tend to plan for avoiding Krystals, but that’s just me. After a cup of java and some catching up, we got to the business at hand and headed to David’s Bridal.
Although Jane had thoughtfully made an appointment, the customer service at this particular store is consistently lacking. The employees were rude and quite often just ignored us, so we basically took matters into our own hands. Leighton was not in the mood to hang out in a bridal store, not that I can blame him. Even at less than two, he knows that this is nowhere for a man to be! Andrea took him home shortly after we arrived, so Kara, Jane, Becky and I proceeded to rifle through the bridesmaid gowns and color swatches. Although Becky had been yelled at last time for handling wedding gowns without an attendant, we were told that they basically didn’t care about the rest of the merchandise, so it was fair game! After some modeling and research, we picked three nice colors, and two nice designs that will suite everyone. Mission accomplished!
We then proceeded to the mall for lunch (and bridal biscuits) and to look at shoes and other things. This was followed up with a trip to Michaels and Hobby Lobby to look at decorations and for brainstorming. After 6hrs, we were all wiped out and headed home. The party was not over, however, as we reconvened at 7pm to celebrate Jane’s birthday with the entire family at Carabbas. We took over the middle of the dining area, and enjoyed a delicious meal before gathering at Becky’s house for presents and the world’s biggest cupcakes. (I ate the frosting, and Buster ate the cake, it’s a perfect relationship)
After celebrating and laughing well past 10pm, I was up again early to meet Jane and Kara for more planning. My beautiful girls stayed up past 2am on Saturday night doing research and working on a master plan and budget. I was amazed, and ever so grateful. If this was all left up to me, I’m afraid we would have been missing a lot, because I had NO idea where to start on my own.
Becky wasn’t up to hanging out with us, but we three spent the morning and early afternoon at Panera’s discussing the plan before hitting up the Dollar Tree, Joanne’s, and DSW. Kara had to leave at around 1:30 to meet up with her ride and head back to NC, so the weekend was over quickly! I came back home and took my poor neglected dogs to the park to make up for leaving them at home all day on Saturday. Afterwards, I took a nap! I was a bit overwhelmed after everything was said and done, but with my wonderful family, we will have an awesome event to look forward to!
Oh, and just to remind you that this blog is still mostly about dog training, Buster and I spent Friday night setting up an ISC JWW course I saw on facebook, and he filmed while I ran. It was so much fun! Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Long Nights and Early Mornings
Buster, Xander and I headed to Deland on Saturday afternoon for the second annual Dog-On-It USDAA night trial at Gail Waller's house. Last year, it was our very first experience doing "real agility." We got our first measurement, even though we didn't have a card and didn't get credit because USDAA sent ours to the wrong address and I didn't know I needed one to be filled out. AKC has those forms at trials....So anyway, given that he turned 3yrs old this week, we got our fourth and final measurement this weekend! No more measuring torture at trials!!
Last year we had the misfortune of entering only Saturday night, and being about 5 minutes from our very first run when the power went out and never came back on. Sadly, a small airplane had crashed into a power pole nearby (Gail's place is right next to the airport), and took out the power all night. The man lost his life, so although we were inconvenienced, it was a trivial thing once we found out the cause. We ended up returning on Sunday night last year to complete our runs, and most competitors were there well into the night finishing Sunday's runs after Saturday's runs. Last year we ran Gamblers, Pairs, and Grand Prix. This year, again, I entered only Saturday, however the runs included Gamblers, Jumpers, and Grand Prix. Although we saw a swarm of skydivers, which was amazing, no one crashed into any power poles. We were still there until 1am though....
The evening started with Jumpers. We've only run in four complete USDAA trials and the one night in Deland last year. So he's only had two opportunities at Advanced Jumpers, both of which we NQ'd for a knocked bar or off course. I was very pleased that we earned a needed Q Saturday night, and although we had some wide turns to tighten up, still managed a 20 second run with 2nd place. Now we need two Standard Q's and a Pairs Q for his AAD!
Gamblers is my favorite game, and he has Q'd in all but one of our runs since we began competing in USDAA. Kelli Verelli set up a fun course, complete with rubber contacts, and we earned our Advanced Gamblers title with 2nd place. He was slow coming across the unfamiliar rubberized dogwalk, and we barely missed earning points on our last teeter, which would have clinched 1st place. His aframe in the gamble was picture perfect though, so I was very pleased anyway. Now we get to play at the Master's level!
Scribing and playing gate steward helped keep me occupied, but poor Buster was wondering if we were ever going to go home by the time Grand Prix started at MIDNIGHT. I had estimated we'd be done by 10pm, so he had every right to be impatient! Xander is also pretty typically grumpy and ready for bed by 10pm, so I was impressed when it came time for our GP run at 12:45 am and he was up to play! He had a GORGEOUS run going until he didn't quite collect for the weave entry and entered at the second pole. Which was probably a blessing considering he WIPED OUT the triple which was the very last obstacle. Our future DAM team partner Nitro did the same thing right before us, as did several other dogs. It was in the dark, and I just didn't warn him sufficiently. Poor guy. In the video, you can hear everyone cry out in sympathy. He hopped right up and was good to go the next day, so thank goodness for resilient, young dogs!
I would like to note also that his dogwalk was fast and confident the second time over, and he had a beautiful send out around the backside of the following jump. The little stinker did self release from his A-frame, but considering it was almost 1am, I decided to cut him some slack. Maybe he will associate the self release with wiping out on the triple....is that wrong of me to think?
Anyway, Buster was such a great sport, and drove most of the way home until I took over at about 2am. We were in bed by 3am, and just because we are crazy, woke up at 7:30 and drove to Universal Studios on Sunday. Who needs sleep when there is Rip, Ride N' Rockit to ride and butterbeer to drink?!
Yesterday was a day of recovery and cleaning house for me, and a day of work and golfing with his boss for Buster. And here were are in September. Didn't this year just start?!! September means the beginning of trial season though, so bring it on!!
Last year we had the misfortune of entering only Saturday night, and being about 5 minutes from our very first run when the power went out and never came back on. Sadly, a small airplane had crashed into a power pole nearby (Gail's place is right next to the airport), and took out the power all night. The man lost his life, so although we were inconvenienced, it was a trivial thing once we found out the cause. We ended up returning on Sunday night last year to complete our runs, and most competitors were there well into the night finishing Sunday's runs after Saturday's runs. Last year we ran Gamblers, Pairs, and Grand Prix. This year, again, I entered only Saturday, however the runs included Gamblers, Jumpers, and Grand Prix. Although we saw a swarm of skydivers, which was amazing, no one crashed into any power poles. We were still there until 1am though....
The evening started with Jumpers. We've only run in four complete USDAA trials and the one night in Deland last year. So he's only had two opportunities at Advanced Jumpers, both of which we NQ'd for a knocked bar or off course. I was very pleased that we earned a needed Q Saturday night, and although we had some wide turns to tighten up, still managed a 20 second run with 2nd place. Now we need two Standard Q's and a Pairs Q for his AAD!
Gamblers is my favorite game, and he has Q'd in all but one of our runs since we began competing in USDAA. Kelli Verelli set up a fun course, complete with rubber contacts, and we earned our Advanced Gamblers title with 2nd place. He was slow coming across the unfamiliar rubberized dogwalk, and we barely missed earning points on our last teeter, which would have clinched 1st place. His aframe in the gamble was picture perfect though, so I was very pleased anyway. Now we get to play at the Master's level!
Scribing and playing gate steward helped keep me occupied, but poor Buster was wondering if we were ever going to go home by the time Grand Prix started at MIDNIGHT. I had estimated we'd be done by 10pm, so he had every right to be impatient! Xander is also pretty typically grumpy and ready for bed by 10pm, so I was impressed when it came time for our GP run at 12:45 am and he was up to play! He had a GORGEOUS run going until he didn't quite collect for the weave entry and entered at the second pole. Which was probably a blessing considering he WIPED OUT the triple which was the very last obstacle. Our future DAM team partner Nitro did the same thing right before us, as did several other dogs. It was in the dark, and I just didn't warn him sufficiently. Poor guy. In the video, you can hear everyone cry out in sympathy. He hopped right up and was good to go the next day, so thank goodness for resilient, young dogs!
I would like to note also that his dogwalk was fast and confident the second time over, and he had a beautiful send out around the backside of the following jump. The little stinker did self release from his A-frame, but considering it was almost 1am, I decided to cut him some slack. Maybe he will associate the self release with wiping out on the triple....is that wrong of me to think?
Anyway, Buster was such a great sport, and drove most of the way home until I took over at about 2am. We were in bed by 3am, and just because we are crazy, woke up at 7:30 and drove to Universal Studios on Sunday. Who needs sleep when there is Rip, Ride N' Rockit to ride and butterbeer to drink?!
Yesterday was a day of recovery and cleaning house for me, and a day of work and golfing with his boss for Buster. And here were are in September. Didn't this year just start?!! September means the beginning of trial season though, so bring it on!!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Happy Birthday Xander!
Xander celebrated his third birthday on Tuesday! I can't believe it's been three years, but he really does seem "mature" lately. My sweet little man. I adore that dog.
My plan to celebrate his birthday was to take the three dogs to their favorite park after work to swim and chase the frisbee. I used to offer special treats such as canned food to celebrate occassions, but after Kaylee made a huge mess on the carpet the last few times, I've switched my gifts to activities instead of food! It's not as though they don't receive a plethora of treats, toys, and activities on a regular basis as it is....
My plans could easily have been derailed however, as I attended to our normal routine on Tuesday morning. The corgis typically go out to potty first, and I usually walk them on the route least likely to be infested with feces, namely along the sidewalk in front of the complex. We had gone a few buildings down the walk, when a red merle aussie came bounding toward us. At first the corgis did their typical Napolean-complex routine, which involves looking and acting bigger and more intimidating than they are (which is not at all). The aussie, who was about Xander's size, was not daunted and continued toward us. Given her disregard for their antics, the corgis returned to the business at hand, and I was able to pet her. Extremely friendly, obviously young and immature, she bounced and cavorted at me. She was naked, and with no collar and no tags, I feared the worst. Since I had never seen her before, and she was obviously friendly, but a bit overweight and overactive, I immediately assumed someone had dumped her. It is a sad, but all too common situation: person buys a cute, fluffy puppy from the pet store, and one year later finds themselves with a 45lb whirling dervish of energy. Some people are not responsible enough to do the right thing, namely, train the dog, or find it another home, or even take it to a shelter, so they dump it in an area that seems likely for the dog to be taken in by someone. Our complex is reknowned for being pet friendly, and is busting at the seams with dogs of all sizes. I called out in the dark for a potential owner, but heard no reply.
It was still merely 6am at this point, so I groggily turned to head back to the apartment, and decided to see what the little red girl would do. Somewhat surprisingly, she trotted along behind me as though we were long lost bosom buddies, and the corgis allowed it.
When we arrived at my apartment door, she was destracted sniffing a bush, and I ducked inside. After trading out the corgis for Xander, I braced myself for his reaction. Typically, he is fine with other dogs off leash, but if he is on leash, tends to be reactive in areas he deems his territory. Particularly his front door. We walked out and found the girl waiting for us, and in his surprise, Xander barely managed a bark before she was bouncing around enthusiastically toward him. Much to my amazement, his body language relaxed, and we walked out all together. She was very submissive, and off leash, therefore, he seemed to deem her no threat. After Xander had done his business, with our new friend tagging along, I had to make a decision. With no sight of anyone looking for her, I could not leave her out to be hit by a car or otherwise hurt. I decided to open the door, and watched as she trotted right in with Xander.
How many dogs get their own dog for their birthday? Not many, I would suspect, but this was Xander's gift this year. The pair, who were perfectly matched for size, proceeding to wrestle and run about my tiny living room for the thirty minutes it took me to prepare for work. Xander thought she was super fun, and even sexy, as she tolerantly allowed him to hump her several times before he grew tired of it. I was still struggling with what to do when I called Buster for advice. If I tried to lock her in the bathroom or a crate, she might bark and scream all day and disturb our neighbors. I could call the office, but they would tell me I could not keep another dog in my apartment. I could leave her loose in my living room, but she could demolish the place. I had no idea if she was potty trained, or had a penchant for eating couches. However, after talking to Buster and sitting with her on the porch for a bit, I just had a good feeling about her. We agreed to let her loose in the living room with Xander, in the hopes that he would keep her occupied and too tired out to create any havoc. The corgis would stay gated in the back half of the apartment, in the bedroom and bathroom area. I wished for the best, and left for work.
All day long I wondered what I was going to do with this large, mouthy, bouncy, untrained aussie who was very sweet, but roughly 45 lbs. I planned to take her to be scanned for a microchip after work and wished fervently that my apartment would still be mostly intact when I returned home. The first thing I did, after a long day of watching the clock, was to check the community mailbox billboard. My eyes immediately lit upon a picture of her sweet, goofy face. "Lost dog! Sarah slipped out of her leash this morning! She is one year old and VERY friendly, but likes to jump on people. Please call...." I immediately dialed the number, which was a Gainesville area code, and answered by a young woman. She was thrilled when I told her I'd found Sarah, and we agreed to meet on the sidewalk as she was in the building three down from mine.
I rushed back home, found Buster being excitedly greeted by four barking dogs, and grabbed an extra leash to slip around Sara's neck. I quickly told him where I was going, and slipped out the door. Sarah's mom was walking down the sidewalk, and in her excitement, did not bring a leash or anything. I asked her about this, and she said "Oh, she normally stays with me." I replied with a bit of a smirk, "except for this morning, eh?" And she chuckled nervously. She looked to be fresh out of college, or perhaps still in college, which would explain the Gainesville cell phone number. She also explained that this was her first experience with dogs, as she was classically a cat person. Apparently, Sarah was more her husband's dog, which surprised me that he did not come along for the reunion. Since she had no leash, I walked them back to their building, and watched as she attempted to have Sarah sit before going inside. Sarah, much to my chagrin, decided she would rather go with me and bounced around and tried to come along as I turned away. I decided just to stand there until she was ushered inside, and I heard a man's voice exclaim "Sarah!"
It was a happy ending in a way, given that I was able to reunite the dog with her owners and no one was the worse for wear. On the other hand, I am tempted to call her back and remind her to keep a collar with ID on the dog at all times, and to perhaps enroll in some training classes (and get the poor dog more exercise!)
Miraculously, my apartment was completely unscathed, as she had not chewed on anything, nor had she had any accidents. It did not surprise me so much at that point, given that she is accustomed to living in an apartment. However, she could have still destroyed the place. Xander seemed uncharacteristically mellow, so I am thinking they had a fabulous day of wrestling and playing. We also kept our plan of going to the park, although he was not nearly as energetic as normal! All in all, I think he had a good birthday, and I enjoyed doing a little good deed and interacting with a sweet little, red aussie for a short time. Maybe they can have a play date again sometime....and hopefully there will be a red-headed girl in his future one day. (When we have a yard!)
My plan to celebrate his birthday was to take the three dogs to their favorite park after work to swim and chase the frisbee. I used to offer special treats such as canned food to celebrate occassions, but after Kaylee made a huge mess on the carpet the last few times, I've switched my gifts to activities instead of food! It's not as though they don't receive a plethora of treats, toys, and activities on a regular basis as it is....
My plans could easily have been derailed however, as I attended to our normal routine on Tuesday morning. The corgis typically go out to potty first, and I usually walk them on the route least likely to be infested with feces, namely along the sidewalk in front of the complex. We had gone a few buildings down the walk, when a red merle aussie came bounding toward us. At first the corgis did their typical Napolean-complex routine, which involves looking and acting bigger and more intimidating than they are (which is not at all). The aussie, who was about Xander's size, was not daunted and continued toward us. Given her disregard for their antics, the corgis returned to the business at hand, and I was able to pet her. Extremely friendly, obviously young and immature, she bounced and cavorted at me. She was naked, and with no collar and no tags, I feared the worst. Since I had never seen her before, and she was obviously friendly, but a bit overweight and overactive, I immediately assumed someone had dumped her. It is a sad, but all too common situation: person buys a cute, fluffy puppy from the pet store, and one year later finds themselves with a 45lb whirling dervish of energy. Some people are not responsible enough to do the right thing, namely, train the dog, or find it another home, or even take it to a shelter, so they dump it in an area that seems likely for the dog to be taken in by someone. Our complex is reknowned for being pet friendly, and is busting at the seams with dogs of all sizes. I called out in the dark for a potential owner, but heard no reply.
It was still merely 6am at this point, so I groggily turned to head back to the apartment, and decided to see what the little red girl would do. Somewhat surprisingly, she trotted along behind me as though we were long lost bosom buddies, and the corgis allowed it.
When we arrived at my apartment door, she was destracted sniffing a bush, and I ducked inside. After trading out the corgis for Xander, I braced myself for his reaction. Typically, he is fine with other dogs off leash, but if he is on leash, tends to be reactive in areas he deems his territory. Particularly his front door. We walked out and found the girl waiting for us, and in his surprise, Xander barely managed a bark before she was bouncing around enthusiastically toward him. Much to my amazement, his body language relaxed, and we walked out all together. She was very submissive, and off leash, therefore, he seemed to deem her no threat. After Xander had done his business, with our new friend tagging along, I had to make a decision. With no sight of anyone looking for her, I could not leave her out to be hit by a car or otherwise hurt. I decided to open the door, and watched as she trotted right in with Xander.
How many dogs get their own dog for their birthday? Not many, I would suspect, but this was Xander's gift this year. The pair, who were perfectly matched for size, proceeding to wrestle and run about my tiny living room for the thirty minutes it took me to prepare for work. Xander thought she was super fun, and even sexy, as she tolerantly allowed him to hump her several times before he grew tired of it. I was still struggling with what to do when I called Buster for advice. If I tried to lock her in the bathroom or a crate, she might bark and scream all day and disturb our neighbors. I could call the office, but they would tell me I could not keep another dog in my apartment. I could leave her loose in my living room, but she could demolish the place. I had no idea if she was potty trained, or had a penchant for eating couches. However, after talking to Buster and sitting with her on the porch for a bit, I just had a good feeling about her. We agreed to let her loose in the living room with Xander, in the hopes that he would keep her occupied and too tired out to create any havoc. The corgis would stay gated in the back half of the apartment, in the bedroom and bathroom area. I wished for the best, and left for work.
All day long I wondered what I was going to do with this large, mouthy, bouncy, untrained aussie who was very sweet, but roughly 45 lbs. I planned to take her to be scanned for a microchip after work and wished fervently that my apartment would still be mostly intact when I returned home. The first thing I did, after a long day of watching the clock, was to check the community mailbox billboard. My eyes immediately lit upon a picture of her sweet, goofy face. "Lost dog! Sarah slipped out of her leash this morning! She is one year old and VERY friendly, but likes to jump on people. Please call...." I immediately dialed the number, which was a Gainesville area code, and answered by a young woman. She was thrilled when I told her I'd found Sarah, and we agreed to meet on the sidewalk as she was in the building three down from mine.
I rushed back home, found Buster being excitedly greeted by four barking dogs, and grabbed an extra leash to slip around Sara's neck. I quickly told him where I was going, and slipped out the door. Sarah's mom was walking down the sidewalk, and in her excitement, did not bring a leash or anything. I asked her about this, and she said "Oh, she normally stays with me." I replied with a bit of a smirk, "except for this morning, eh?" And she chuckled nervously. She looked to be fresh out of college, or perhaps still in college, which would explain the Gainesville cell phone number. She also explained that this was her first experience with dogs, as she was classically a cat person. Apparently, Sarah was more her husband's dog, which surprised me that he did not come along for the reunion. Since she had no leash, I walked them back to their building, and watched as she attempted to have Sarah sit before going inside. Sarah, much to my chagrin, decided she would rather go with me and bounced around and tried to come along as I turned away. I decided just to stand there until she was ushered inside, and I heard a man's voice exclaim "Sarah!"
It was a happy ending in a way, given that I was able to reunite the dog with her owners and no one was the worse for wear. On the other hand, I am tempted to call her back and remind her to keep a collar with ID on the dog at all times, and to perhaps enroll in some training classes (and get the poor dog more exercise!)
Miraculously, my apartment was completely unscathed, as she had not chewed on anything, nor had she had any accidents. It did not surprise me so much at that point, given that she is accustomed to living in an apartment. However, she could have still destroyed the place. Xander seemed uncharacteristically mellow, so I am thinking they had a fabulous day of wrestling and playing. We also kept our plan of going to the park, although he was not nearly as energetic as normal! All in all, I think he had a good birthday, and I enjoyed doing a little good deed and interacting with a sweet little, red aussie for a short time. Maybe they can have a play date again sometime....and hopefully there will be a red-headed girl in his future one day. (When we have a yard!)
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