What a day I had, no two seem to be alike. First of all, it’s now cold and windy, not really to my liking and not at all to Ryder’s liking. I’m young, and so I can handle blustery conditions, but Ryder, she’s playing the old border collie card. She sees herself as now being semi-retired. She’s good for a daily romp in the woods, but of course, she likes to spend the rest of her day flaked out on the upstairs bed. Alys has half-jokingly said that Ryder is her upstairs dog and I am Pete’s downstairs dog. She’s also said to Pete that behind every half joke is a truth.

I am the downstairs dog by necessity. I want to be in on the action when either Alys or Pete head outside. Alys spends a lot of time tending to the animals and cleaning up outside. Pete spends a lot of time fixing things. Their activities do seem to complement one another.

Today Pete left early, to school, I was told, leaving me with Alys. Alys worked for a while upstairs – I was outside. Then she went outside and cleaned the goat shed addition and the porch area. She also worked some in the Playground of Higher Learning. She seemed quite content. She didn’t have the time to take me or Ryder for a walk, so Pete did this when he got back from wherever he was.

Shadow looks up to Ryder

We had a wonderful outing. Ryder caught sight of a few squirrels – they are easier to see now that the leaves are off the trees. I chased a vole and saw a moose at the distance. The air, it smelled so good.

We were then off to Puppy II class. I knew we were going because I now know the routine. Alys gathers together clickers and treats and toys and the Puppy II manual. Then, on the drive there, she goes over what we’ll be doing in class with Pete. I got a little nervous after a bit because it appeared as though there was so much material to cover.

I needn’t have worried. Alys and Pete have been working with me, both in and outside. We first had a sit/stay contest – the goal was to see who could sit and stay the longest as the handler, in this case Pete, doled out the treats. I won, and for my efforts I was praised highly by Alys. Pete later said that Claudia may have been dubious about his giving out just six treats. Hey, Pete was on the mark. In addition to my other attributes, I can count.

My favorite time is usually recess. Today we played and our owners worked on recall. This was easy for me because there wasn’t all that much of interest to me going on. As usual, Mack the brindle bulldog and Hades the white bulldog wrestled some. I did play a bit with Bentley, the welsh corgi, and pushed open the gate a bit so that Hades could mix it up with the two very small dogs who were in the safe zone. But otherwise, playtime was uneventful.

After, Claudia talked some about leadership, and on the drive home, Alys and Pete went over her checklist. I was relieved in hearing that nothing much is going to change in my life. They agree that they are doing the right things by me.

Life here continues to be good. Alys said that tomorrow she’ll take Ryder and me up to the bench, that is if the weather holds. I hope this is so; I’m not ready to be a hearth dog; although, I must say I do at times enjoy sacking out by the woodstove.

Next: 293. 10/23/20: We be Wood Burners