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November 19, 2020: Shadow’s Dog Blog: Graduation Day

My days continue to be very full. Ryder keeps telling me that because they are too full, that I should report Alys and Pete to the Human Society. She added that they would first have a serious talk with our owners, and they would explain to them that too much exercise and attention and training is deleterious. Then, if the owners did not comply, they would take them away, maybe put them in cages for a few days. After the staff determines if they are adoptable, interested dogs could come and look in on them, and if they so choose, a dog could take them home. There, the humans would have to toe the line, for the Human Society critters would come and look in on them.

 


Shadow checks out the tractor

Me, I have no complaints. I am doing just fine; although, yes, I do think that two hikes on a single digit temperature day is a bit much. Alys and Pete seem to tag team, first one takes me for a walk, and then the other follows suit.

I am now getting what Alys calls horseback riding lessons. I thought that steady eddy Tinni would be my regular ride, but yesterday Alys put me on Hrimfara. Yesterday, she took me through the agility course on Hrimmi’s back. Today she took me to and from the Murphy Road Trail Head. Hrimmi is a tall horse, so it’s a longer ways to the ground, so I am still a little apprehensive about Alys’s decision, to switch horses in the middle of the stream. I’m also concerned that Tinni, who enjoys having a sense of purpose, may end up being disgruntled by this change of events. Alys says, no worries – she’s going to put Ryder on Tinni tomorrow.

Tonight, we went to Puppy II class. It was graduation night. As I understood it, this means that this is the last puppy class. Too bad – I am going to miss Hades and Laddie and Ray Gun and Nikita and Mack and Yorkie because we’ve grown up together. They are all going on to Grade School class. I wanted to go too, but then I heard Claudia, our teacher, say to the humans that there are no playtimes in any of the upper level classes. What gives? No playtime? Playtime is way more fun than laying around and listen to Claudia tell the students how we should be raised.

And as I understood it, tonight I got my AKC Star Puppy certification. This means that I’m not badass, like the dogs down at Scary Corner. I’m going to stay out of their way when Alys takes me past there. I feel safe up on a horse’s back. The certification process was easy. I had to show that I could walk on a loose leash and sit and stay. Way fun, Claudia walked by with a walker. I did as Pete told me to do and stayed put.

I had just one down moment – we played Simon Says. Pete was in charge of me. He walked with me when he ought not have. Nikita then got to pick a toy out of the bin. Oh well – at least this was human error.

It looks like for the next few weeks that we’ll be continuing with agility. This is good because we will keep moving, which I enjoy, even though there is no playtime.

Next: 319. 11/20/20: The Writing Life: Looking Up and Looking Around

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