Failure to Comprehend

So Dear Fluffy Followers and Future Fluffy Furever Family I've got some silly videos for you today.

I also had an experience at the dog park on Friday that I'd really not enjoy repeating so I'll share it with you because I don't want to have to experience it again.

See, at the dog park, you get out of your car, leash up your dog and walk into the gated area. You unleash your dog(s) and fling them into the open, fenced fields with joy and abandon. You then walk the perimeter or wherever but, here's the important part, YOU STAY WITH YOUR DOG!!

There was a man with his dog on Friday who figured he would just plant his behind on the bench at the top of the hill and let his dog go willy-nilly wherever he wanted. Failure to comprehend.

This dog was SUCH A PEST. Chance doesn't get too much time to just run and be with other dogs, which is why we go to the dog park, and he generally says hello to everyone there and moves along because THAT'S WHAT YOU DO!!

Getting the impression I'm a little miffed at this character who didn't choose to be a responsible pet owner? Um, yeah.

So, we start walking around, like we usually do and this dog attaches himself to Chance. He followed us all the way around the dog park. Chance was soooo good. I am soooo proud of him. He tolerated that dog to a point and then he would snap at him and let him know what was what. This went on for a good thirty minutes. Ignore, ignore, ignore - SNAP! Of course you don't want to be the one with the snapping dog at the dog park so we kept walking to try and get away from this yellow Cling-on.

By the time I finally built up my courage to ask this owner to "rein in his dog" I was sooo ticked. And, gosh, what a shock, the owner then got ticked at me because I asked him to get command of his dog. When the dog didn't come when the guy called him and he had to get his arse up off the bench, well, then he was really peeved at me. He didn't say anything at all to me and I was secretly delighted when the dogs, Chance in the lead, went cavorting over hill and dale, and of course, the dusty trail, and the not so dusty trail into the muddy water. Hee hee.

Eventually "Yellow Dog" and his owner um...connected through a piece of webbing and a clip, left the dog park.

Seriously, can you please just go away?

Ok, really? Can you please just leave me alone?

After that drama, we walked around for a little longer but it was warm on Friday and I had forgotten water so we left too. Chance was a little muddy but Mocha and Te'a were hot, muddy and smelly so we went to Ashippun Lake near our house for a little swimming.

When we first adopted Mocha we had our first dog, Andie. Andie was your typical lab, loved water, people, food, etc. but did not like to dock jump. Mocha changed that for her. We adopted Mocha in October so the pier had been taken out and the dogs just swam when we took them over.

After winter we went back to the lake and the pier was in. We threw the retrieving dummy in the water and Andie ran off the pier and went charging in after it. Mocha just bunched her muscles and launched off the dock. Several trips later Andie got tired of never even touching the bumper so to our amazement started dock jumping too. Nothing fuels activity like more activity and pretty soon they were jumping off the dock in tandem - SPLOOSH! SPLOOSH!

Fast forward to Friday afternoon. At the boat launch, after having run around like maniacs at the dog park they went diving into the water. Connor found a ball in the car and the kids were using the "flinger" (we call it the flinger - The real name is Chuck-It -http://www.chuckit.com/products ) both the tennis ball and the dogs into the water.

Te'a is not is big fan of the dock jump but even though Mocha is getting up there in years (we're not exactly sure how old she is) she can still cannon-ball with the best of 'em.

Chance too managed to, much to his dismay, get sort of soggy. Though afterwards, he hung out on the dock with the kids, watching Mocha and Te'a come in, muttering to himself, "I Fail to Comprehend why anyone in their right mind would be in the water for more than a drink."
I'm sending some videos your way today with warm wishes to the lucky family who would be interested in making Chancey a part of their family. Despite a rocky, rocky start here in Wisconsin, he's made tremendous strides and has become a wonderful, warm and loving family member. I let him outside this morning because he was dancing around by the front door and eyeing up my NEW living room chair (the old one is on Craigslist). He went out wandered through the woodsy area between us and the neighbor to the south, did some doggie business, came up the trail, made one last mark on the stump by the porch and came trotting into my arms. Hooray!!!

Now, I have to tell you even though I know that it breaks a cardinal rule of dog training - I give him treats when he comes back inside. I know, it's wrong, I know. But it works. If we still have him and more time has elapsed that I can trust him, then I will wean him off but for now, it works. Besides, I don't think that Scott treats him when he brings him in. Just me, the softy mama.

Enjoy the videos! The first is of Chance negotiating the rather slippery rocks at the boat launch and the second is Mocha dock jumping and Chance wondering...well you know, experiencing a FAILURE TO COMPREHEND why anyone would want to be in the water! (Additionally, there seem to be some large kid shaped silly mice on the dock - they were wishing hard that they could fall in and swim but settled for rockin' the dock instead)

Not so Fluffy Dog...

Thank you for reading! Please drop me a line when you stop by! Please pass this along to all of your doggie loving friends. Chance needs a haircut and I'd like to give that honor to his furever family!

(Authors Note: It appears the jump video is not to be uploaded...dang. Perhaps another time.)