(This is a republish – it seems the notifications didn’t go out the first time it was published – so imagine it’s the 2nd August)
Wow, hasn’t the time flown by?
Coincidentally it’s also been the day when I had a puppy training class. I had a great time.
Today I seemed to have forgotten a lot of what I had been taught, although I was careful to behave when Anna the trainer got round to me. I’m not that daft. I was much better when Mum had charge of me but Dad had to hold his breath when it came to watching me do the long distance recall with her. He and a couple of the other Dad’s were apparently laughing at my initial slow reaction to the recall command and then at my goofy-like gallop along the hall, and they laughed even more when I kind of overshot the mark. No brakes you see – classic Labrador problem. “He’s no greyhound” said one of the Dads. Well really. Not so sleek yourself, if you don’t mind me saying so!
Dad says I will definitely win a rosette [Editor’s note: – that is, if one is awarded for class clown.]
What else has been going on? Oh yes. I am going to have to have words with Mum over the subject of bed making. I spend ages getting it just the way I like it, nicely heaped up at one end to form a sort of ‘Turner Prize’ pillow and, no sooner have I finished, than she comes along and straightens it all out.
To cap it all, just as I had got them smelling the way I like them, she took them away and washed them! To add insult to injury she gave me some rubbish clean ones while the others were in the wash. Well I wasn’t having any of that so as soon as my old ones were out of the wash and dry, I dragged the horrible ones out of my crate and took the proper ones off the kitchen table. Dad interrupted me half way through the second part of the process but I told him it was perfectly OK and was just part of my assistance dog training.
On Monday we went to Wallington Hall and met Rachel, Jacob and Douglas. J & D came for a walk with us in the woods while Rachel went off for some ‘me’ time. To be clear, ‘me’ time is not time with me but time with ‘me.’ No, I don’t understand either. Any way, M & D were extremely proud of the way I conducted myself while off the lead. Douglas was way off up front so I tagged along with him, occasionally dashing back to M & D for a treat before dashing back to Douglas. They think I have really got this idea of knowing where everyone is and staying close by.
Then we sat down at a food stand while everyone had an ice cream. I say ‘everyone’ but there was a notable exception. Still I was able to sit there watching my adoring fans walk by. Aren’t teenage girls strange? They start making funny squeaking noises when they see me and hold their hands to their mouths. Well I say ‘hands’ but they don’t seem to have any, just long, never ending arms to their jumpers. Odd.
Then I was allowed to say hello to a working guide dog. The owner was accompanied by a nice lady who was describing the scene to the guide dog owner and she told her that there was cute Labrador puppy there. Dad held me back and said you should never distract a guide dog when it’s in its harness and working, but the guide dog owner said it would be OK so we went and said hello, which I did very nicely.
Angus
interesting read and l can visualise his antics like the bed making!!