As promised, here is a video showing how Lilly coped with meeting a very young puppy (just over 8 weeks). You can see in her body language that Lilly is a bit nervous. Watch her offer various calming signals. Notice (IMHO) how tolerant she is of puppy antics. FYI – I muted the audio because it is incessant praise of both dogs and gets TEDIOUS. :o) So, instead watch this silent movie that offers another study in canine body language.
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While I burn time editing videos of Lilly and LuLu, I’ll take a quick minute to share a few more entirely unrelated things I’m loving these days — bedsheets made from Modal, roast chicken salad from Costco, single-serving drink mixes, and pretty much anything from Life is Good. …
It’s late, so this is just a quick note. Stay tuned this week for more info and even videos chronicling Lilly’s first extended encounter with a very young puppy. Our agility friend Betsy recently welcomed home LuLu, a performance-bred Australian Shepherd (aka agility dog). She is a total doll — as you will see. …
Since I spent most of this week overcoming a late summer / early fall cold, I have no training news to report. So, I dug out and scanned some photos of Cody, who was my second dog as an adult. He was probably a yellow lab mix of some sort. Here is his story. …
Yesterday, I sat in my office poking at a few things on my desk, when I heard the distinct sounds of Lilly trying to sass the mules next door. While the mules actually handle her barking and bossing quite well, I’d rather she not get kicked. So, I went to the front door and said in a mostly normal tone of voice — “Lilly, COME.” And, she did. I’m not saying it was perfect, but here is what made it better than your average recall. …
Well, it’s official. Aunam Cara She Runs Hot, our agility friend Pitsch’s new baby sister, came home over the weekend. Her call name is LuLu, and we are SO EXCITED to meet her. We have tentative plans to visit next Saturday as part of LuLu’s socialization work. …
We had a three-day setback over the weekend with the ever-illusive Coming Inside Problem that only crops up in the summertime and only in the evening. As usual, I’m unable to peg what caused Lilly to decide once again that the house was SUPER scary, but it seems to be better. Even though, get this, Tom is currently in the basement using a small jackhammer-like thing. …
You all know that Lilly can be SUCH a border collie — bossy, controlling, down right mean. BUT, often after such an outburst towards Ginko, she’ll deliver a flurry of appeasement kisses. I’ve put the behavior on cue. Ginko is a good sport for putting up with it. Those of you who’ve received such kisses know she’ll also kiss certain people on cue too. I find having kissing on cue (or “under impulse control” as the lingo goes) especially helpful with little kids, whose faces are at prime height for Lilly smooching. This way she generally won’t kiss them, unless …
After a rough week emotionally, I decided to take Lilly along to the Golden Fine Arts Festival last Saturday. She has been to this event, near her favorite city path, for several years running. And, honestly, I needed my girl that day. I needed to get out, and I needed my Lilly with me. Some days are like that. All in all, Lilly did well … despite MANY challenges. …
Today is a rough day in Lilly Town. First of all, my sister meets with her oncologist to get the full diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plan now that she’s 10 days out from her mastectomy. She has been up for hours already, steeped in anxiety, so if you can send her a prayer for inner peace, I know she would appreciate it. Secondly, today is Katie’s last day in Lilly’s life. We. Are. Crushed. …
