There is something about the angle of the sun when Lilly and I walk in the morning that casts a funny shadow. You know those cartoon wolves or coyotes that are always sneaking up so
that all you see is their shadow approaching? Well, that’s what Lilly’s shadow looks like to me, at times. I like to pretend that it’s a reflection of her true, more confident self. I may have
written about this before, but this time I have photos. See what you think. …
Lilly is learning to be sweet to the mules next door. We’ve been training looking at them without barking or trying to get a rise out of them. If she looks or stays calms, then she gets
treats. I even let her race them along the fence line, as long as she’s quiet. They seem to seek her out, sometimes standing at the fence looking for her. Yesterday, I called for her outside and
found the cutest thing. I think she’s adopted them as her sheep. …
If you watch the Discovery Channel shows of underwater life, you’ve likely seen images of jellyfish puffing their way along in the water — expanding and contracting with a simple
grace. Well, I think Lilly must dream of such things because I watched her the other night as she slept on the loveseat next to me, and her foot (all things) amazed me. …
As part of our background work using ideas from the new book “Control Unleashed” by Leslie McDevitt, I went in search of a portable mat that I could use for Lilly’s mat training and
relaxation work. Here’s what I chose. …
One of the ideas in Leslie McDevitt’s book, “Control Unleashed,” is to allow dogs to look at things they might react to. It’s something I wanted to try shaping in a low-stimuli
setting, so as recommended I placed an X of duct tape on the wall. I closed the door, got out some treats, manned my clicker and waited to see what would happen. …
When they are outside alone, I often watch Lilly and Ginko from various windows in the house. I particularly like to watch when they don’t think I’m looking. I like the unaffected way
they explore the yard or just hang out. I love watching them pal around, usually with Ginko in the lead and Lilly tagging along. In particularly, I enjoy seeing Lilly be relaxed and confident at
home. And, I hope someday she’ll be like that elsewhere too. …
Sometimes Ginko does it to Lilly. He’ll just walk up and start nibbling on her like an ear of corn, tiny bites in a row on her neck or shoulder or side. She seems to like it. Often, if
she’s just been bossy to him, then she’ll race up and lick him like crazy, but she rarely nibbles on him. She also doesn’t nibble on Tom, but I think it’s because when she tried early on, he yelled
“ouch.” And, then there’s me. Lilly likes to nibble on my head. And, I have no idea why. …
The divorce rate and existence of on-again/off-again relationships says a lot about our collective intolerance of flaws in those we try to love. People like to talk about unconditional
love with pets, but I sometimes wonder just how unconditionally we return the favor. …
There’s a whole community of people who train and run rescued dogs in agility and other sports. It’s a proud accomplishment for any dog once deemed unwanted (or unloved, or whatever).
Many of these dogs, just like Lilly, have some challenges, but for so many people that’s just fine. And, yet, sometimes when you talk about it with handlers of non-rescue dogs, there’s a sense that
they think we use “rescue” as an excuse … that we allow our dogs to get away with things we shouldn’t, for example. …
It started last winter, when I regularly enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa with whipped cream at night. In front of the fire, I’d hunker down with Tom and the pups to relax. Lilly began
showing interest in the whipped cream in my cup. So, I gave her some. Now, just like the sound of stainless steel bowls means dinner, Lilly learned that the sound of the spray can meant whipped
cream. It’s the accidental dairy version of click/treat. …
