Dog Musings

Lilly and I ventured to a high-use public park in Denver over the
weekend to visit some friends from out of town. Since I often
lament Lilly’s reactions to various stimuli, I must say that she
took the park and all its hubbub in stride. Imagine a dog who lives
in a pretty quiet rural community going to the big city. If she
were typing today, I suspect she’d have amusing thoughts on the
things she saw. What might a smart, sensitive dog like Lilly
believe when she sees a group of grown people bashing an
alligator-shaped pinata with a …

Just as certain people instantly make my blood boil, certain dogs
simply get Lilly’s goat. And, not to put too fine a point on it, I
think their handlers know it. So that’s part of it. The second
part, however, comes when handlers behave as if Lilly is the only
dog with a problem. …

I read a lot, and I mean A LOT. I am bookworm and pretty proud of it. For many years, thanks to my undergraduate thesis, my specialty was 20th century African American women’s literature. There’s no “chick” in this “lit” … that’s for sure. Lately, I’ve been reading more good novels, good stories, than good…

After writing about needing to break my dog-hugging habit last week, I took Ginko for his annual exam, which included doing bloodwork since he’s now 7 years old. Muzzled for safety, Ginko still required a fair amount of restraint, including a veterinary technician wrapping her arms around him … to secure the front leg for the blood draw — her chest on his shoulders, her arms around his chest.

Recently, I watched two dogs get in quite a scrap during training when one tried to horn in on another’s food reward. Not long before the tussle, I watched one of the dogs greet another dog with a tense mouth, high tail, and I thought … “There’s a snark coming.” It didn’t, but then the tangle with a third dog came soon after. These are both situations that would likely set Lilly off, so I actively avoid them. Yet, when the scrap happened, no one else seemed too concerned. Maybe I just worry too much. In many such cases, I know a lot of people believe that “the dogs will work it out.”

Lilly slunk her way onto the training field and took up her position under the shade netting, against the fence. Her body, her face, her mouth looked fairly relaxed … at least from a distance. Up close, however, a different story . Her pupils dilated. Tiny, uncontrolled tremors. Heart racing. I pretty much knew she wouldn’t run any of the exercises, but I thought she might settle in and just watch. I was wrong.

Last Friday, I took Lilly to watch a 60 weave pole challenge. We sat way off to the side in the shade under a tree to keep her stress level as low as possible. As always, I clicked and treated her for staying calm, looking at other dogs without responding, etc. She did great, and yet … a competitor asked us a favor.