Ten Ways You Know You Are A Professional Dog Walker

Itha & Draug - Check this smell out!

1. You know what just about any pup is trying to say to you by observing their body language.



Sandy - Please, pet my belly!

2. You have poop bags and a spare leash (or two... or three...) in almost every pocket most of the time even when you're not working... just in case.
   
   

   

   Phoebe - Let's just chill here for a bit, shall we?

3. Someone says, "bitches, I tell ya, bitches!" and your favorite female pups pop into your head.
   
   

   

   Penny - That was a great walk!

   

   Sophie - I'm being patient... Can we go now?

4. Someone says, "what a dog!" and your favorite male pups pop into your head.
   
   

   

   Stanley - I look great!

   

   HODOR - Throw the ball!!!

   
   

   

   Louie - Look at all the SNOW!
5. The worst thing about winter isn't the cold or the snow, but all the layers you have to wear since throughout your day you'll be removing and adding layers due to slight shifts in the weather.
   
6. The worst thing about summer isn't the heat, but all the sunblock you have to use.
   
7. You KNOW you're going to get dog poop on you at some point this week and it barely fazes you.
   
8. Your facebook feed is full of pictures of OPP - Other People's Pups!
9. You are constantly covered in fur.
   
   

   

   Pennywhistle - Come here so 

   I can lick you!

10. Your face is always clean --- puppy kisses!

Tips on Pets and Fireworks (A less than ideal combination)

"No, not fireworks!" Says Socko

Happy Fourth of July!

While we are out enjoying the independence this nation holds dear, please remember that our pets are often affected in a negative manner by fireworks. Even when we can't hear the BOOMS, they can. Also, the pressure can be felt in the air and they have no words to tell us how they feel. This can result in unusual behaviors including, but not limited to, the pet hiding, panting, running around, huddling close to the people they love and/or being more aggressive than usual.


Here are a few things we can do for our companions:

That's a good place to hide, Nemi!

• Be patient and calm but do not make a fuss. If your animal sees that you aren't reacting to the noise and the pressure, it will encourage them not to be freaked out either.

• If your pet finds a hiding place, leave them be. Sometimes the best thing they can do is wait it out.

• A bit of soothing music or white noise can help calm their fears and drown the other sounds out. 

• Don't leave them alone for too long. This will only add to their stress. 

• If your pet wears a thunder shirt or anxiety wrap during storms, put it on them during the fireworks. 

• Keep your pets inside. 

• If you have to take your dog outside, be sure they are on a leash. Even if you do not  leave your yard, that extra bit of security to keep them safe in case they get startled could save your dog from running off. 

• If they can be distracted, get them to focus on something they enjoy. (I.e. a game of fetch, a kong with yummies inside, some lettuce, chasing a feather wand, etc.) There's less room for fear if their minds are engaged elsewhere.

Lettuce distract Piglet!

What do you do to help your pets during the Fourth of July or other scary times? 

Please share your tips in the comments! 

Thanks!

ADDITION

A friend of mine pointed out this very helpful article that takes things a step further. With a bit of work, you can train your pets out of their fearful response. 

Here, she explains it better:

http://paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/fireworks/

Why I, as a Professional Dog Walker, Refuse to Use Retractable Leashes

I have been a professional dog walker for over three years. In that time, I have taken at least 5,000 walks (probably more) with a variety of breeds. Before my dog walking career, I was a Humane Educator, an Intake Counselor, an Adoption Counselor and an Animal Care Technician at a local animal shelter. The stories I heard there combined with my own research and my experiences have all led me to not trust retractable leashes. This is why I, as a professional dog walker, will always bring along at least two standard leashes in order to avoid ever having to use a retractable leash. 

Below are the details of why I will not use a retractable leash.

The Handle 

This is the portion of the leash with which I have the most problems. I walk lots of dogs, one right after the other, in all sorts of weather. This means I'm sometimes wearing gloves, my hands get sweaty, I'm often covered in dog slobber, I have many keys to deal with, I might be walking two or three dogs at a time, I have to pick up poop, etc, etc, etc. 

The hand that's holding the retractable leash cannot do much more than hold the leash. With a regular leash, I can loop the end around my wrist and still use my hand knowing that the dog is secured. With a retractable, if I need to use that hand for any reason, I have to put the handle of the leash down or shove it insecurely under my arm or in a pocket. Either of those options are tempting fate. (And by "fate", I'm referring to the distractible nature of dogs. Oh look! A squirrel!) 

The handle can be difficult to hold. If it gets wet from sweat, slobber or rain, that plastic becomes slippery. If I'm wearing gloves, my grip is not going to be as secure on the plastic as it is when I have a nylon leash.  If the dog starts pulling, I don't have as strong of a hold on that big hunk of plastic as I do with  a regular leash that I can wrap around my hand, something you do not want to do with a retractable leash. 

The handle, if dropped, can frighten the dog. That plastic can make a loud sound on concrete or brick. It is probably not going to be very loud if it lands on grass, but it might thump against a tree or something and startle the pup. On one of my walks, I actually saw this following scenario happen:

A small older lady was bent over picking up poop when her Silky Terrier spotted me coming with the Shiba Inu I was walking. The Silky got overly excited and lunged towards us. The woman almost fell over and dropped the leash. The sound of the plastic hitting the pavement scared the Silky. She ran off getting more and more upset as the leash bounced after her. We were, fortunately, on a street that had little traffic. I was able to grab the leash as the Silky ran past and returned her to the woman who was in a panic. This whole scenario could have ended much worse. 

The Retraction Button

The problem I have with the button is that it does not always work and, when it does, it is a pain to regulate. I understand that the idea behind the Retractable Leash is that it gives the dog the opportunity to roam. I am all for a dog being able to run around and roam while in a yard or at a dog park but not while on a walk. On the rare occasions when I have had to use a retractable leash, I locked the leash at a certain length so that the pup would not end up in traffic or under a bush with who knows what other critters.

Unfortunately, locking it can cause another problem. With it locked, the leash is slack and if the dog comes back towards me, s/he can then wrap it around me. I have been fortunate and have not received an injury from a leash wrap. Others have not been so lucky and have sustained rope burns, lacerations and even amputations. (Please refer to the articles I have linked below.*)

Another problem occurs when the button fails to work. This can be the fault of the manufacturer, the walker's finger either not compressing the button hard enough or slipping off of it or just a matter of regular wear and tear. Unlike the wear and tear on a standard leash, the mechanism for the button is in the plastic casing so it is not possible to see when it's getting worn down. No matter where the fault lies, the end result can be devastating. When I worked at the shelter, I heard different tales in which dogs got injured, and in one case died, because the button failed to work. In one of the stories, two dogs got into a fight when the walkers thought they were far enough away from each other but the dog on the retractable leash managed to snap the button and suddenly had a lot more leash to work with. Another owner had tried to lock the leash as the dog ran after a squirrel. The leash just kept spooling out despite the lock button being pressed and the dog was hit by a car and died as his owner watched not five feet away still holding that leash.

The Leash Itself

As I mentioned earlier, the leash wrapping around you can lead to rope burns, lacerations and amputations. Retractable Leashes will often have this warning, or something similar, on the plastic casing:

This, by itself, makes me not want to use that leash. The unfortunate thing is, since they put this warning on the leash, the manufacturer can say that you're at fault because your dog was uncontrollable. But even the best dogs, like people, have bad days and bad things happen. I will always do my best to minimize the potential for things going wrong. If that means I have to carry around extra leashes, then I carry around extra leashes.



I am around more dogs and more dog situations than most people and that is why I wrote this. I feel that everyone should be informed about the hazards of retractable leashes. I am including *four articles that explain the hazards of using retractable leashes:

Why I Don't Recommend Retractable Leashes by Dr. Becker

5 Reasons the Retractable Dog Leash is the Worst Invention, EVER

Retractable Leashes Pose Problems for People and their Pets

The Dangers of Retractable Leashes 

A Letter to Peanut: The Not-So-Pregnant Cat

This is a difficult story to tell. But this is also an important story to tell.

Peanut

Dear Peanut,

I wish I could have done more for you. I know the truth about animal rescue lies deep in the heart of everyone who's ever tried. It's this truth that breaks our hearts: We can't save everyone.

The shelter I foster through got a call from a woman in her car. After calming her down, the receptionist found out that she'd seen a cat running across a busy street with a jar stuck on her head. The police of that town were called, but catching a freaked out cat with a jar on its head was about as easy as catching the wind. But they persevered and the cat was caught. She was brought into the shelter after hours... with the jar still on her head.

At the shelter, the peanut butter jar was removed. The vet checked her over and found that all the hair had been rubbed off her left ear and it was infected. She would need medication. It was also determined that she was pregnant.

And that's where I came in... literally. I walked into the shelter, returning my latest set of foster kittens, and was asked to take this kitty home with me.

This would be my first pregnant kitty! I was nervous and excited. All the other foster families said the mama would know what to do and all I had to do was give her safe place for her to give birth. I set up three soft and cushy nesting areas in our kitten fostering room. 

We named her Peanut for the peanut butter jar. She wasn't aggressive, nothing more than a few hisses when she got startled, but she was feral. Every time anyone came in the room, she hid. She tolerated me touching her and even putting ointment on her wounded ear, but she didn't like it. I would spend hours in the room with her. I would sit by where she was hiding and read to her aloud. After a while, she would visibly relax and seemed to become more comfortable with the sound of my voice. But she never came over to me; she never sought my attention.

She was incredibly skinny (we're talking skin and bones!) when we got her. The vet seemed to think that she'd have her kittens within a week. When that didn't happen, we figured that it only seemed like she was that far along in her pregnancy because of how skinny she was. She was putting on weight and getting healthier day by day, so we gave her more time.

At just a month of her not giving birth, we had plans to take her in to have the vet make sure everything was okay. That evening, she made some horrible meowing sounds. I kept checking on her. But every time I opened the door, she hid. Much to her disapproval, I checked her over. The next morning,  I opened the door to her room and stepped in goo. She had lost her mucus plug! According to my research, she should have her kittens with in twelve to twenty-four hours. But a day went by and nothing. So I took her in to the shelter to see the vet.

The vet checked her over and determined that she wasn't pregnant after all. She may have had a false pregnancy or there was a possibility that since she was so unhealthy, the fetuses had been reabsorbed or it might have merely been that it seemed like she was pregnant because her uterus was swollen. He also detected a mass that might have added to the confusion. At the shelter, they didn't have the equipment to assess the mass.

Then came the hardest part... The operations manager at the shelter sat me down and said she would support whatever decision I made, but I needed to be realistic. Her health wasn't stable and she wasn't becoming anymore social. Even if I took her home to foster her, even if we managed to raise the money to pay for some risky procedures, even if she survived, even if we found a home for her, she would not have a good quality of life and would have a stressed out existence. Even if I adopted her and could afford to pay her medical bills, I had to consider how having a feral cat would affect everyone - cats and humans - living in my house. Setting her free in the wild wasn't an option. The shelter I work with doesn't do that. Plus we knew she was not well and wouldn't survive.

I cried. It broke my heart, but I had to make the decision to let her go. This kitty that I had spent so much time with... Thankfully, the euthanasia went smoothly and she died peacefully.

I wish I could have done more for you, Peanut. I will never forget you.
j9

Kitten Season!

Did you know kittens have a season? 

While it is not a true season, it is the time of year that the majority of kittens are born.

Cosette

Biker Bunch Foster Kittens

It usually runs between mid to late spring and early to mid fall. I observed this first hand when I was working full time at the shelter. When I started in the winter, there were not many kittens there. But by early summer, the kitten room was overflowing into the lobby, there were kittens in almost all the foster homes and our intake room seemed to be bursting.

Female cats (or queens) are polyestrous, meaning they have several heat cycles in a year. While this means  they can have kittens any time of the year, they do not go into heat when the temperature is too cold. But weather fluctuates and there are exceptions to kitten season.

Pedro

Carmilla, Selene & St. Germaine

A little over two months after a warm snap in the middle of the winter during the second year I was working at the shelter, we had an influx of kittens being brought in. One with a frost bitten tail that half came off and another with frost bitten ears that lost their tips. Sadly, some of them did not make it.

Link

Since my bestie and I foster for a shelter, my house has seen many kittens coming through during kitten season. While they're adorable and exciting to have around, they're also a lot of work. Along with growing and socializing, they often need medications, have behavioral issues to work on, are messy, get into trouble and frequently manage to escape from whatever room they're in. The most heartbreaking part of fostering is when one of our little ones die.

Mugsy

Many times, when kittens are brought in without their mama, they are too young to be weened. Bottle feeding does not build their immune system like mama's milk does and they quite easily become sick and sometimes die. Some who come in with the mama have trouble adjusting to the new environment. Others, are just not strong enough.

This is why getting cats spayed and neutered is so very important. Many shelters and vets will have times when the offer special rates on spaying and neutering pets. I support organizations like Triple R Pets that have TNR (Trap Neuter and Return) programs to help keep the feral cat population from continuing to grow.

Foster Kittens in a basket!

   
Reference links:

     What to do and not do if you find a newborn kitten
     Cats in heat

     Low cost veterinary care
     Triple R Pets

A Couple of Pawrific Pals!

Louie & Bentley

I have some amazing clients and Louie and Bentley's parents are among the best. Not only have they given a wonderful home to two dogs of such varying size, a Pug and a Husky,  but the Pug, Bentley, is a special needs dog. Due to spinal problems, Bentley has partial paralysis in his rear legs. He does a good job of scooting around and even getting his legs to cooperate with him at times. But he cannot manage stairs and has to be carried. He sometimes has accidents too, but his parents make it so easy to clean up after him. 

Bentley & his wheels

My visits with these two are always so much fun! We run (or in Bentley's case, shuffle-slide) around the yard playing with toys and sticks. Louie and I also chase each other around the yard being super silly. They live across from a grocery store and Bentley likes to announce himself to everyone coming in and out. People passing by the yard will comment on how cute, good and adorable they are. I couldn't agree more. 

Louie lovin' the snow!

Not too long ago, they got wheels for Bentley. You should see this kid! He's a speedster! He zooms around the yard as if he were born with wheels. His parents say that with his wheels on, he's more like his younger self. He even tries to bully his brother Louie about, chasing him and nipping at his ankles. Fortunately, Louie seems to think it's a game. He jumps around, runs off then runs right back at Bentley play bowing and wagging his tail. Sometimes, when Louie's bouncing back and forth and Bentley's barking, I'm convinced I can hear Louie snickering.

"I got it!"

In the winter, Louie is more in his element. He would love to stay outside frolicking in the snow all day long! Bentley just likes being outside, but I have to remember that he has a much thinner coat and isn't made for a winter wonderland. This is where treats come in handy. I'll get Bentley inside with just mentioning treats. I then take a treat out to Louie and lure him with his nose. If he's being particularly stubborn, I'll put a bit of peanut butter on it and he'll come following right away. 

"Is that treat for me?"

 Yay treats!

Preparing the Kitty for Moving

One of our clients is soon to be moving with their cat. They asked me for advice about what they should do to prepare their kitty for the move and what type of cat carrier I would recommend for a cat who is not fond of travel. So, along with a link to the ASPCA's Car Travel Tips, this is what I suggested.

I would highly recommend a carrier that has a top door and to get one bigger than what the cat needs so there is space to move around. Have the carrier out in the house and open for a few days (weeks if possible) before the move. That way when the day of the trip arrives, the kitty won't run and hide as soon as it comes out. The reason for leaving it open is so that kitty can leisurely investigate it. Put some treats or food in there so there will be a nice yummy surprise which will give the carrier positive association. Also, put comfy blankets or a kitty bed that the kitty already uses in there. That way it smells like the kitty and it is available for a nap which will add more positive association with the carrier. 

During the time the carrier is just sitting out, check it frequently to make sure kitty hasn't left any "presents" in it. If there is pee or poop in it, clean all of the smell out of it. (Most cats won't, this is just a precaution.) 

On the day of the move, the kitty will sense the nervous anxiety that moving often brings with it. Try to stay as calm and upbeat as possible with kitty. If kitty likes to play, I suggest playing with kitty for as long as possible before the kitty goes in the carrier. A tired kitty will always be easier to move. Doing it the day of the move may not be possible, but even a good play session the evening before will be helpful.

So much kitty love!

Kari & Asia enjoying a sunbeam

A few months ago, I had the privilege of helping to care for two  wonderful felines, Kari and Asia. I'd met their mom  through a friend and she contacted me. Miss Kari Cat, a small Bengal, had to have her back right leg surgically removed. The kitties' mama warned me that Asia, Kari's older brother, didn't always like new people. She was nervous about the after care and someone coming in to take care of her furry kids almost as much as she was nervous about the surgery itself. So we set up a meet and greet to see how the kitties reacted to me before the care was needed.

My buddy Asia

Kari, ever the social butterfly, came right up to me. We exchanged pets for purrs and we were fast friends. Asia was aloof; sitting in the other room just watching me.
"He might hiss," his mom warned.
I nodded and told her about some of the other kitties I help with. After I'd been there for a bit so he could get used to my presence, I approached Asia cautiously. I knelt near him and held out my hand. He sniffed for a few seconds, then rubbed his face against my hand. We were going to be just fine!

For our first several visits, Kari was being kept in a crate so she and Asia didn't roughhouse while they were alone. My main job was to get Kari out of the crate and walking around safely. I also spent time giving attention to Asia. They both got lots of pets and love and treats and I took tons of pictures to send to their momma while she was at work.

Three legged kitty in the window

Asia let me pet his belly!

Miss Kari's speed of recovery was remarkable! She was soon zipping around on her three legs like shed been doing it her whole life. Asia started greeting me at the door and even let me pet his belly. His mom told me he was more relaxed than he'd been since they had moved a few years ago.

I really fell in love with these two kids! Our last visit was a sad day. But there was happiness on the horizon because while I'd been getting to know them, I'd also been getting to know their mom and dad better and we've become friends. Their mom updates me on how their doing quite regularly and I even get to go by and visit the whole family.

Hooray for new human and feline friends!

Pirate Kari!

A Bit of Introspection...

Sorry I have been absent.

It's been tough to face this blog since my last post was about Socko and I miss him and every time I read that post I cry. There's a part of me that tells me to get over it, but I have no desire to ever get over it. He was an amazing dog. Pets like him are the reason I believe so strongly in saving animals and why I help others care for their animals and foster. There is so much more that I want to do too!

Soon I will be posting about two awesome kitties and their amazing parents. Stay tuned!

We called him the Doggy Buddha

On Monday, August 6th, we had our dog Socko euthanized. His liver had failed, both his liver and his spleen were swollen, he had a cancerous mass and he hadn't been able to keep any food down for almost a week. It was a heartbreaking decision, but it was the best we could make. 

This is my personal tribute to his memory.

Socko, just chillin'

"Whoa! What's that noise?"

Socko was a peace loving soul who got along with EVERYBODY. Humans, other dogs, cats, our now deceased guinea pig, even that skunk he tried to make friends with... (okay, that last one didn't work out so well.) People who don't normally like dogs, liked Socko.

Whenever we had foster kittens, he would watch over them, whine if they were doing something they probably shouldn't and patiently wait for them to approach him. Even when they were all puffed up and spitting and hissing and jumping at him sideways, he would sigh and just watch them. When they got comfortable enough to approach him, he was so gentle with them. Every so often, a kitten would jump at his tail; he had a white tip on a mostly black tail that looped up and it was like a kitty toy when he wagged it. Startled, he'd flip around to see what was going on, but that would be it.

Playing "your so pretty!" with Socko

He was the Doggy Buddha who would sometimes try to get in the middle of a hug, get upset if our goofing off hinted of violence and whine when the cats had the crazies. He was the Doggy Butler who would clean up any food spills, but only once stole food off an unattended plate. (He did try to get into the cats food, but was very good about leaving it alone.) He was Mr. Snuggles who sometimes wished he was small enough to be a lap dog. He loved to just lounge about with us inside, play fetch with his manky toys, go for long walks and make new friends. I will miss you more than I even know Socko!

Socko, disguised as a cat!

Socko all curled up!

One Million Kisses!!!

.

Sophie - Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier

Sophie is such a sweet girl! 

Like most terriers, she has lots and lots of energy. I started walking her when her mom (human mom) was pregnant. Now Sophie's mom had some trouble keeping up with Sophie during her first pregnancy so she hired Out-U-Go! after Sophie was already a bit sad from feeling neglected. This time, she had us start coming before it became a problem. Now that she has two very young kids to keep up with, she has me come twice a week. (And I'm glad she does!!)

One of the things I enjoy with these visits is that I often get to chat to her mom and the nanny. They're both fantastic ladies! Her mom & I also worked on Sophie's dog reactiveness. Poor Sophie had an incident with another dog attacking her when she was a young pup causing her to become dog reactive. She's fine once she gets to know a dog, but if there is another dog out walking or barking from inside the house, Sophie would become frantic and bark her head off. It would take her a while to calm down after each incident.

So I began using TACT with her. (Hee hee! I totally made that acronym up!)

Treat: If the canine that's getting her riled up is unavoidable, I give her treats until the other pup has passed or we've passed the pups who are inside their houses. I start as soon as I see or hear the other canines. For this to work, it's important to get her attention on me right away and to keep it there. There is a threshold that, once she's crossed it, there's no going back. All I can do is let her bark it out and get her away from the object of her anxiety. I try not to let her reach that threshold.

Aversion: Plain and simple, if the dog(s) can be avoided, I DO IT! Even if it means doubling back.

Coaxing: I'll alternate between a soft soothing voice to calm her and a happy excited voice to distract her. It's important to recognize which voice she's responding to and go with that one.

Toy: Sometimes, Sophie will carry a stick while we're walking. If I can redirect her energy to the stick or a toy and get her focused on that rather than the other dogs, we're golden!

Sophie - carrying her stick

As she's calming down, I shower her with lots of praise. And she's doing so much better! She still reacts, but before she gets to full freak-out mode, she looks at me, as if  checking in, and visibly relaxes once we do any of the above things.

When I go to walk Sophie, there are often people home. They are the nicest folks and I adore visiting with them! But Sophie is often torn between wanting to go for a walk with her favorite dog walker (a.k.a. me) and staying with her people. Like many Wheaton's, she would get anxious (not the best way to start a walk) but then calm down once we got going. At first, I'd use a lot of coaxing and treats and calling, "doggy joggy" as I start jogging myself. This would get her moving, but it was a slow process and I felt bad that she started out so upset.

Then one day, the solution presented itself. Sophie decided not to come over to me and just stood on the couch whining and wiggling her butt. I went over and gave her a few scritches, coaxing her to come down and let's go. Ummmm... no. So I sat on the couch and cuddled with her for about a minute as she covered my face in kisses. Then I got her harness on her and said, "let's go!" We headed out the door and she walked BEAUTIFULLY!! Since then, I start every walk I can with cuddle on the couch. We also end with snuggling... which means I get about one million kisses from Sophie every time I walk her. Hooray!

Kittens and delay

I suppose I could give you excuses that all seem like rational reasons as to why I let an entire month slip by without one single post. But excuses is all they would be. So, instead of wallowing in delay, I'm going to make an effort to not let that happen again...
and also...

KITTENS!!!

Our 5 latest foster kitties!! They've all been adopted! :D

Axl

Diesel

Jade

Kyra

Maverick

A Penny for your thoughts...

Penny - Shiba Inu
Sittin' Pretty!

Before I met Penny, my exposure to Shiba Inus was minimal. Only a few came into the shelter when I was working there full time and no one I know has one. But I really liked what I've read about them. They are exceedingly independent, bold and super smart. They require mind engaging training and love to play, play, play! They are also incredibly striking to look at and luxurious to pet with their foxy faces, compact bodies and soft, thick fur.

Before it was just Penny and I, Penny's mom had me come over and meet with them. I was surprised that this pup of such an independent breed played a game of "how many pets can I get" by going from me to her mom to me to her mom while her mom and I sat talking. I even did a trial run... er, walk with her. I goofed and put her harness on backwards but Penny gently let me know right away that something was wrong, so we fixed it. Once it was straightened, she showed off her superb walking.

"Come on! Throw the toy!"

 Our walks are always an adventure! She lives in a neighborhood right by a forest preserve so we see lots of wildlife. There is also a forest trail we walk right by so lots of bikes, other dogs out on walks, kids playing and people are always coming and going. She is the social butterfly of Shibas and wants to meet all the people.  She's always investigating a million and one smells. One time, she dropped face first into the grass and rubbed her face. It was so cute! ...well, "so cute" right up until I noticed the poop smeared along the right side of her face. Yucky! Once home, she sat very still and was excellent for getting her face cleaned off.

One day as Penny and I exited the house, we found a baby squirrel trapped in the yard. It kept trying to climb the wall of the house. Penny wanted to immediately go over and "help" the squirrel, but I didn't think the poor squirrel would be too appreciative of her kind of assistance. After our walk, the squirrel was still there and, upon seeing Penny again, freaked out as it climbed the wall over and over again, only to fall each time. Poor thing! After I got Penny inside, I went over to the wall and held my hoodie under the squirrel catching it when it fell and took it to safety away from Penny's yard. Penny still checks that corner for the squirrel... you know, just in case it comes back.

Penny is super cuddly. She loves getting scritches and pets! She will play keep-away and kill-the-toy with great vigor and gusto all the while wearing that excited Shiba Smile. Then, every once in a while, she runs figure eights throughout the house. She's amazingly fast!! Vroom-vroom!

After the romping, she always comes and gets petted. She occasionally rolls onto her side for belly rubs, which I happily oblige. Then she'll lay beside me or, other times, she'll go find a nice sunny spot and plop down. That way, she'll be well rested for when her mom comes home to give her even more lovin'.

Happy-Go-Lucky Buckley

Buckley - watching ducks

"Spaniels were bred to run in front of hunters and flush (scare) the birds into flight... the spaniel bounces gleefully about, looking for quarry." ~ Paws to Consider

There, just under the foliage, something moves. A squirrel, a bunny, some little birds or maybe even one of those ducks. My carefree bounding along sniffing the bushes and trees stops as I crouch low, step slow and with an explosion of prowess, I leap into action! Rushing forward I... 

am stopped by my leash. 

Woof! 

Silly human! Doesn't she know that I am a Mighty Hunter?

 

When I first got Buckley on my route, I have to admit, I was a wee bit nervous. Both of my younger sisters have had bad encounters with two different Cocker Spaniels. Having done a lot of breed research, I found that this is common since Cockers have been over bred and poorly bred. Unfortunately, this is what happens with so many people wanting them because when they're good, they're very social, eager to please and adorable. Add to this, I was warned that Buckley can be a bit wary of strangers. So before I went into the house, I braced myself for a less than friendly welcome and a pup I'd have to win over.

Buckley - Cocker Spaniel

As I stepped through the door, the pup that came trotting over to me was wagging his tail so hard, his whole butt wiggled! He nuzzled the hand I held out to him and, within a few seconds, was giving me kisses and rolling over for belly rubs! He was not the least bit wary of me.

From moment one, Buckley decided we'd be best friends. Our walks are always adventures in sniffing and fascination with wildlife. This works out well that there's a pond we walk around where many birds, including ducks, hang out and entice Buckley. But I tend to distract him with playing and jogging. Just the other day, it wasn't until the second time around the pond that he noticed two sleeping ducks just off the path. And boy, did he wish he could fly then!
His mom wants him to pull less, which will be a challenge. But hey, what's life without a little challenge? Plus, he's food motivated, so that will be helpful.

Buckley watching the birds outside

When we get home, after his treat, I sit on the floor next to the coffee table to write in his diary and let him decide what he wants to do.

If he's still feeling frisky, he'll bring me a toy and we'll have a rousing game of fetch. Though not too rousing since the vase incident...
Buckley was running and slid into a table. As the vase fell, I felt like time sloooooooowed and my movement to reach it was molasses with an accompanying languorous shout of, "Nooooooooooo!" But it broke. Oops! (His mom was so  understanding. She is awesome!) Plus, nobody got hurt and there was no glass in his fur or paw pads. Phew!

If he's all tuckered out, he'll curl up next to me, lay on his back for belly rubs and I'll give him scritches all over. He even fell asleep half in my lap once. That was a tough day to get up and leave. I didn't want to disturb him!

When it is time for me to leave, he walks me to the door. At first, I was concerned that he would try to get out, but he never does. He just walks me over, lets me give him one last pet, then heads back to the main part of the house. He's a perfect little gentleman.