Life on the Leash

Yee haw! It’s county fair season! We hit the Middletown Grange Fair on Sunday with Ma and Pa Schade and had a blast.

First stop – the “Hot Dog Pig Race.” Now, when I read about the event I had visions of 4H-ers racing their pigs using a hot dog on a string as a lure. I’m there, baby!

The reality was disappointing:

It was a slickly produced pig race that travels from fair to fair, with racing pigs and “hot dogs”:

I didn’t enjoy the event … all I could think about was animal welfare issues. And speaking of animal welfare issues … a local seeing eye dog training group did a demo and it made my heart sink. Why?

This is why:

The amount of unnecessary choking going on in that ring was revolting. Three steps, CHOKE! “Sit, Fido, sit,” CHOKE. I watched for about five minutes then I got up and left. The bummer was that I had a front row seat and my departure looked very rude. I just couldn’t stomach it.

Despite all of that unpleasantness, I did manage to have a good time at the fair. There was tons o’ cuteness:

Square dancing seniors? Cute.

(I never realized how confusing square dancing is, with all of that, “chain down the line … single hinge …peel off … girls circulate” stuff the caller shouts out.)

Tom made me take a picture of these “snow balls”:

Then I started seeing them everywhere!

We left with tractor and cow-decorated commemorative t-shirts. Ah, country livin’!

We went to a fun family party on Saturday (our reason for heading home over the weekend), and I finally got to meet my “cousin” dog, Magic. (He belongs to my Aunt and Uncle, so I guess that makes him a cousin, right?)

What a charmer! He was such a good host during the party. Granted, he was jumpy at first, but he settled down nicely once he had a chance to meet everyone. He focused on fetch:

When that got old, he opted to Hoover the ground for dropped goods. I’m always impressed with dogs that can “hang” in a party setting, mainly because I’m handicapped in that department. Whenever I host a gig Zeke wants to be the center of attention (my guests usually give in to him), and Sumner wants everyone to please-die-right-now. (I tell ya, the guy’s got issues.)

But Magic? He lived up to his name.

We went up to the family homestead this past weekend. Call me weird – I love hanging out with my parents. Thankfully, so does Tom. The dogs? “Love” doesn’t begin to cover it, what with the vast green yard and the never-ending variety of furred and feathered creatures we encounter when visiting.

We arrived just in time for dinner. Our chatting and laughing was interrupted by shrill commentary from the chicken coop.

“That sounds like trouble,” I said. My Dad mentioned the red tail hawk that’s been terrorizing the chickens, and sure enough, I could see him sitting on the edge of the fence, peering down at them through the mesh.

“We’ll take care of it,” I said, calling Sum to come along. Zeke, unfortunately, is still dealing with his shaky back legs, so he wasn’t able to take part in much of the strenuous activity.

I sent Sum down to the coop to scare the hawk, which he sort of did. It was more of a victory lap in the general direction of the coop (”Hooray! I’m at my favorite place!”), but it was enough to make the hawk move along. Sum then beelined for the pond to cool off, not realizing that it was low and muddy, instead of full and swim-able.

Nice work, Sum:

The amount of wildlife we encounter is incredible … I was greeted by this tableau on Saturday morning when the boys went out for a pee (no, they didn’t spot them):

I encountered the resident turkey family a few minutes later just a little farther down the driveway. Two Moms (go, alternative turkey gals!) and about 12 babies. They were very skittish, so I might as well say that this is a photo of Big Foot:

This chatterbox scolded us any time we got too close to her house:

And the butterfly bush lived up to its name:

Sum had a grand time. He’s amazingly good off leash (as is Zeke), so we’re able to take awesome pant-inducing strolls. He’ll take off down the trail, then turn and wait for me to catch up, or run back to me:

He’s keen to track all of the scent trails, which is totally fine. I trust him. I only have a problem when he veers into the overgrowth … I worry about poison ivy. When he drifts into it, one, “Please don’t,” and out he comes.

That’s not to say he’s the perfect dog. We had some neighbor pups over for a visit and he was tres inhospitable to them … stay tuned.

Poor little Zeke had to take it easy. We did some short walks, but it’s really, really hard for him to resist the urge to run. He forgets his unsteady back legs and overextends himself when confronted by bunnies, chickens, chipmunks, deer, etc.

We packed a lot of livin’ in the past 48 hours, and the guys are exhausted (as am I – the 5AM departure time this morning was sucky.) Had a blast, though.

Flash is a bibliophile. He enjoys a good coffee table book now and then … for lunch.

Shoes? Newspapers? Garbage cans? Nope, he’ll stick with books, thanks.

I advised a starvation diet for the next month … no books at Flash-level. A steady stream of bones and treat-stuffed activity toys will help his taste buds adjust to life without pulp.

Flash had his chewing preference mapped out … are there any other selective chewers out there? Stun me with your dog’s creativity!

When I asked Pete’s people what they wanted him to learn during training they listed the usual suspects – sit, down, stay, come – then they jokingly added that they want him to get a job too. Little did they realize that they have a budding product spokesdog in their midst.

Pete? The LOTL store is now open for business. You’re on.

“Hi. I’m Pete the dog. I’m a high-energy kind of guy.”

“I love to play, but sometimes the same old games like tug and fetch bore me.”

“That’s why I was thrilled to discover the Flat Cat, a great new toy from Life on the Leash!”

“It’s an awesome fuzzy squeaky toy on a long flexible cord. It’s fun to chase, chew and tug on. And my people barely have to move when we play with it – they can stand still and whip it around while I chase it!”

“But you don’t have to take my word for it …”

“Check out these other satisfied users:”

“The Flat Cat. Created and developed by Victoria from Life on the Leash, for dogs like you.”

The Flat Cat may cause extreme canine euphoria. Symptoms include: running, smiling, leaping and panting. Healthy exhaustion may occur. Check with your favorite dog training blogger to see if the Flat Cat is right for you. The Flat Cat, available only at the LOTL store on www.LifeontheLeash.com.

I was expecting adorableness when I showed up for my first appointment with 4-month old Bella. She’s a Papillon puppy – “cute” is part of the breed standard:

What surprised me was the variety of adorableness in her home:

I was captivated by her crew, and I spent far too much time watching Bella play with Mick the cat and her big sister Luna. I kept apologizing to her person for veering off track … it was just really, really difficult to for me ignore the floor show.

When I did manage to focus on training, Bella proved to be an eager student. Her person had already done quite a bit of training with her before I showed up.

And big sis Luna? She’s going to be a great role model … she knows all of her basics and a ton of tricks. She’s already on to graduate-level training!

I love meeting households with a peaceful menagerie of pets … any other happy multi-species households out there? (Is anyone out there?)