Yesterday was the downpour of all downpours! My rainproof gear passed the test, the boot failed miserably. I don't think have never been that wet in my life. I would try to wipe the water off of my face and by the time I did it was dripping wet again! The dogs stayed clean despite running in lakes of mud because it was raining so hard it was like a non-stop shower. That was a perk! The morning trip was raining, but nothing compared to the afternoon. We brought Floyd for his second park trip, his first with my pack (was with nancy yesterday). That dog has so much energy! He's a young labradoodle,so I'm not surprised. He was just adopted into a new home two weeks ago and was named Floyd- it fits him very well! He seems to be a very smart, well trained dog, but still is adjusting to a lot and very very excited about the dog park! The main thing we are working on is recall and considering he is still learning his new name, and has a pack of new friends, it's understandable that he's not totally reliable yet. We kind of had a break through yesterday and discovered that he may have been trained "touch" instead of "come" as ER have been using. He heard me say " touch" to another dog and came running over and sat perfectly at my feet waiting for a treat. And did it again, and again... I love moments like that :)
During our drop offs and pick ups, or "lunch", we found a lost dog walking in front of my house. He was a little chug (chihuahua/pug) and his name was Larry. We called the number on his tag and left a voicemail. I posted on Facebook and twitter. We kept him with us waiting to hear back from the owner. Long story short, he snuck out of my neighbors yard who was dog-sitting and after some cuddling in the car with me, he went home safe sound. He was a sweet little guy with a Mr. Fletcher-ish underbite.
So, I'm having kind of an off week, and am apparently physically falling apart. I was lifting a dog in the truck on Monday (which I do 15x a day, every day, and have never had a problem), and pulled something in my back. I've never done that before and feel like I'm turning into an 80yr old! I learned my lesson on lifting. I have been so lucky to have Kendal helping me- I thought the boot was difficult, but this is much worse. I think, in the world of "everything happens for a reason", it's helped me let go of a little bit of my control freak ways and let Kendal take the reins. She has been amazing and it is really good for me to stand back and watch a bit... I can't believe how much she has caught on to the crazy chaotic life of the dogs. All the dogs love her and listen to her and she has been such a trooper with the long days bad weather. That's how you know someone truly loves the dogs!
Yesterday afternoon, I had to take a break and sit down and rest for a minute. I had been chasing the dogs around trying to get their toys to throw and finally gave up. As soon as I sat down, every single dog came over and said hi and checked in on me. They are so sweet. Milkshake brought his ball, dropped it, and barked in circles around the bench, in protest of my resting moment. If a barking dog dancing in circles doesn't get you back in action, I don't know what does. He's intense!
The rain either energizes and excites the dogs and they just go crazy, or sometimes they have just had enough. Pepper was over it. Her sad little eyes said "I'm not cut out for this. Take me home to cuddle!" I posted a video on YouTube and facebook of the pups romping in the rain.
In other news, Cooper took the worst smelling poop I have ever smelled. Even after it was bagged and thrown away, I could smell if for a good 50ft radius. What did he eat?!
Nancy walked Mokee yesterday afternoon, in the downpour, and apparently did the best towel off job ever! His mom texted me last night asking if he went to the park (he does both on Tuesdays) - she said he looked like he just got back from the groomers he was so clean! Good job, Nance!
Ok, back to the park to test that rain gear again....
