Rin, our foster dog, has spent a few weeks in the nice kennels at Freedom Service Dogs. Prior to that she was at the Wyoming Prison for some dog training at their program. I gather from that, that she is originally from Wyoming...maybe there are no trees and squirrels in Wyoming?? For the past several weeks, though, she has been behind bars or fences of one type or another.
Fast forward to our house....we have no fence, so she gets lots and lots of walks and gets to experience nature up close, which she apparently hasn't before. I mentioned previously that she is bonkers about squirrels. I need to add to that. She is also bonkers about rabbits, of course, typical of a labrador retriever.
There are a huge buck and 2 does that live in our neighborhood and wander around eating grass, shrubbery, and crab apples from the ground. They
have no fear of dogs or people. When the breeze is from the right direction, Rin stops and scents them from a block away. That is one scary big buck with big sharp antlers. Rin is fascinated and really wants to get to them.
Yesterday at the park she discovered prairie dogs....she probably considers them fat squirrels that bark and quiver and taunt her without running away. She really wants them, too.
On our walk last night a fox ran across the street in front of us and then just turned and sat there on a lawn, taunting Rin, daring her to even try to catch her. Foxes do that. And Rin really wanted to comply!
On the one hand, it is nice Rin gets to be a dog and experience these things at last. From a trainer's perspective, though, I hope she gets bored of them soon and learns to heel. On the plus side I guess, I am developing a strong bicep in my left arm holding her back from nature's critters found in typical suburbia.
"A dog can never tell you what she knows from the smells of the world, but you know, watching her, that you know almost nothing."
Mary Oliver
Looking together in the same direction.
Sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't drift apart.
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