Getting to Agility Class
Twice a week I trek up to Stacy, MN to work with the boys on agility. When I arrive home from work each day - there is a bit of a routine, both dogs greet me at the door and follow me upstairs into the bedroom and clothes room. As I change, they stand heads moving in parallel as I shift around grabbing things - two heads bow down when I grab my tennis shoes, up and to the left when I open the drawer to pull out shorts, backing up heads when I swing around to hang up my work clothes. Then they both traipse back downstairs with me and watch me pull open the meat drawer in the refrigerator, grabbing cheese sticks and sliced meat and filling up the treat bag with it. You have to use high value treats for agility, and I am not talking about the cost.
On Monday's it is just Chewie and I. Chewie, as I have said previously, loves to go anywhere with me alone. He just adores the attention and I believe he likes to be able to work without that white horse of a dog getting in the way. Monday night classes are earlier and harder for me to get to so I am always swooping in and rushing around. While I toss things into the treat bag and fill up the oversized water bottle the boys start hip checking each other and chatting little barks and grrs. Just as I reach for the leash, Kristin opens the freezer drawer and pulls out a frozen marrow bone for Gromit. He tries to push through to the back door but when he sees me put the leash on Chewie and Kristin calls him he decides that his only real option is that damn marrow bone - he swoops in grabs the marrow bone and trots off to a good chewing place. Chewie and I dash out the back door and into the car. He settles in for a long ride and pretends to sleep all the way up to the farm.
Wed is Gromit's night. We have two other dogs and people that car pool with us. When I arrive home from work there is often a Keeshound and Yorkie Poo dancing in the driveway ready to go. I apologize to the peeps and race in to change, over sized dogs in tow. Needless to say Gromit knows it is his night as soon as he sees the other two puppies. He runs back and forth window to window watching all the activity in the driveway. Once everyone is organized in the car and I have my dinner, gear bag and water bottle for the dogs, hot pink Tab for myself, we are off. The sound that comes from Chewie as we drive away is hard to describe with words - it is a deep heart wrenching mournful howl that would leave any passerby to consider a call to the local humane watch eye organization. If Kristin is home she will take out the ball and this quickly pacifies him as though retrieving that ball is the anesthetic for all anxiety.....if only the ball were organic. the addition might then be considered healthy. If Kristin is not home he goes to his Berner friend Emme's house and is bossed around by Just Joe the, in charge JRT.
The drive to Stacy is about 45 minutes. This year I have successfully attracted the attention of 2 police officers who offerred up two speeding tickets and advice on how to avoid a felony charge by correcting the address on my driver license. All this happened in the span of three days, one on Monday one on Wed. Suffice it to say, I wear lighter shoes when driving and use my cruise control more often. Imagine thinking to yourself as the traffic police kindly asks if you are having a medical emergency - having to say that no in fact you are 0n your way to dog agility class...of course they should understand why I might be speeding with that explanation - right?
On Monday's it is just Chewie and I. Chewie, as I have said previously, loves to go anywhere with me alone. He just adores the attention and I believe he likes to be able to work without that white horse of a dog getting in the way. Monday night classes are earlier and harder for me to get to so I am always swooping in and rushing around. While I toss things into the treat bag and fill up the oversized water bottle the boys start hip checking each other and chatting little barks and grrs. Just as I reach for the leash, Kristin opens the freezer drawer and pulls out a frozen marrow bone for Gromit. He tries to push through to the back door but when he sees me put the leash on Chewie and Kristin calls him he decides that his only real option is that damn marrow bone - he swoops in grabs the marrow bone and trots off to a good chewing place. Chewie and I dash out the back door and into the car. He settles in for a long ride and pretends to sleep all the way up to the farm.
Wed is Gromit's night. We have two other dogs and people that car pool with us. When I arrive home from work there is often a Keeshound and Yorkie Poo dancing in the driveway ready to go. I apologize to the peeps and race in to change, over sized dogs in tow. Needless to say Gromit knows it is his night as soon as he sees the other two puppies. He runs back and forth window to window watching all the activity in the driveway. Once everyone is organized in the car and I have my dinner, gear bag and water bottle for the dogs, hot pink Tab for myself, we are off. The sound that comes from Chewie as we drive away is hard to describe with words - it is a deep heart wrenching mournful howl that would leave any passerby to consider a call to the local humane watch eye organization. If Kristin is home she will take out the ball and this quickly pacifies him as though retrieving that ball is the anesthetic for all anxiety.....if only the ball were organic. the addition might then be considered healthy. If Kristin is not home he goes to his Berner friend Emme's house and is bossed around by Just Joe the, in charge JRT.
The drive to Stacy is about 45 minutes. This year I have successfully attracted the attention of 2 police officers who offerred up two speeding tickets and advice on how to avoid a felony charge by correcting the address on my driver license. All this happened in the span of three days, one on Monday one on Wed. Suffice it to say, I wear lighter shoes when driving and use my cruise control more often. Imagine thinking to yourself as the traffic police kindly asks if you are having a medical emergency - having to say that no in fact you are 0n your way to dog agility class...of course they should understand why I might be speeding with that explanation - right?
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