Testing, testing: an oops and some good news
By Kim Campbell Thornton
August 23, 2008
Well, nine out of 10 isn’t bad, but it’s not a passing score for the Canine Good Citizen test. Harper was just too interested in visiting with the other dog when she was supposed to ignore him. Despite three attempts, she kept crossing the line to approach him and his handler. I don’t think I realized she wasn’t allowed to approach the dog or we would have worked on that; I thought she just had to respond in a friendly manner.
Otherwise, she did pretty well, although she was quite excited and clearly needs more work as far as focusing on her handler. We’ll practice that while we’re strolling the streets of downtown Seattle.
Afterward, when she had finished explaining what Harper needed to work on, the evaluator asked how old she was. When I said nine months, she beamed. “Well, then, she did great. Bring her back when she’s a year old and I’m sure she’ll pass.” I hope I will have become a better trainer by December.
Bella’s visit with the cardiologist went well. She took a chest x-ray and although the heart looks a tiny bit larger, it’s not enough that she thinks it’s necessary to make any changes in her medication. We’ll do a recheck in three months.
Gratuitous bird blogging: Larry Bird sometimes comes into the office when we’re working, so I “built” a pet condo. Twyla has the lower unit and Larry gets the penthouse with the view–of that other bird in the mirror. He’ll be vacationing with our very generous neighbors Tim and John while we’re in Seattle. They have a pair of lovebirds who appear to enjoy Larry’s company, and I’m sure he likes having other birds to talk to.
Speaking of birds, chickens to be exact, yesterday I was reading Margaret Maron’s new book, Death’s Half Acre, and came across a little subplot involving chickens and dogs. The main character, judge Deborah Knott, who lives in small-town North Carolina, is adjudicating a case involving a chicken-killing dog. The dog’s owner is a city woman who claims that the chicken came into her yard, where the dog killed it. The owner of Bella, the chicken, says just the opposite happened and was barely prevented from shooting the dog. Once it’s established that dog and owner are at fault, Knott moves on to sentencing. Here’s the scene:
If she had shot your dog, how much compensation would you have asked for?
She balked at that. “My dog has papers.”
If you’re going to live in the country, then you need to know that some chickens have pedigrees, too, and a lot of them are pets with personalities as individual as dogs or cats. I’m entering a judgment of three hundred dollars against you for the death of the chicken…
What are you reading in the dog days of summer?
If you like chickens check out the book “Still life with chickens, starting over in a house by the sea” (a memoir) by Catherine Goldhammer. I think you’ll like it. Chickens and dogs are featured in a much more realistic way than usually represented
I just finished “Woman’s best friend” a collection of short stories by women writers on the dogs in their lives. Edited by Megan McMorris. It had alot of diverse stories, 26 in all, from puking pugs and unowned strays to an overweight corgi and a mischevious weimaraner and the like. The addition of children in some homes and how it affected their dog lives, and people with no desire to mother anything other than their dogs. I really enjoyed it.
I also just finished “The dogs who found me, what i’ve learned from pets who were left behind” by Ken Foster. Also an excellent read. Great behind the scenes look at rescue people and some unoffical rescue people. A great look at one man and the dogs he has saved as well as the dogs he shares his life with.
I am about to start “Walking Ollie. Or winning the love of a difficult dog” by Stephen Foster The dog in the story is a lurcher. I saw it advertised in a dog mag and then stumbled across it at my local bookstore so snatched it up.
My non-dog related read at the moment (for book club) is American Gods by Neil Gaiman.
Comment by Marie — August 23, 2008 @ 6:41 pm
I really enjoyed American Gods. I’ll have to look for Still Life with Chickens and Walking Ollie.
Comment by Kim — August 23, 2008 @ 6:59 pm
I’ve been alternating all summer between light and serious reading. Currently on the serious: “The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded Americans Is Tearing Us Apart,” by Bill Bishop.
I am so loving the library. Am looking up “Still Life With Chickens” to order for pickup now.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — August 23, 2008 @ 7:06 pm
Well, with legislative stuff hopefully done for a time, now my only excuse for not pursuing CGCs on my young dogs is my impending back surgery. My surgeon however tells me that as long as I am not picking up the dogs, he will not excuse me from training!
That means Lolo and Nestle are going back to remedial everything 101. And Moto too. I have never attempted it with a 5 pound dog before, should be fun!
And thank you for the book suggestions, I go through reading material far too fast, some interesting stuff I ‘ll have to check out. :-)
Comment by JenniferJ — August 23, 2008 @ 9:16 pm
By the way, Larry Bird looks GREAT. Old enough to vote and still looking good.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — August 24, 2008 @ 6:34 am
Thanks. Ringnecks have a lifespan of 20 to 30 years, so I hope we’ll have him around for a while longer. He turned 21 this year and has survived living with three cats and five dogs (although that long tail was awfully tempting to feather-loving Darcy).
Comment by Kim — August 24, 2008 @ 7:31 am
My poor dog Mushroom has gone 9/10 on the CGC test twice now, failing in the Supervised Separation both times. He just doesn’t like being left.
I’m currently finishing up Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and it’s lovely.
Comment by katie — August 24, 2008 @ 7:50 am
Two of the rescues that live with me have received the cgc title. One a white lab that was going to be hung . The other a wonderful little cocker spaniel who doesn’t have eyes. Another little rescue who is either a cocker or a cavalier or a mix is going to start class in the fall. Hw was bred in one state sold in another state at a dog auction, went to a commercial breeder , then to another commericial breeder, and now he is free , absolutely loves to lay in the grass. He had never walked on the ground in his five years of life. He at first was scared of being on the ground, now he loves, he runs , plays. his favorite thing is to be allowed to lay in the grass!!
Comment by thomas — August 24, 2008 @ 5:38 pm
Love the bird “condo”! I wish I could take my birds to work with me, but they’d be too disruptive. My sun conure would try to talk (scream) over anyone trying to have a conversation that didn’t involve him. =)
Comment by Best in Flock — August 25, 2008 @ 9:11 am
Yes, I have some interviews recorded in which I can hear Larry talking in the background all the way from the kitchen. No one ever mentions it, though, so maybe they can’t hear him.
Comment by Kim — August 26, 2008 @ 9:52 am
Postscript: I was walking Harper around the block tonight and we passed a woman with a Rottweiler that we’d never met before. I asked her if she’d mind if we practiced the neutral dog exercise with them. That darn Harper walked past that dog three times without paying any attention at all to him. Sigh.
Comment by Kim — August 26, 2008 @ 8:50 pm