By Leaps and Bounds!

Air Vivian

I am fascinated by the sport of Agility for dogs.  I love to watch you tube videos of dogs competing and am excited when I run across agility shows on TV.   I have poodle friends who compete and I especially love watching their videos and hearing about their poodle antics.   As I have said before poodles are smart and can learn a lot; but they also have free will and a lot of it!  My favorite video was one a poodle list friend put together of all the times her poodle decided to not follow her directions and just take another route.  I think the music she had with it was “Girls just want to have fun” or something to that effect.   I think I liked it because her poodle just looked so joyous and all you could do was laugh.  Agility is tough competition, but everyone always looks like first and foremost they are having fun.  We live too far north for Vivian to train for agility.  I would probably have to travel over two hours to find a club for classes, so we just do our own version of  Northwoods agility.   Last week Greg finished putting the flax straw over the pump and sewer system.  For the uninformed, it can get to minus 40 degrees here in the winter and we have to do some extra insulating of things so they don’t freeze.   The straw is about 2 feet wide and about a foot and a half tall.   The other day I was on one side of the straw and Vivian was playing with Ike on the other.   I called for Viv to come with me on my walk and she began to run, taking the straw pile with ease, toes pointed and ears streaming behind her and continued on to serpentine through the pine trees, before jumping the ditch and sticking the landing at the front door.   Last night we continued to hone her skills with yet another game of fishing for monkeys.   As you can see, she is earning her new nickname, Air Vivian!

A weekend at the kennel

Vivian and Ike headed to the Red Woof Boarding Kennel on Thursday morning.  I can only imagine the conversation:

Ike:  “Oh no, Greg has a suitcase too!”

Viv: “OH NO?  What does that mean?”

Ike:  “Means they are both leaving. When Peg packs, she is usually going away for work, or to visit her Mom, but if they both pack they are leaving us.”

Viv:  “Why would the want to leave us?  We are precious and fun and good exercise.”

Ike: “Apparently sometimes a Mom and a Dad need to go away for some alone time…let’s hope it is a quick trip this time.  Once they left Anna and me for 10 days!”

Viv: “I will just run and not get in the car and they won’t be able to leave!”

Ike: “Been there, tried it, doesn’t work.  But you can give it a go if you want.”

Viv: “So who all will be at this Woof place?”

Ike:  “Jenine, she is the house-mother and a nice lady.  I am her favorite, don’t forget it.”

Viv:  “Anyone else?”

Ike: ” There will be other dogs.  Probably none that look like you; once in a while there will be one that looks like me.  Some will be mutts…but Mom is more politically correct so she calls them Mixed Breeds.  Lots of black labs; they are crazy but harmless.  Look out of the ankle biters; for the most part Jenine doesn’t let us out with them, I think it is for our own protection.”

Viv:  “Will the others talk to us?”

Ike:  “Oh yea, some of them incessantly.  You are going to hear some crude language, but don’t start using it at home or you will get in trouble.  Don’t worry, I will protect you.  Since I am fixed I can go outside with you and I will be sure to tell those other bitches to back off of my little sis.”

Viv:  “OK, I will count on you, but I am still going to try that not getting in the car trick.”

Ike: ” Sure Viv, try that.  Like Adam and Eve’s dog didn’t try that trick when they left her at the Apple Orchard Boarding Facility and Doggy Day Care.  We have all tried it, and it never works.  Save your energy because trust me, when they get back we have about a week of them sucking up to us.  It will all be good.”