I can't even begin to imagine what that percentage ratio would mean for our Harley. He is approximately 50 pounds. That would be 40 pounds of dirty, matted hair. Groan, sigh. He would definitely win the walking war, then.
Today, the two little boys and I ventured out to the park to take Harley for his first official walk. I was up late last night scanning websites regarding dog training. I made a mental manifesto of sorts. I have declared that our dog will be a joy to encounter. He will NOT
- jump up on unsuspecting guests (when he greeted Grandma this way, she declared "You haven't adopted a dog! You got a horse!"),
- chew on people's clothing or extremities,
- race and chase in the house (this is as much for the boys as for the dog),
- beg for food at the table,
- or drag me along on a walk.
Today's walk took a long time. I followed the suggested advice. Every time the dog tried to pull me along, I would hold it at a stop until the dog allowed the leash to relax. Of course, as soon as I took two or three steps, Harley would begin to pull again. We won't even talk about what happened when we encountered other people or pets along the pathway. Still, we must have made some progress.
When we were done, we loaded the dog back in the van and headed to a special sale to raise money for a local girl who is requiring a service dog. The sale was held by 4 Paws for Ability. After reading this article about a dog who assists an autistic boy, I was eager to help their cause.
We scored a nice blanket for Harley to lie on (he loves to lie on the bottom step to the garage for some reason) and 2 videos and 2 books for the boys. When we returned to the van, he was lying quietly on the back seat. It was good to know he wasn't obnoxiously barking at every person who passed by.
Now, if only someone could teach me how to keep the dog from scaring off our herons!
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