Flying Poodles

Elly’s Excellent Adventure (or, why the new fence can’t come too soon)

My current homework from Debbie requires that I click and treat Elly fifty times for staying in a sit without moving her front paws while I walk around her, so this morning when the doorbell rang I had the treats and the clicker in my hand when I opened the front door. Elly was in a nice sit and had been being very good indeed.

Of course the second I opened the door, she was gone, moving so fast I grabbed air when I tried to grab her tail. There was a cat in the yard this morning and she wanted to get it… but I held her back. Two hours later, she’s out the door and tracking the cat.

That dog sure can track! One second she was around the corner, following the path the cat took this morning, the next second I spotted her across the street… relieving herself on the neighbor’s absolutely flawless lawn. (You know… every neighborhood has one lawn that’s perfect, complete with nice mowing pattern. It was that lawn, and she was right in the middle.) I had to choose: pick up the poop, or chase the dog. I went with poop-scooping (I got every single bit), and when I looked up again, she was down the street and moving around the corner. Then I saw her sprint through our back yard.

She did the whole loop again–but without the poop–and then she paused in the side yard, just long enough for me to grab her harness and clip on her leash. She cracks me up, because the second you get her leash on after these romps, she leans on you and looks so sweet: “Hi Mom,” she says, “you weren’t worried, were you? I love you SO much.”

Of course, I know if I took the leash off, she’d be gone…