BOW ling

Thank You to everyone on Team Echo. In one way or another each one of you have supported Buddy and Echo over the last fifteen months. Bowling and pizza were the least that we could do to show our appreciation.

One of the sporty Echo shirts modeled by Avery:


Before bowling we stopped in at the mall to pick up four of our team members. Barnes and Noble was a perfect spot for Echo to meet and greet people of all ages. The many head rubs were returned with puppy kisses. He was very well behaved.

At the bowling alley, Echo made the rounds meeting a few old friends and many new ones, both canine and human. After getting to know Slick and his foster parents, we met them f2f. There were a lot of distractions, but being a puppy he enjoyed a "loose leash", few corrections were required. He was allowed to play as long as both participants played nice.

By the end of first game Echo was exhausted:


We were able to practice the COME, SIT, and DOWN commands in the real world. COME is mastered, but may deteriorate as he becomes more interested in distractions. SIT occasionally needs mild encouragement. Another week of work and the DOWN should be mastered. After that the all important STAY command.

After bowling, we returned to the mall to change cell phone providers. Echo had two extended encounters with groups of kids - more head rubs. Unfortunately our trip was just a little too long; Echo had a small accident twenty yards from the exit. We sternly told him "No", cleaned up the mess, and no one was injured or harmed in any way. A lady that we had met earlier said "Well, he is in training", which is advice applicable to puppies and children.