Monster?

Yesterday, Marley was tortured with another trip to the mall. She did get tested when we stopped to pick up some cookie dough that we had ordered in support of the Wisconsin Association of Blind Students. Meghan, the president, has four dogs and a cat to test Marley's social skills; Marley performed satisfactorily, getting along best with the cat.

This afternoon Marley encountered a monster. She barked, backed away, and barked some more. She would be great watchdog except that the monster was me. The only difference in my appearance was that my sunglasses were on the top of my head. Eventually she made her way over to me for a big hug and kiss.

Wednesday nights are farm visits and training at the Dog Den in Madison. No pig sightings at the farm, just a DOWN STAY while we got our vegetables and Marley received praise for her obedience. We demonstrated our homework, STAND, at class and Marley did great.

We did a basic five station rally course and more work on STAY, HEEL, and calm greeting, shown here. This week we learned PLACE, STAND STAY, FINISH, where we substituted a standing HEEL. Marley's look displays the shock that she experienced with all the new commands.

A short walk in the park before returning home for dinner and chew time. In the last two days Marley has completely destroyed a rubber ball and is half way through another chew toy. We watch her very closely to ensure that no pieces get ingested. Tonight I resorted to a hard bone.

Our puppy has been suffering from a rash and/or allergy for the last few days. It looks like little red spots on her belly that clear up with a topical application of Benadryl, but returns the next day. We haven't figured out the cause yet.


"I used to look at [my dog] Smokey and think, 'If you were a little smarter you could tell me what you were thinking,' and he'd look at me like he was saying, 'If you were a little smarter, I wouldn't have to.'" - Fred Jung claus