June 14, 2007. Tom and I did our usual trip to the park this morning and just as we got started I was joined by two new playmates. They are two big Dobermans who are named Thurman (he’s a puppy) and his Dad, Thunder. Thurman and I raced all around the park under the watchful eye of Thunder. We had a blast for about 20 minutes and then they had to leave. I kept trying to follow them, until Tom pressed the squeaker and I came right back.
We continued to play catch for another 20 minutes or so and then I decided I had, had enough and flopped down. Tom and I walked slowly home. Once we got there I flopped down in the nice cool grass and just laid there for over an hour, too pooped to do much else.
Later during the day, I spotted a baseball on Tom’s desk that I found awhile ago. I kept looking at it and trying to reach it with my nose, until Tom figured out what I wanted and then gave it to me. I took it outside and was tossing it around and playing with it. Within fifteen minutes I had completely demolished the ball.
I ripped the cover right off it and I think I ate it, but, I can’t remember for sure. I don’t see it in the yard anywhere, so I guess I must have. The ball is sitting there looking all ragged and beaten up. Another triumph by Toby over an inanimate object. I guess you can really say now that “I had a ball”.
Yesterday was another major breakthrough for me obedience wise. We did an hour run in the park in the morning and I had lots of distractions. I just stayed focused on the task at hand. One set of distractions were a couple of Chicken Wing Dancers on the baseball field, but instead of waiting for them, we went and played.
When we walked home, with me off-leash. The garbage had been picked up. We got to the side gate and Tom told me to stay. He then walked down to the lane and moved the recycle box and garbage can, and I stayed right where I was told to until he came back.
Late in the evening, I got another special treat by going to the park for my second run of the day. Just as we started, two kids on bicycles arrived and started to ride around the pool. Now you know how much I like bicycles, but in this case I ignored them and went about my business of chasing my ball. Then a father and two sons arrived, also on bicycles. Still I stayed focused. To compound matters even further and father and son arrived dressed in full lacrosse gear and started throwing a ball around.
Again, I stayed focused on my own ball. As if that wasn’t enough distractions a fellow arrived and started jogging around the baseball field, on the inside of the fence. To make matters worse, he did it while holding up and talking loudly into his cell phone. Amazing, to be sure, but more amazing is that I stayed right on task.
The final straw was when two Chicken Wing Dancers arrived and started running the bases, while another one showed up with a big dog. We had been there for 30 minutes and I did great, but Tom figured that was just too much for any poor sheepdog to handle, so we went home.
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