June 15, 2009
A Dog’s Education
For the past year or so, I have been playing with, walking with, and hanging out with Oshi and Perrito, the dogs next door. We go to the park, we play at the tennis courts, and we run free in the fields around our house.
Usually, they are both predictable. Oshi is reluctant to leave the house (he thinks he’s a cat) and Perrito is thrilled to bust out the front door and pee on something, anything! On the walk, Perrito races back and forth ahead of us and Oshi drags behind us. Perrito runs at the end of his leash while Oshi hugs Gretchen’s side.
When we get to the tennis courts or the field to play fetch, Oshi finds shade and Perrito chases me, scrurrying his furry self as fast as his legs will take him.
But today…well today Oshi did what Oshi always does…he got as close to Gretchen as he could…so close, Gretchen often had a hard time taking a picture of him…
…but Perrito did something he’s never done before…he played fetch. Not right away, but after chasing after me while I played fetch…
He found a ball on the court and started to play with it…
And then he brought it over to where I was lying in the shade resting with my own favorite orange and blue ball…
And then…and here’s the amazing part…and then he brought it to Gretchen who threw it across the courts and what did Perrito do? He chased after it…
We all, including Oshi, watched in amazement as Gretchen threw the ball again and again and over and over, Perrito chasing after it and bringing it back to Gretchen.
He played so much, he got really hot and eventually took his ball and rested in the shade…
Occasionally, Perrito reverted back to chasing me as I chased the ball…maybe getting pointers, I’m not sure…
But then he’d get his own ball, bring it to Gretchen, she’d throw it, and he’d practice fetching it…he still needs work, though, on his stops…he tumbled over more times than not, but always got up and continued the game.
Perrito’s new skills even brought Oshi out of the shade to check it out…
“Is that really Perrito?” Oshi asked.
“I can’t believe it,” Oshi said. “It really IS Perrito! I’m going back into the shade!”
Neither Oshi or Perrito are old dogs. In fact, Perrito is younger than Oshi and younger than me, but he still learned a new trick today. A dog’s education is a terrible thing to waste that’s why I’ve shared it with you today. Invest in your own dog’s education.
Trust me. They’ll surprise you!
Until tomorrow,
Rubin
