Time seems to slide by faster as I age, or perhaps it’s age itself that heightens awareness of time passing. This weekend I realized it’s been more than a month since I shared a post here. And what a month it’s been!
The month of May brought the spring academic semester to an end. No matter how well organized and carefully paced our syllabi might be, the final weeks of the term inevitably devolve into a madcap rush to the finish line. A colleague likened the experience to running the 100-yard dash at the end of a marathon. That certainly seemed true this spring!
May also brought a temporary halt to the formal side of Sasha’s obedience training. We finished Intermediate Obedience with a Rally Obedience mini-course as the final assessment. As you might expect, Sasha was terrific while her handler (me) got a bit dizzy navigating the 270-degree turns. True to form, Sasha patiently waited for me to untangle my feet and get moving again. I can’t post her certificate of completion because the kennel doesn’t offer such certification; they’re missing a valuable marketing opportunity there! They do, however, provide one for completing the Basic Course, although we had to wait six weeks for a correct one to be issued. We’ll be going elsewhere for the Canine Good Citizen test, as I think it’s important to challenge Sasha in multiple environments with different trainers and evaluators.
May also saw Sasha’s first BIG experience with crowds and dogs. We participated in the 24th annual Dogwood Walk, which is a major fundraiser for the Humane Society of the Ozarks. Sasha demonstrated her skill with several Canine Good Citizen test items: #1 accepting a friendly stranger; #2 sitting politely for petting; #4 walking on loose leash; and #5 walking through a crowd. She graciously accepted treats from several folks and even ignored the dogs who got a little too up-close-and-personal in her private space. (Expect a blog post soon about dog owners’ manners…)
We rounded out May with medical adventures for the both of us, and after two weeks of “inside only” activity we’re back out in the neighborhood and on the trails, enjoying life!