Showing posts with label Mabel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mabel. Show all posts
Fetch
I've been back from Wisconsin for a few weeks now, but because I'm so busy and I got a lot of fun shots of the dogs there, I still have stories to tell. Today, the subject is fetch.
Now, Buzz will play fetch. He understands the game well enough. However, it is not as much fun as hiking things, so lots of times when Buzz gets the ball, he will hike it a few times before returning it. This is fine by me as it is less work on my end. And let's face it, Buzz is way to social to play flyball (he'd be sailing across those lanes to say hi to all the lovely doggies) so there is no need for him to have a disciplined return. One thing I do wish he’d figure out is to watch where I’m throwing the ball…sometimes he just takes off in a random direction at full speed for no good reason. Really, so many loose screws in that one’s head!
Pete the Pirate is the consummate fetcher. I really do think he’s mostly either a Golden or Labrador Retriever because he lives for that tennis ball! Pete would happily play fetch all day every day. Like Buzz, however, Pete doesn’t watch you throw the ball. Pete just takes off in the direction you last threw it. He’s probably compensating for his eyesight on that one, because if you say his name and point in a different direction he knows to go that way instead.
Ned, who has to stay in his room if Mabel or Buzz is at the house, has no idea what fetch is about. He just runs alongside Pete as Pete fetches. Sometimes Ned takes the ball, but then doesn’t know what to do with it. Then we have to throw a different ball for Pete, but that doesn’t always make Pete happy…he wants to use the same ball the whole game.
Sophie and Castro both kind of fetch. I think Castro knows the game but isn’t always interested and Sophie doesn’t really get it, but likes to join in sometimes.
One day Uncle Scary was playing fetch with all the dogs except Ned (who was locked in his room).
Buzz stopped playing pretty quickly. Maybe because I was far from the action trying to take pictures, maybe because it was an overwhelming amount of barking/running/fetching. Buzz lay down at my feet and started chewing a stick.
Pete was consistently getting the ball. He was cracking me up because the back yard is flat for about 20 feet, but is then quite steep and wooded and Pete comes charging out of the woods with great awkwardness. I even caught it on film when he did a face plant stumbling out of the brush.
I think it was shortly after this that Mabel decided that she’d rather join Buzz in stick chewing than play with the big dogs and their ball.
Eventually the games ended and Mabel got the ball to chew on.
Buzz says “hey, who let the air out of the puppy?”
The next day, I played fetch with just Buzz and Pete and they were pretty evenly matched (Buzz being much faster but less smart about fetch). Buzz was doing his #1 annoying fetch thing, though: he brings the ball most of the way back and then drops it. Now, at home this just means the game is over. I don’t kick the soccer ball unless he brings it to my feet and I don’t throw the tennis ball unless he drops it in my hands. So, consistently, Buzz was bringing the ball to within 4 feet of me and then dropping it. And then we would both stand there. Then darling Pete would swoop in and bring the ball those last few steps and drop it into my hands. That Pete, he’s serious about fetch and he’ll do what it takes to have the ball thrown again!
Now, Buzz will play fetch. He understands the game well enough. However, it is not as much fun as hiking things, so lots of times when Buzz gets the ball, he will hike it a few times before returning it. This is fine by me as it is less work on my end. And let's face it, Buzz is way to social to play flyball (he'd be sailing across those lanes to say hi to all the lovely doggies) so there is no need for him to have a disciplined return. One thing I do wish he’d figure out is to watch where I’m throwing the ball…sometimes he just takes off in a random direction at full speed for no good reason. Really, so many loose screws in that one’s head!
Pete the Pirate is the consummate fetcher. I really do think he’s mostly either a Golden or Labrador Retriever because he lives for that tennis ball! Pete would happily play fetch all day every day. Like Buzz, however, Pete doesn’t watch you throw the ball. Pete just takes off in the direction you last threw it. He’s probably compensating for his eyesight on that one, because if you say his name and point in a different direction he knows to go that way instead.
Ned, who has to stay in his room if Mabel or Buzz is at the house, has no idea what fetch is about. He just runs alongside Pete as Pete fetches. Sometimes Ned takes the ball, but then doesn’t know what to do with it. Then we have to throw a different ball for Pete, but that doesn’t always make Pete happy…he wants to use the same ball the whole game.
Sophie and Castro both kind of fetch. I think Castro knows the game but isn’t always interested and Sophie doesn’t really get it, but likes to join in sometimes.
One day Uncle Scary was playing fetch with all the dogs except Ned (who was locked in his room).
Buzz stopped playing pretty quickly. Maybe because I was far from the action trying to take pictures, maybe because it was an overwhelming amount of barking/running/fetching. Buzz lay down at my feet and started chewing a stick.
Pete was consistently getting the ball. He was cracking me up because the back yard is flat for about 20 feet, but is then quite steep and wooded and Pete comes charging out of the woods with great awkwardness. I even caught it on film when he did a face plant stumbling out of the brush.
I think it was shortly after this that Mabel decided that she’d rather join Buzz in stick chewing than play with the big dogs and their ball.
Eventually the games ended and Mabel got the ball to chew on.
Buzz says “hey, who let the air out of the puppy?”
The next day, I played fetch with just Buzz and Pete and they were pretty evenly matched (Buzz being much faster but less smart about fetch). Buzz was doing his #1 annoying fetch thing, though: he brings the ball most of the way back and then drops it. Now, at home this just means the game is over. I don’t kick the soccer ball unless he brings it to my feet and I don’t throw the tennis ball unless he drops it in my hands. So, consistently, Buzz was bringing the ball to within 4 feet of me and then dropping it. And then we would both stand there. Then darling Pete would swoop in and bring the ball those last few steps and drop it into my hands. That Pete, he’s serious about fetch and he’ll do what it takes to have the ball thrown again!
Buzz likes Mabel
even though she sat on his face.
And tried to steal his cardboard.
Buzz has been sweet with Mabel all week. I mean how can you not?
Seriously...
And tried to steal his cardboard.
Buzz has been sweet with Mabel all week. I mean how can you not?
Seriously...
Uncle Scary swears.
That's just a warning, because he sent me the Mabel update I asked for, but it has swear words in it. It's our mom's fault, really, my older brother and I were not allowed to swear but Scary was because he "is so good at it!" Really. Oh, that quote is much better if you do it in an English accent (Granny has one). You can imagine how pleased my older brother and I were that the baby got to swear and we couldn't.
From Uncle Scary:
"Okay Mabel update:
A: She is very, very, very, smart
B: She is currently sitting on top of Sophie's head
C: She has mad social skills.
D: The devil lives inside her, DO NOT PISS HER OFF
F: she knows many commands, but not her name
E: She loves Castro and when he growls she wags her tail faster and faster
F: She learned about cats in one meeting. Yep, don't fuck with cats.Check.
G: she is very quiet but if she growls, well, there is satan again.
H: She has a huge mouth: Tennis balls easily fit there.
I: She is afraid of cars, joggers and bikers and will run in the opposite direction, sit and watch them.
J: She is going to see T.B.G. this week and going to the farm.
K, I gotta walk these fuckers."
Thanks dude. You really are good at swearing. : )
T.B.G. = "the big Grandma," who is really quite small. Not sure why we call her that. I think it has something to do with a Christmas stocking? Huh.
And the farm, well, you can read about that here.
No pictures, Castro doesn't like cameras. Remember?
Until next time!
From Uncle Scary:
"Okay Mabel update:
A: She is very, very, very, smart
B: She is currently sitting on top of Sophie's head
C: She has mad social skills.
D: The devil lives inside her, DO NOT PISS HER OFF
F: she knows many commands, but not her name
E: She loves Castro and when he growls she wags her tail faster and faster
F: She learned about cats in one meeting. Yep, don't fuck with cats.Check.
G: she is very quiet but if she growls, well, there is satan again.
H: She has a huge mouth: Tennis balls easily fit there.
I: She is afraid of cars, joggers and bikers and will run in the opposite direction, sit and watch them.
J: She is going to see T.B.G. this week and going to the farm.
K, I gotta walk these fuckers."
Thanks dude. You really are good at swearing. : )
T.B.G. = "the big Grandma," who is really quite small. Not sure why we call her that. I think it has something to do with a Christmas stocking? Huh.
And the farm, well, you can read about that here.
No pictures, Castro doesn't like cameras. Remember?
Until next time!
Updates, updates
1. The food lady is busy. Working, working, quilting, watching "So You Think You Can Dance" and then working some more.
2. Mabel the wee puppy is doing well: potty training nicely and already knows the basic commands and a couple of tricks. According to Granny, Mabel was such a wee baby at first that she mostly reminded her of a guinea pig. Can't say I'd recommend getting such a young pup, but the people giving Mabel away insisted that she was weaned and wanted the puppies gone.
(old picture)
Pirate Pete (reminder: Pete is my mom and dad's dog, but my parents live a few miles from my brother and my dad is the best cook in the world, so Scary is over there all the time), is apparently born to nurture the young'uns; Uncle Scary says that when Mabel visits Pete he has "unreal amounts of love flowing out of his eye."
You know, I think Uncle Scary might just be the funniest person I know. Maybe I could get him to write a little guest blog about how Mabel is doing now.
3. Not only does Scary have a third dog now, my mom has had an extra dog at her house! Granny's third dog is a wee little doggy named "Buttons." Buttons's lady had to go in hospital for a spell and so my mom has been keeping Buttons busy.
As you may recall, Granny's dog Ned is dog aggressive, so Ned and Buttons are out in shifts, which works just fine in the short term. I've told my mom, though, that if Buttons's lady has to go into a nursing home that I will take Miss Buttons. Because something tells me that Buzz would like a little sidecar. A teeny tiny sidecar.
4. Buzz and the rainbow ball. The white ball was only fun for one day. Buzz is back to the rainbow. He doesn't even see the white ball.
5. The fence.
The fence is working! No more fantastic leaps to the outside world.
However, we have now learned that Buzz can scrabble up and over the gate if given sufficient motive.
He only did this once, because his buddy Tessa was on the other side and Buzz loves that Tessa!
6. Buzz's coat. Notice the nice full tail in the above picture? Well, enjoy it while you can because the burrs are starting to come out and Buzz tends to lose a lot of fur when I have to pull those suckers out of his coat.
7. Summer. Ah, it is getting to be in the 80s now, so we have to be extra-careful about not overheating when hiking. This means carrying a lot of water and, ideally, going places where there is a spot for Buzz to swim.
Ideally, NOT the typical Michigan swampland water picture above, but something moving and sweet smelling!
Given the weight and bother of carrying drinking water, I haven't been taking my camera with me as much. Yesterday, Buzz and I met up with Tessa and her people and went for a long hike at a spot with a lake and a creek! I love creeks, good clean spring water running over sand. Buzz loves them too...he splashed around, laid down, rolled over and really enjoyed the heck out of that creek. Tessa was a bit mystified as she hasn't quite learned to love water yet. I bet she'll catch on soon!
Until next time....!
2. Mabel the wee puppy is doing well: potty training nicely and already knows the basic commands and a couple of tricks. According to Granny, Mabel was such a wee baby at first that she mostly reminded her of a guinea pig. Can't say I'd recommend getting such a young pup, but the people giving Mabel away insisted that she was weaned and wanted the puppies gone.
(old picture)Pirate Pete (reminder: Pete is my mom and dad's dog, but my parents live a few miles from my brother and my dad is the best cook in the world, so Scary is over there all the time), is apparently born to nurture the young'uns; Uncle Scary says that when Mabel visits Pete he has "unreal amounts of love flowing out of his eye."
You know, I think Uncle Scary might just be the funniest person I know. Maybe I could get him to write a little guest blog about how Mabel is doing now.
3. Not only does Scary have a third dog now, my mom has had an extra dog at her house! Granny's third dog is a wee little doggy named "Buttons." Buttons's lady had to go in hospital for a spell and so my mom has been keeping Buttons busy.
As you may recall, Granny's dog Ned is dog aggressive, so Ned and Buttons are out in shifts, which works just fine in the short term. I've told my mom, though, that if Buttons's lady has to go into a nursing home that I will take Miss Buttons. Because something tells me that Buzz would like a little sidecar. A teeny tiny sidecar.
4. Buzz and the rainbow ball. The white ball was only fun for one day. Buzz is back to the rainbow. He doesn't even see the white ball.
5. The fence.
The fence is working! No more fantastic leaps to the outside world.
However, we have now learned that Buzz can scrabble up and over the gate if given sufficient motive.
He only did this once, because his buddy Tessa was on the other side and Buzz loves that Tessa!
6. Buzz's coat. Notice the nice full tail in the above picture? Well, enjoy it while you can because the burrs are starting to come out and Buzz tends to lose a lot of fur when I have to pull those suckers out of his coat.
7. Summer. Ah, it is getting to be in the 80s now, so we have to be extra-careful about not overheating when hiking. This means carrying a lot of water and, ideally, going places where there is a spot for Buzz to swim.
Ideally, NOT the typical Michigan swampland water picture above, but something moving and sweet smelling!
Given the weight and bother of carrying drinking water, I haven't been taking my camera with me as much. Yesterday, Buzz and I met up with Tessa and her people and went for a long hike at a spot with a lake and a creek! I love creeks, good clean spring water running over sand. Buzz loves them too...he splashed around, laid down, rolled over and really enjoyed the heck out of that creek. Tessa was a bit mystified as she hasn't quite learned to love water yet. I bet she'll catch on soon!
Until next time....!
Uncle Scary got a puppy.
She is called Mabel.
I wish I had a vacation coming up so that I could go see her!
Lookit' that fuzzy butt!!!
She's tiny! Apparently, only 7 weeks old and being given away for free through the paper. That's very young to be separated from her littermates, but she's got Sophie and Castro to keep her company.
Aw, lookit that face!
She is half border collie, half red heeler. Which, if my memory of border collie mixes is correct, means she's going to be an absolute terror when she grows up!
It will be interesting to see how she looks as she grows because Buzz's slip from the shelter says he is border collie and blue heeler, but that has never seemed right.
Ah, I should try to go see her when she is 12 weeks because that is how old Buzz was when I got him.
Woof woof.
Uncle Scary says that Sophie and Castro seem just fine with Mabel so far, though she's hardly big enough to be an annoyance.
I wish I had a vacation coming up so that I could go see her!
Lookit' that fuzzy butt!!!
She's tiny! Apparently, only 7 weeks old and being given away for free through the paper. That's very young to be separated from her littermates, but she's got Sophie and Castro to keep her company.
Aw, lookit that face!
She is half border collie, half red heeler. Which, if my memory of border collie mixes is correct, means she's going to be an absolute terror when she grows up!
It will be interesting to see how she looks as she grows because Buzz's slip from the shelter says he is border collie and blue heeler, but that has never seemed right.
Ah, I should try to go see her when she is 12 weeks because that is how old Buzz was when I got him.
Woof woof.
Uncle Scary says that Sophie and Castro seem just fine with Mabel so far, though she's hardly big enough to be an annoyance.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
