Blarney Does the Zigzag Backwards

Who would believe this little guy could learn this trick.  He seems a natural!
Blarney Backs Up   http://youtu.be/9_ok3T7tnDM

The Rabbit Saga

October 2011

We were dog-sitting my sister's cocker spaniel for three nights which explains why I had Allie on a leash and Blarney free to tag along. I didn't want my sister's dog dashing off after a deer or squirrel while we were walking across the open graveyard. We had just emerged from a bush trail to reach the grass. Both dogs showed a burst of excitement by nudging each other and forging ahead. Allie's nose found the rabbit remains first but she gave it short attention before I tugged her off. Blarney stepped up with gusto and found what looked like a cleaned leg bone. "Leave it!" I yelled as I hurried toward him. It typical, stubborn, dachshund fashion, he ignored my command and took off with the bone.  We faced each other on the open graveyard, Blarney with a huge hairy bone dragging from his mouth, me with one end of Allie's leash. As I moved toward  him he'd move farther away, eventually settling behind one of the big shrubs that dot the hillside.  There was no catching him so I decided to take Allie and move off down the hill.  It worked but not before I became quite stressed.  A glance back once in awhile allowed glimpses of this tiny bouncing critter dragging the giant bone. It was several minutes before he abandoned the bone and joined us properly.  I said nothing and  pretended the incident never happened.

Blarney Meets a Cousin

The very first doxie we met when we arrived at the Weiner Walk at Thetis lake was strikingly similar to Blarney.  They might have been twins!  After comparing origins, although our memories of details were a little sketchy, we determined that both these guys had at least one parent the same.  They were a few months apart in age but both had come from Port Alberni and both had been connected to the same breeder.  Now guess which one is Blarney!

Catch a Wave

The waves made great hurdles for short legs. We were enjoying the sun on Weir's Beach in mid September. Blarney was the "hit" of the beach. He never tired of chasing his ball across the sand or into the water and he showed no signs that the water was cold. Good thing about the waves! If we threw too far the surf would eventually bring the ball back to the beach.

Blarney Plays Catch, Sort of...

Ever since he was a puppy Blarney has been obsessed with balls that squeak. Of course not all squeaks are created equal. His favourites are the smallest "JW" variety which are not always easy to find and are usually the most expensive. He loves a new ball and, if allowed, will squeak it constantly until it is holed and the hearty squeak becomes an unreliable peep. We've built up an impressive stock pile of these squeak, depleted balls which sit on a tray on the back deck. When he needs an outside break, throwing one out into the garden never fails to lure him at a run. Hence the game of catch has grown from these simple roots, plenty of squeak-free balls and Blarney's love to chase them down.

We can play the game pretty much anywhere including our backyard fern beds, but his favourite surface is hard packed beach sand where he'll run himself down like a windup toy. Other places he enjoys are tennis courts and open grass. When you're as short as he is, even uncut grass is hard to see over so I'm sure this is probably his third choice.

We've debated whether playing this game with multiple balls is ruining his chance to learn to fetch. Perhaps it has, but the trade off is worth it. We throw he catches. We walk to the new spot, we throw, he catches. Both of us get some exercise! Although the ball completely fills his mouth, Blarney has become a better and better catcher. He often hurls himself upwards to make a catch and sometimes miscalculates so that his long awkward body falls over into a roll. Watchers are amused and then amazed to see the "weiner dog" run and more so to watch his body launch upwards like an underpowered rocket. Game on!

Blarney's Moves

He's learned many things in his short life! We are constantly amazed.

The Hills are Alive...

This photo reminded us of the Sound of Music, a movie I avoid, but one Joan has seen many times. The backdrop is the mountains behind Jasper. We had walked a couple of kilometres along the river carefully stepping over several piles of wolf and bear scat. Our destination was a geographical landform called a KAME which is simply a big pile of gravel left by a melting glacier. Cool! Julie move over. Blarney will soon learn to sing.