Chewing the Cord

We had tears in our eyes from laughing so hard! Blarney had just chewed through our phone cord at the Crown Isle in Courtenay. We were there for two expensive nights of R&R that had just become more expensive thanks to his perverted taste for plastic. This made the second significant cord he had shredded. A few weeks back I had painstakingly repaired the power cord for our laptop. So why were we laughing? Four of us were at the card table when we made the discovery which happened to coincide with a concern for some loud, drinking golfers who had gathered outside our window. We were on the ground floor, nice for Blarney, who could find peeing ground just outside the door, and nice for views of the parking lot, but not great for privacy. Our chat had revolved around whether we should be complaining to management when Blarney's transgression became evident. Oops! No phone line available, no complaint. Something about the shocking irony struck us funny. I'm not laughing now and Joan says she never thought it was funny.

The next morning, as an act of penance, Blarney accompanied me on a loud and busy walk to Home Depot to purchase a new cord. He had the last laugh. The store wouldn't let me take him in. I left him in the parking lot with a dog-loving worker who fed him treats and cuddles while I found the new cord. Come to think of it he never has shown guilt or even the smallest act of contrition. All he does is wiggle a little and wave the pointy nose.



He had a wonderful time frolicking and waving his ears on Bates Beach in Comox and posed like a statue atop this huge rock where we were geocaching.

Learning New Tricks

We've been teaching Blarney to "HEEL" on the opposite side to the command "SIDE". He's quick to learn. Last night out walking, I had him SIDE at a jog for about half a block then stop abruptly and SIT. Flawless. He's also very good at "WAIT" when we are out walking off leash. He'll wait at a street crossing and then "GO" with me when the traffic is clear.

BACK is cute. He can't seem to move backwards without small barks or growls. It's as if it offends his masculinity to back away. Who knew? Must be a dominance thing. Joan suggests it's just Blarn unwinding his motor.

GOPHER continues to be his favourite position. He's very solid in this begging pose and uses it whenever he thinks there might be an advantage like a ball, a toy or a treat.

JUMP is the most recent addition to his repertoire of fun moves. We stick out a foot and he jumps over it on command. Very cute and goes nicely with THROUGH and TURN. He's also turning during a heel. HEEL a bit then TURN while he's along side. We'll soon have him ballroom dancing!

We've begun breaking his dinner into treat-sized bits and taking him into the garden for a quick training session. It slows down his eating which is good because he's definitely the fastest eater on the cul de sac... maybe on the planet. One night a few days ago he burped up his entire dinner which emerged in the shape of his esophagus. It sat in three piles on the deck for an hour or so then he happily ate it over again. Yuck!