One Holiday gift Olive and I were given was a jigsaw puzzle
of a fanciful picture called “Dog Lovers’ Lane. I hadn’t done a jigsaw puzzle
in quite some time, and soon remembered why I don’t do them all that much: they
are addicting! I started this one after Olive’s mid-morning walk, figuring to
only get it started. The next thing I knew it was time for Olive’s late morning
walk (around 11:00). I went straight back to the puzzle after that walk, and
the next thing I knew it was past time for the 1:00 walk and I hadn’t even had
lunch yet. No wonder I was hungry. At this point I was about ⅔ finished with
the puzzle. After a walk and a quick lunch I was as focused on the puzzle as
Olive is on squirrels. She must have been wondering why I wasn’t paying
attention to her. I got the puzzle finished in time for her late afternoon
walk.
Several things caught my eye about this puzzle. All of the
businesses are dog-themed. The fountain and garden are dog-themed. Everyone in
the picture is walking, sitting with, or playing with a dog. Even the balloons overhead
are in the shape of dogs. The reason this puzzle was given to me is that there
are three border collies in the picture. Two are at the bottom edge near the
fountain. Can you spot the third? Answer below—no peeking!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Last night was the final night for “Family Dog 2”. Oddly,
only three of the six dogs in the class showed up. I have no idea why, as it
was a fun class.
This last class was an introduction to agility training. One
obstacle was a ramp to a slightly raised platform (about 15 inches off the
floor). At first Olive didn’t quite know what to make of the ramp; after a few
tries she got the idea and was an old hand at it, trotting right up the ramp
onto the platform, jumping off the platform then turning around and jumping
back on, then trotting back down the ramp proud as a peacock. Another obstacle
was going through a long tunnel. Olive did well there also, though she was more
interested in the treats than the tunnel.
The last activity was to demonstrate one trick the dog had
learned. I couldn’t seem to get olive to do a simple 360° loop around as I was
walking her in the previous class. We worked on it during the week though she
didn’t seem to be getting it. Sunday morning I tried it again and she seemed to
be getting the idea. At class she did it flawlessly.
I want to continue with training at “Tails U Win”, though I
haven’t decided yet which class we will take next. Perhaps a cross-training
class that exposes the dog to various activities, including agility training
and free-style showing. Come Spring I still have plans for bringing her to a
facility called "Nutmeg Farms" near me in East Hampton CT for an introductory herding course.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Ok, in addition to the two border collies at the bottom of
the “Dog Lovers’ Lane” picture, look at the balloon directly above “Scotty’s
Book Shop”. In the basket is a border collie. I would probably not bring Olive
onto a balloon like that, but this is a fanciful drawing. There is also a dog
in front of the book shop (being walked by a woman wearing red and black) that
has similar coloring to a border collie, but the ears are definitely not the
type of ears that a border collie has. Perhaps that one is a cross-breed?