Thursday 6 May 2010

on second thought...

i needn't have worried about Sam's energy levels.

not about his energy levels being low, at any rate.
dog-shark
just another day in the gardenthe greased lightningSam in fine fettlei do love grass

comments disabled on account of repeated attempts to sell me chinese spam.

Sunday 2 May 2010

a dog called Rabbit

nice and calm, or sad and drained?
i'm not sure if Sam's fully alright after his stay in the kennel. he seems so subdued. either he's matured a lot, or he's a wee bit under the weater. or, as the husband claims, he's in starvation mode. we've dropped the wet food from his diet, and there's only so much dry food he will eat in one go.

however, i'm still willing to give the first theory its time. the reason is that Sam's relation to other dogs has really improved while he's been away, playing with the other kennelees. he basically knows how to meet and greet other dogs now.

the first demonstration came on our first walk together, when we met another dog. did Sam lie down, refusing to meet the other dog? no. did he try to flee? certainly not. did he leap towards the other one? well, he did turn towards it slightly, eager to have a good sniffff, but didn't pull and certainly didn't leap.

this could just have been natural progression, as Sam has been getting steadily better in relation to other dogs as he's gotten more used to seeing them. however, the true test came yesterday. i spotted someone walking three dogs a bit up the road. unsurprisingly, it was the Dog Lady. she had her two regular dogs, and a little shih tzu called Rabbit.

Sam approached the little pack with some apprehension -- ears down, body curled inwards and so on. he wagged slightly as he approached, then wagged more as he greeted his old friend Nanook. and then he greeted Rabbit. the two of them clicked instantly, and there was a lot of sniffing. however, what i'd come to expect did not happen.

in earlier times, Sam has become quite excited with such a meetingg. sooner or later, he would start leaping around like a... well, rabbit. this time, the whole thing was a very civilised affair. there's been a great change. hopefully, it's his brain that has improved, and not his health that has declined!