Adolescence

Greetings blog readers. Frodo here today for your reading pleasure. I trust you had an enjoyable Fall weekend- the time of year when it is utterly pointless for humans to vacuum if they are owned by canines. Particularly shaggy canines. Because no sooner does one sweep up the leaves in the house, than we dogs go out and bring more in. It is a truly futile battle. Yet – Her Highness continues to stay in the fight. Sooner or later she will admit defeat.

Well the Imp had his “emergency” training session on Saturday. I would like to point out that yours truly never needed emergency training sessions. My training has always gone smoothly. Except for the odd barking, my performance has always been predictable and of course, stellar. The Imp – not so much. He is apparently in some kind of “adolescent phase” – in which he prefers to “do his own freestyle training”. He was even rather sassy with our wonderful coach – to the dismay of Her Highness. Jane was unfazed by his adolescent outburst, but Her Highness was embarrassed by his behavior. I do believe he is a BIT spoiled. You combine spoiled, with pandemic restrictions since he was a young pup, adolescent hormones, and a “brother” with whom he plays incessant Humpty Dumpty wrestling games and it is a recipe for a naughty PON. I might add that he is also quite clever, so he is adept at “pushing limits” at times. Even I have had to tell him that I don’t appreciate his roughhousing.

That being said, while there was a moment of extreme stubbornness observed, when it came to the dumbbell- he miraculously retrieved it perfectly. That was the main reason for the lesson – and as always, he liked to prove Her Highness wrong. She said he wouldn’t pick it up. And he did…

Yesterday he went for a walk and was let off leash for a short time. He decided that it was essential to go deep into a swampy area. When he emerged, he looked like some kind of swamp creature. Add to the fact that he had an unsightly cling on, and was covered in sticks and burrs- he required an “emergency bath” when he returned home. The word “emergency “ seems to follow him quite a bit. Then, no sooner was he finished with his unscheduled spa treatment, when he ran outside and began to wrestle with the Coyote, rolling in leaves and dirt. Her Highness raced down the stairs and onto the lawn in her stocking feet to break up the cyclone, and to bring the Imp in the house. I believe I saw tears in her eyes…

Yesterday, Her Highness attempted her first round of individual Halloween portraits. I gladly participated, and did not mind the required attire one bit. I’m used to it. Initially, the Imp thought the objective was to don a serious pensive expression. He quickly realized that smiles are the objective – and he complied quite well. The Coyote, on the other hand, wore his typical sad, pathetic-looking expression- whether he was wearing head gear or not. He despises head gear – but even without it, it was very difficult to get those ears up. Her Highness tried a new distracting tool – a tennis ball, which she hurled over her head and behind her. This is a dangerous maneuver, as she often ends up hitting herself in the head with the projectiles. But you did not hear that from me. After taking individual shots, she decided not to attempt the always entertaining group shot. Perhaps tomorrow.

That is the update from our chaotic abode. Keep watching for those Halloween photos- they are sure to entertain.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.