Juggling dogs

Walking Emmylou and Molly is a pleasure. They have figured out the harness and rigging and know that they need to stay far enough apart to keep the ropes off the ground so they don't become entangled.

Walking Chance and Brady with the same equipment is a very different experience. They don't quite understand that the walk is the thing, and they want to play with each other as they go along. Chance wants to stop and piss on everything and then Brady wants to sniff it. The first 10 minutes or so were frustrating for all of us, but eventually they settled into the walk and we got along fairly well although I did have to give up on stringing them together and had to settle for using two separate leashes.

Back at home, and following Samson's lead, Chance has taken to getting out of the pasture fence and running across the road to play with the neighbors' dog and chase cars along the road. This will get them killed, either by the neighbor, a car, or me, so they are no longer getting out to run in the pasture at the same time. Consequently, Chance isn't getting enough exercise. I'm not getting enough exercise either, so walking will be good for both of us.

I'm going to try pairing up Brady with Bella. I hate that little bitch with her high-pitched, yippy, incessant bark. She will be fine once she's adopted, but she's a pain in the ass as a foster. She and Brady are fairly close in age, speed, and size, and Brady needs to be proven with a dog other than Chance or Samson. I would love to get Bella adopted soon, and I'm taking her to Gainesville on Sunday to a VGSR adoption event. She's eating EVO now and has no allergy problem that I can see, but she's not pooping a solid stool yet, so I don't think the chances of her getting adopted this weekend are great. But she needs to go soon, very soon.

Putting Brady with Bella means that I need to separate out little Teddy, because the Brady/Bella play is just too big and too rough for him at times. They aren't mean to him, but he cries when he gets stepped on and he gets stepped on a lot.

I've been keeping Hope in a crate in the office at night, and she loves it, never makes a sound and is content in there until morning. She has been going outside during the days (in a covered kennel that she can't climb out of), for some exercise, fresh air, sunshine, and a chance to poop and pee. Samson is staying in her kennel when he's not on the road with me doing Census work and I believe that she's having a beneficial effect on him. I have had no luck getting through to him, but she gives him a growl and puts him in his place when he gets acting really stupid and it has calmed, and quieted, him down a bit. If she can bring him into line, I'll be forever indebted to her.