"Get A Job, Sir!"

I think that certain senior citizens, my dad included, are like Border Collies, or really any working dog breed - they need a job to feel happy and fulfilled.  Take that away from them, and problems abound.  In dogs this may manifest into aggression or destructive tendencies.   The elderly can become depressed and reclusive,  listless and unhappy. 

A relaxing retirement seems  like the prize at the end of a long life, but for some, a job provides meaning and purpose and punctuates one's life.  This is not dissimilar to the life of a dog.

 If you own a working dog especially, but really most dogs will enjoy a fun activity, consider trying one (or more) of the following:

• Agility - in, out, over and through this sport is all about working as a team
• Animal Assisted Activities and Animal Assisted Therapy - the warm head of a friendly pet can soothe a lonely heart
• Bikejoring - some dogs love to run. Adding the responsibility of teamwork adds to the fun.
• Canicross - dog powered running for those who want to share their running goals with their best friend
• Carting - channel the desire to pull into harness work that lets the dog feel useful and skilled
• Coursing and racing - root instinct drives the joy of running with purpose in coursing and racing
• Disc Dog or Flying Disc - if there was ever meaning to jump for joy this is it, jumping with achievement
• Dock Jumping or Dock Diving - dogs who excel in this sport are love to show they can do it further and better
• Dog Parks and Dog Walks: Socialization and Off-leash Play - a joy for the social dog, think tot lot
• Dog Scootering - some dogs love to run. Adding the responsibility of teamwork adds to the fun.
• Earthdog Trials - instinct, drive, and flying dirt - what more could an earthdog want
• Flyball - excitement, speed, and focus, a sport for dogs driven to do it faster
• Flygility - racing and teamwork to build confidence and a sense of belonging
• Games - the most basic of interactions, fun ways of practicing skills of hunting, fetching, working together
• Herding - it's all about the dog's instinct and desire to control and direct movement for the pack leader
• Hiking, Backpacking and Dog Walks - sharing our quiet moments, our contemplations is the essence of being a pack
• Hunt and Field Trials - working as a team is what drives these dogs
• Mushing - for dogs who love to pull and people who want to let them
• Obedience - precision, focus and a great activity for perfectionist dogs, those who love to get it exactly right
• Performance Art (Tricks) - curiosity and a willingness to try new things makes this fun
• Pet Facilitated Therapy - for the dog who loves attention what better way to get it than visiting people in need
• Precision Drill Teams - the excitement of success, of meeting a challenge and being a part of the team
• Pulling - great for dogs who love to pull, and people who want to let them
• Racing - for the dogs who love not just running but being faster than the next one
• Rally Obedience - more focus on teamwork, less focus on precision, fun and relaxed for human and dog
• Ring Sport - a sport that says "I can be a contributing member of the family" Some dogs thrive on responsibility
• Rollerblade - a fun way for dogs and humans to share exercise and fresh air
• Schutzhund - tracking, obedience, protection, schutzhund is all about what a well rounded dog is all about
• Search and Rescue - for some making a difference is important, that includes dogs, they know it matters
• Skijoring - dogs love to pull, people love to ski. Put the two together and you have skijoring

*For the complete list, and more information, see here: http://www.dogplay.com/index.html

Lemons into lemonade?

What do you think is worse, the smell of a skunk or the smell of a small decomposing animal?  Now combine both those smells and that is what I was faced with yesterday!  What to do when one very large dog finds and rolls in the decomposing carcass of a long-dead skunk?  Use the retrievers love of water and fetch to your advantage and take her to the beach!  I'm happy to report that after two hours playing in the ocean, most of the skunky smell was washed away.   The smell of wet dog is far superior to the smell of dead skunk.  Just take my word for it.

I May Be Anthropomorphizing But...

Reason #2 why I love my job: the feeling of complete and total love and adulation I receive from my four-legged clients upon seeing them after an extended period apart (and by extended I mean minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months.  The actual time elapsed matters not).  Now, I may be taking a few liberties here, but I liken this type of genuine excitement to my presence to that of a rock god on stage being applauded by his most zealous fans.    Granted my audience is a lot less discerning, with minimal capacity for rational thought, and very low IQ’s relatively speaking, yet, it feels good to be loved, no matter from where that love emanates.  In my case it just happens to come from the four-legged, wiggly bummed variety.  That’s okay.  I’ll take it!