Sunday morning I woke up and it felt like I'd been picked up and slammed onto the ground. Then I remembered I had been. Someone I was talking to later, asked if I had been given the Marmaduke treatment and that's exactly what it was, except I wasn't actually dragged. If I had witnessed it myself I would still be laughing and telling the story but since I couldn't move my right shoulder that day it wasn't nearly as funny. It happened downtown right before our girl Stella went for her third obedience (CGC) class. I usually try to spend some time burning off that top layer of energy before we go so we went down to the Titan's stadium and walked across the bridge to 2nd Avenue. We cruised the entire street and went up Broadway, back down and back across the bridge. We successfully passed about twelve signboards on the sidewalk. Those things used to make Stella come unglued. These days she doesn't even notice them. Once we got back to the stadium I put Stella on the long leash and after a little practice "staying" I got out the tennis ball. The second or third time I threw it, it actually went much further than I'd anticipated and that's the exact moment I chose to look away. There's a cartoon sound effect for what happened when the leash ran out.
All I heard was the thud and when I sat up Stella was studying me with the ball in her mouth from about sixty five feet away. I opened my arms and thankfully, she came racing back to me. Like a cannon ball.
At school we had one little breakdown in communication (imagine that) but otherwise I'd call it successful so far. I have to find some kids that'll hang out with Stella a little bit. She's still overly excited around them except when we're in a big crowd and it's hard to recruit someone's kids to play with your pit bull when they don't know you or the dog that well. Maybe I'll put an ad on Craigslist. Wanted: small children to play with excitable but friendly dog (I can already hear the editorial comments on that post). I know I'm a little behind on pictures but they're coming.
7 comments:
Good luck with the children! Princess both loves them (when they give her treats) and also chooses to usually ignore them. That is unless a tennis ball is involved if they'll throw it for her.
I'm not laughing at you yet until you say it's ok. But I sure can see that happening to me or my husband with Princess and we'd have to laugh pretty hardily at it.
Hope your shoulder is healing well!
It's definitely okay. I'm sorry it's not on video to tell you the truth. Shoulder's fine now but it took a couple of days :)
Hi--I just found your blog. Good luck with your CGC training. Miss M. went through it and had the same excitement problems. We practiced a lot outside and we used to sit in the "square" in our neighborhood where a lot of kids played and they would come over to ask to say hi. A cute bandana can work wonders in attracting people.
Schwang, thanks for stopping by and for being our twentieth follower :) That's a great idea (on the kids) The parents seem to be in two camps (as you already know) but if we let them come to us then they get to make the decision at least. I take it Miss M. overcame her excitement and passed the test?
Picture this as part of a screenplay.... After the "thud" you're drug through a dense hedge. Your t-shirt is snagged on a branch and ripped nearly off. A front door opens, and an old woman screams about your semi-nudity on her lawn as you continue to be dragged through grass and flowers. You bump your head on a cement gnome. (Slapstick comedy.)
The scene changes to your wounds being dabbed with medicine on cotton balls (by a boyfriend, maybe). You're sobbing about having to walk three blocks home without a shirt because you weren't allowed to retrieve it.
The phone rings. A reporter asks for details and a photo to accompany his newspaper article about the incident. "Were you really topless?" he asks. (More sobs.)
The scene changes to Stella, sound asleep on her back in a plump doggie bed with a stuffed giraffe by her side.
ANYWAY... Stella gives you plenty of inspiration. I think you should give it a shot.
I think you (Susan Rose) might be the screenwriter among us.
Thanks for the complement. I do have a good imagination, but I don't have a great subject at hand like you do... one to provide "stellar" comedic inspiration.
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