[nagdu] Took Chet for a walk

Tracy Carcione carcione at access.net
Sun Mar 28 15:00:52 UTC 2010


Buddy, I know exactly what you mean.
I worked Echo once a year or two ago, long after her retirement.  Ben
didn't seem interested in going out, and Echo really wanted to, so I took
her.  She started out fine, but then slowed way down.  She was glad to get
back home and rest.  I won't work her again.  Her heart is willing, but
her body can't keep up.
Tracy

> Hey y'all,
>
> I did something today that it was probably better that I didn't do, but
> curiosity had gotten the better of me. Having now done it, I almost, but
> only almost, wish I hadn't. I took Chet for a walk.
>
> For those who don't know, I retired Chet in October, when it became clear
> that his work was starting to slip, with a combination of dog distraction
> issues, anxiety during long car rides, and a general slowing down after
> just a short time into a walk. Chet's getting kind of bored, and I was
> wondering how he would react to a walk in harness, you know, for old
> time's sake.
>
> You know the expression, "The spirit is willing but the body is unable"
> (or something like that)? This seems to be the case, at least to some
> extent. When I got the harness, Chet all but dove into it, doing his usual
> running around in a circle first. And then, we were off. That first block,
> I was asking myself, "Why did you retire this dog?" We were walking at a
> good clip, Chet seemed alert, we were both feeling great! But then, we
> turned the corner, and I remembered. He slowed down. A lot. It was hard
> not to overstep him. The harness handle just sat in my hand, requiring
> nearly no grip at all. Even so, Chet avoided obstacles, and I think,
> though cannot be certain, he spotted a dog in the home stretch, because he
> started looking off to his left as we were crossing a street, and our
> course veered that way (toward the parallel street) somewhat--although he
> made the crossing fine anyhow. When we got home, Chet seemed very, very
> pleased with himself.
>
> So why do I almost wish I hadn't done this, you might ask? Partly because
> I know I made the right decision. I expect that his slowing down is making
> it that much easier for his mind to wander enough for him to be distracted
> by the things that have always distracted him, namely, four-leggeds coming
> towards or near us. I also confirmed my suspicion that he would very
> likely have a very difficult time with another dog doing his job, even
> though it's one that he cannot do as well anymore as he once did. And
> mostly, because it reminded me how much I miss working a dog. As if I
> needed reminding. But man, did it feel great. Kind of bittersweet, though,
> because it probably is the last time.
> --
> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
> Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/carcione%40access.net
>






More information about the NAGDU mailing list