Little Red Wagon

Let’s have Micron pull me!

Hey, wait a minute here, says Holly. Something’s not right, Food Lady.

What? No. No, everything’s fine, I say, lowering the camera. What do you mean, Holly?

So, says Holly. Remember the time Bodine the Benevolent Ruler of Sword House rolled on his back for you? And he wanted a belly rub? And then you said a really bad word and yelled about needing bondage?  

Bandage, I say. Yeah, that or possibly an EMT. Sure, the cat went all bear trap on me when I touched that gourd he calls a belly. Of course I remember that. It was creepy how he never stopped purring.

I shudder with the memory. But what does Bodine have to do with this?

I think, says Holly. I’m being set up here. 

C’mon, it’s not a trap, General Ackbar, I say. Just a wading pool filled with old tennis balls. 

Uh huh. Tennis balls that I can’t play with? asks Holly.

You hoomans are kinda weird sometimes.

Right, I say. You just walk right through them without picking one up. 

That’s what I’m talking about! yells Holly.  How do I possibly manage that amazing feat anyhow, Ringling? You might have missed the memo about me being only eleven weeks old and all. 

And almost twelve weeks old, I say. Time to be introduced to the world of Self-control. 

Self-control? Holly waves a paw in dismissal. I have no idea what that even means.

A fact that has not gone unnoticed, I say. Whad’ya say we give it a try today, shall we?

Puppy Raiser mixer

And so begins Holly’s first training event with other Canine Companions for Independence puppies and their volunteer puppy raisers.

An awkward start to things as Holly tries to wrap her head around the dozen or cool hunnerd or so puppies in attendance.  The total number depends on who you ask and how well they can count. Then she found herself processing that she’s not good at math while faced with the various challenges presented throughout in the training stations.

But tackle it all, she did.

Holly handled not just a Sit in a weird, wobbly thing, but impressed us with an eye contact bonus.

As did her brother, Hoagy. Well done, big guy. Extra points awarded for being stinking adorable in the process.

We got us a ladder on the ground to walk through. An A-frame for a birds-eye view of the goings-on about the yard. And the odd novel surface to rest the nether regions upon.

I like waffles.

You know, by the end of the afternoon things were going so well with this little pup that, well ..

I just gotta wonder what twelve weeks old is going to bring us.

Does the sun rise and set on me, you ask? Well ….