Greyhounds have quirks, if not outright eccentricities. You have to wonder where they come from; the eccentricities, I mean. Perhaps it is because they have been living with humans for centuries. It is the only dog breed mentioned in the Bible, but that may have been a mis-translation.
Our last visitor, Lou, (who gives them these names?) was here during the hot weather. Dogs like to play with their water, so you have to put around multiple sources. If they tip out their water on a 40 degree day they're in big trouble. I used a large plastic basin and two-litre yogurt buckets with handles as backups. Lou would gently nose the handle up to the pick-up position, take it delicately in his jaws, and carry the bucket to another part of the garden, where he would set it down again.
Without spilling a drop.
He did this all the time. He was self-taught. I have the evidence. I should upload it to YouTube, but the last thing the world wants is another pet video. Like most things, it works better as a story.
Like Lou, our new foster dog, Tiger, has a quirk. She likes to pick up objects when out walking, usually cylindrical items. The first was a disposable coffee cup, which she carried for several hundred metres before dropping it, possibly because she did not like the smell of coffee, but how would I know?
The other evening about seven o'clock, when it was still hot, Tom and I took her out for a walk. I sometimes use the same route to visit a nearby bottle shop on hot nights. On the way back, she picked up an empty can - one of those black ones with the distinctive white colonial script that is easily recognisable from a distance as a brand of bourbon - and carried it the whole way home. As we walked along the street the drivers of a few passing cars gave the drink-carrying dog a sideways glance. One tooted and waved, but I couldn't see who it was.
The next day, a friend asked me, "How did you train your new dog so quickly to carry your drinks?"
Our last visitor, Lou, (who gives them these names?) was here during the hot weather. Dogs like to play with their water, so you have to put around multiple sources. If they tip out their water on a 40 degree day they're in big trouble. I used a large plastic basin and two-litre yogurt buckets with handles as backups. Lou would gently nose the handle up to the pick-up position, take it delicately in his jaws, and carry the bucket to another part of the garden, where he would set it down again.
Without spilling a drop.
He did this all the time. He was self-taught. I have the evidence. I should upload it to YouTube, but the last thing the world wants is another pet video. Like most things, it works better as a story.
Like Lou, our new foster dog, Tiger, has a quirk. She likes to pick up objects when out walking, usually cylindrical items. The first was a disposable coffee cup, which she carried for several hundred metres before dropping it, possibly because she did not like the smell of coffee, but how would I know?
The other evening about seven o'clock, when it was still hot, Tom and I took her out for a walk. I sometimes use the same route to visit a nearby bottle shop on hot nights. On the way back, she picked up an empty can - one of those black ones with the distinctive white colonial script that is easily recognisable from a distance as a brand of bourbon - and carried it the whole way home. As we walked along the street the drivers of a few passing cars gave the drink-carrying dog a sideways glance. One tooted and waved, but I couldn't see who it was.
The next day, a friend asked me, "How did you train your new dog so quickly to carry your drinks?"
Great stuff KH...you're right they do have funny quirks and habits.
ReplyDeleteOne of ours like to pick up a "gift" when we get home to present to us. It's usually a leaf or stick and she always looks very proud that she's thought of us and has something we might like. I wish she'd learn how to carry a glass of wine without spilling a drop. Be handy if she could pour the thing too!
What breed(s) do you have, MG?
ReplyDelete