Million Paws Walk & Old Dogs Learn New Tricks

The RSPCA in my city holds an annual Million Paws Walk on the river foreshore. Bender has probably been 4 times out of 5, and Barbie has been twice now. Last time we went, Barbie was a bit unsure of herself, broke out in dandruff and froze up and refused to move when we got to the end of the 5k walk (which is when everyone meets up again to socialise).

Since I have had Barbie we have joined the Greyhounds as Pets corporate team, which is pretty awesome because you get a free breakfast. By the time we got there though there was a massive line for breakfast and Bender wasn't on his best behaviour so we decided to walk first.

Barbie was very alert and was friends with everyone there. She has actually become a bit of a celebrity, with the GAP girls referring to her as their 'top achiever' in terms of obedience. I heard that a couple more greyhounds are enrolled to do their CGC so that is a great thing! As she sat willingly waiting for a treat, Barbie's foster mumma gaped and said 'you have done such a great job with her'.

She got a lot of pats and a lot of attention and didn't shrink away from any of it. She wasn't cranky with any other dogs, although some were a little rude, and at the end when we were chatting to people she actually laid down on the grass and had a sleep with all the people and dogs around!

Bender was mainly good. He pulled hard on the lead when we got there and was a bit overexcited. He gave a bit of lip to a few dogs, but he was not too anti-social. He seemed pretty tired by the time we got home, but he had a nap and was full of beans again.

Desma posted a video training a little Chihuahua jumping into a box on command. I realised that I had a Bender-sized box just waiting to be deployed, so I tried it out with Mr Enthusiasm. Bender doesn't do anything by halves, as you can see in the resultant video.

Sorry it's not up to my usual quality, I used the webcam on my macbook!

Busy Day - Tracking and GAP stall

Bender ready for his first real tracking lessons

Bender was a bit confused when we got up and headed out at 7am. We turned onto a dirt road into a place he had never been. His jaw was vibrating in anticipation.

He is a turbo tracker, once he is on the track he takes off like a rocket and I just have to hold on and run. He pulls the lead through my hands so fast I feel like I have rope burn. Gloves next time!

We then rushed home, swapped dogs and drove all the way down to Mandurah for the pacing and chasing carnival.

There we met teeny 21kg Ling.

Ling is waiting for a relief dog to come and take some of the attention

Big Daddy is tired too!

Barbie in her Greyhounds as Pets coat

Barbie did quite well, getting patted by a lot of kids. I gave a young boy a treat so he could get Barbie to sit and give him a high 5. I showed off 'spin' and 'pray' on a park bench. It was a lot quieter than expected - apparently there are usually lots of stalls there but there weren't many today. Barbie was still pretty tired by the end of it.

We swung by my folks place on the way back and Barbie got to hang out with their dogs. The dogs are both exhausted now, so I think it's been a good day for them!

Barbie's feature in the GAP Newsletter

Barbie is in the February Greyhounds as Pets newsletter.

Barbie and I are also going to an open day down at Murdoch University next weekend - the vet students are having their annual dog wash and vet check day, and GAP WA are one of the charities they are donating money to. Hopefully Barbie can increase her base of admiring fans!