Outdoor fun

So today at Petsmart, I found one of those toys that looks like a long pasta spoon but is made to throw a dog's ball long distances. It was on clearance for $4.00 so I bought it and took Lagniappe up to Bolivar Heights to try it out. I'll be the first to admit that I don't throw too well, so I hoped that this might give some more zest to the fetch game.

The first try, I cocked my arm back and Lagniappe danced back, waiting for the throw. I launched it and damned if that ball didn't sail at least a hundred yards down the hill.
Of course Lagniappe was watching something else and missed seeing the ball land. I had to walk out and get it.

So we try again. "Keep your eye on it," I tell him. But he doesn't, and for the second time, I have to make the long trudge down the hill in the hot sun to retrieve the stupid ball. Screw you, Petsmart!

Eventually though, we get it worked out, and he learns to watch the ball and track it. So we start having fun, me standing in the warm sun throwing the ball, and him running after it. Dogs love to chase balls, right?

Well this one tires of it after a bit, so instead of bringing it back, he just goes off on his own and finds a patch of shade to lie in, far from me and the thrower. There he is, way back in the distance, saying "I'm not bringing this ball anywhere near you--you'll just throw it again."

So he stayed over there for a while and I talked to an old man who was sitting near by. He was an interesting fellow who used to work at the White House, and he'd met every President from Eisenhower up to Reagan. (He said he liked them all except Johnson.) After a while, his friends came back from as walk and they all went to get into their mini-van to leave. I bid him goodbye and gave Lagniappe the "Load" command, which means that I want him to get in the vehicle. He hears it and runs back at full speed, diving into the door of the first open van, which unfortunately is theirs. Lagniappe hopped into their van as if he belonged there and took a seat on their rear bench, still clutching his ball.

Fortunately they thought it was funny, but damn, I have a dumb dog.



So I took him into Harpers Ferry to get an ice cream at the Swiss Miss shop. Sharon, the woman who runs the place always gives him a cone, and it's the highlight of his week to go into town and get that ice cream treat. As you can see, he's not shy about announcing himself and placing an order.