Summer? Is That You?

First Trip to the Lake

 This Season!

Don't speak to loudly, it might leave! We are having such wonderful weather right now, with studies winding down to final presentations, and tests I decided yesterday was the perfect day to take a break and go play in the water with the pups! 

Everyone had a blast and the weather was perfect!

Jack came with us too, but since his recall isn't quite where I'm comfortable he was stuck on a leash attached to me most of the time. However after Ziva started to get tired from swimming I hooked her up to Jack and she got to help me by babysitting!

It worked pretty good! The leash was short enough it wasn't tangling them up, Jack couldn't go very far because Ziva is really good about staying close by, I felt comfortable allowing him more movement/freedom, and since he's not a fan of the water I didn't have to worry about them swimming while attached!

Jack Update -

Yes we still have Jack, we've ran into a few hangups regarding his potential adopters...

Dz Dog Dad and I disagree on the severity of the issue, but what it boils down to is that Jack is a bit of a runner. Last week he squeaked out of the front door 3 different times and two of the times Dz Dog dad had to help me get him back.

Living in an urban environment recall is very important for Jack's own personal safety. I don't want him to get hit by a car, and him bolting down the street with me running after isn't what I would call a good time...

Two of this times this happened last week, Dz Dog dad and I had to use treats and a tennis ball to coax him back. He's smart enough to know that if he gets too close we'll grab his collar, but we're smart enough to know not to chase after him or else he runs farther away - he seems to think its a big fun game. The third time he escaped last week was different.

The straw that broke the mama's back (that would be me...) happened on Sunday.

I was taking laundry into the garage, the bay door was open, and as I was closing the garage door the leads to the house behind me Jack zipped out like a flash and took off down the street.

Dropping the basket I started sprinting after him, no leash, no shoes, just me. Oblivious to all of this Dz Dog Dad and my in-laws were inside the house.

Thankfully Jack didn't go far, he stopped running so I stopped running. He wandered into a neighbors yard to pee on a bush, I cooed and spoke nicely following after him, calling him in and saying good boy I got within inches of his collar, then he was off again!

Next yard, same deal. Me walking after him, cooing and coaxing, this time he let me get within a couple feet. Only this time he danced away, looked me gleefully in the eye from a safe distance, turned his head towards the highway, and like a shot he was off!

Well, seeing him head straight for our busy highway and at a dead run, I panicked! I sprinted after him, cursing and calling the whole way. Wearing no shoes, down the sidewalk like a madwoman! Cursing myself for not having my phone, imagining him getting hit by a car, angry at running barefoot, and Jack still way ahead of me not looking to stop.

And then just as he got to the end of the sidewalk/the edge of the highway he decided to detour into a neighbors yard to pee. Just my luck this particular house had some very high garden beds, laid out like a maze, and a giant fence. I was able to corner him and grab his collar.

I hate to admit it, but boy was I mad. Probably not the best frame of mind to be grabbing a dog if you want them to come to you in the future. But combine that rage with panic, fear, and adrenaline and that is about where I was on Sunday. I then dragged an unapologetic Jack all the way back home, through the front door, and marched him right into his crate...again, a crate is not supposed to be a place of punishment, but I felt like until I had cooled my head a bit it was the best place for him.

We then called the potential family and expressed our concerns regarding Jack, we think he isn't quite ready at this point. The last thing we want to do is have a family heartbroken because the dog got out and wouldn't come back.

Hubby and I differ on the severity of the issue, but we are talking to our trainer and will be meeting with her next week hopefully, to set up a stricter training plan to see if we can work on his bolting issue. Wish us luck! We'd really like to find this guy his forever home! Besides that, he is an amazing house dog, and he is a perfect gentleman with our cats.

The face of a naughty husky/plott mix.