You know spring has arrived in the Okanagan when the yellow Arrowleaf Balsamroot has started to bloom. So, itβs now time to start my tick meds.
We had a full month of many activities: mountain hikes, yoga by the Lake, PADS Zoom and in-person classes, geocaching, playdates with other PADS pups, chiropractor, Wednesday Wing Night at DunnEnnzies, brunch at the new Jammery, Upside Cidery, Barn Owl Brewing, Ancient Hills Winery, shopping at COSTCO, Save On Foods and a community garbage pickup event.
The best hike was the one with my brother Misha at Johnβs Family Nature Conservancy Regional Park. We usually have playdates in the fenced yard, but this time we went off-leash on the mountain trails. We practiced our recalls while I ran circles around Misha as he tried to keep up with me.
The best playdate this month was when PADS Ace, PADS Pluto, sister Margot and Misha came over to our house. Misha ran around with a stick in his mouth while the others socialized. A fun time was had by the pups, all exhausted by the end.
I went on a hike with PADS Rico, a service dog who was on vacation from his handler. He was a bit scary at first to me because he was so big, but we warmed up to each other and even did some off-leash walking. The kids came to celebrate Easter and left behind their cat, Stella, for three weeks while they went away on vacation. It took Stella a bit of time to warm up to our 2 cats, and she growled and hissed at me a bit, but I knew to leave her be. Eventually, she progressed out of the bedroom and was quite comfortable venturing around the house among her four-legged friends.
Our trainer Shona says that we will be getting less treats in the future for the work we do. Iβm not sure how Iβll like that. She also took comparison pictures of me in class, one from 5 months and now, at 19 months, to see how much I have grown.
My training is going very well. Iβm always very attentive to my mom, burning holes into her with my eyes as I await the next command and/or treat. We are forever practising the length of our duration downs.
Now that spring is here, I canβt wait to have some power naps outside in the sunshine!
Submitted by: Chris Buitinga
