Dave and I cleaned out the house because we had some guests coming over. In doing so, we realized that one of Jonah's bones smelled wretched. So, Dave threw it away. Jonah was sad. He went looking for it. It was cute, in an unfortunate sort of way. This incident happened late at night when the pet stores were closed, but we promised Jonah that we would take him the next day to let him pick out his own new bone. So, we did.
Jonah was amazing. It's funny to say that your dog was amazing going to a pet store. That seems like it shouldn't be a big deal. For Jonah, though, it's a huge deal. He used to HATE the pet store. It has automatic doors, aka zombie dog crushers. It has birds that squeak. It has overpowering smells. It has people, some of whom try to be friendly to you. Sometimes it has other dogs. Basically, it's the scene for Jonah's horror movie. Or, used to be.
This time, Jonah walked happily in front of us. He knew where he was, and he showed us the way through the parking lot and right through the doors. He came happily around corners that used to be sources of terror. He sniffed politely at various toys and bones. He selected his favorite. He met several nice people, including a child (usually children are not especially high on Jonah's list). He met another dog. He got a cookie from the man at the cash register. Then, he walked on a lovely loose leash back out through the zombie doors (which apparently no longer have zombies. strange.) and out across the parking lot back to his car. If you have a dog that was well socialized from the start, maybe this seems like an exaggeration, but I kid you not. This was a momentous occasion. Jonah is growing up in the world. It made me actually wonder if it might be possible for him to get his CGC one day. There's dreaming for a reactive dog, but this was certainly a step in the right direction.
At the pet store, we got Jonah a new toy: a frisbee. Now, Dave and I play ultimate frisbee so we've never let Jonah play with our frisbees, because in that sports world dogs mean teeth marks in nice pieces of plastic. However, we got a nice little fabric frisbee that looks nothing like ours. We took Jonah to a new-to-us conservation land (where there were goats. on leashes.), and Jonah got to play with his new toy. He loved it! Before long he was actually tired (a rare occurrence), and we came on home to a nice, happy, tuckered-out dog. Good day.
Jonah was amazing. It's funny to say that your dog was amazing going to a pet store. That seems like it shouldn't be a big deal. For Jonah, though, it's a huge deal. He used to HATE the pet store. It has automatic doors, aka zombie dog crushers. It has birds that squeak. It has overpowering smells. It has people, some of whom try to be friendly to you. Sometimes it has other dogs. Basically, it's the scene for Jonah's horror movie. Or, used to be.
This time, Jonah walked happily in front of us. He knew where he was, and he showed us the way through the parking lot and right through the doors. He came happily around corners that used to be sources of terror. He sniffed politely at various toys and bones. He selected his favorite. He met several nice people, including a child (usually children are not especially high on Jonah's list). He met another dog. He got a cookie from the man at the cash register. Then, he walked on a lovely loose leash back out through the zombie doors (which apparently no longer have zombies. strange.) and out across the parking lot back to his car. If you have a dog that was well socialized from the start, maybe this seems like an exaggeration, but I kid you not. This was a momentous occasion. Jonah is growing up in the world. It made me actually wonder if it might be possible for him to get his CGC one day. There's dreaming for a reactive dog, but this was certainly a step in the right direction.
At the pet store, we got Jonah a new toy: a frisbee. Now, Dave and I play ultimate frisbee so we've never let Jonah play with our frisbees, because in that sports world dogs mean teeth marks in nice pieces of plastic. However, we got a nice little fabric frisbee that looks nothing like ours. We took Jonah to a new-to-us conservation land (where there were goats. on leashes.), and Jonah got to play with his new toy. He loved it! Before long he was actually tired (a rare occurrence), and we came on home to a nice, happy, tuckered-out dog. Good day.
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