Pongo's Merry Christmas

December 16th was Pongo's last nose work class for the fall session at Paws-abilities.  When we arrived, we found a long table was set with festive boxes.  Christmas stockings hung between each one.  I was tickled pink with excitement.  Pongo may have been too, but it was hard to tell under all his black fur.  But he distinctly wagged his tail as we started our search!  We were instructed to have our dogs go down the line, detailing each stocking, then box.  But Pongo ignored the boxes on the table and seemed only interested in smelling the stockings. I had to keep circling back to try and call his attention to the boxes.  However, each dog in class did the same thing, which lessened my frustration.  It was a difficult task.  For the next search, our instructor put the boxes on the floor.  Interestingly enough, Pongo then only cared about the boxes and ignored the stockings.  Each time, we eventually found the target odor.  The last search, the instructor told us our dogs would be searching for their own Christmas stocking.  Pongo's was a red stocking with a puppy on it, filled with dog treats. 

Once the dogs had finished all of their searches, our instructor had one more for us. She hid a treat for each of the dog owners in a box.  We were instructed to sniff each one, using our noses to decide where our own food treat was hidden. I laughed.  What a farce! I have a horrible nose and I'll readily admit it.  This would be an exercise in futility, I thought.  When it was my turn, I sniffed each one, but I thought they smelled like cardboard. They seemed all the same.  I finally settled on a purple box . . . did it smell sweet?  "Alert," I said and to my utter surprise, I was right!  Inside were several big chocolate chip cookies wrapped in plastic.  How funny - I certainly didn't smell chocolate!

I think I'll leave real nose work to the dogs.  I know who got that evolutionary gift!

 Pongo and I left class feeling happy.  We were both thankful for the generosity of our instructor and now I was in the mood for Christmas!

The rest of the week was filled with lots of baking and holiday preparation. I love baking during the holidays.  I made more than 60 gingerbread cookies for my students for the last day before the break, then awoke to a snow day with school being canceled! My daughter and I made plates of Christmas cookies for the neighbors and friends.  But on Christmas Eve, I realized I had very little for Pongo's stocking. I better start baking, I thought!  I made two batches of dog biscuits.  I tried a new recipe I found on the internet that called for two jars of babyfood applesauce.  I blended a cup of oats in the food processor into a coarse flour and mixed it with whole wheat flour.  I cut out large dog bones, then after they had cooled, I wrapped them in a big fabric bow.

Next, I made his favorite peanut butter treats, turning them over half way through the baking time so they were hard and crunchy. Pongo followed me around the kitchen as soon as they came out of the oven.  Silly Pongo, you have to wait for them to cool!

On Christmas morning, we unpacked Pongo's stocking for him.  He sat guarding his cow trachea from the cats, his homemade treats beside him on the floor. It has all been long-devoured.

It was a very merry Christmas indeed!

It's fun when mommy is off work!

Pongo urges me out the door, in search of the next scent or adventure!

Happy Holidays to All!

Wishing you happy dog days in 2014!

A Trip To The Farm

On December 14th, we decided to take a trip to the farm. Well, technically, it was two farms.  Saturday morning, we put Pongo in the car and drove to my cousin, Jen's house.  She and her husband, Marcus, have a small farm South of Bellingham near Lake Samish.  It's an idyllic little place that I love to visit. Pongo loves all the smells and always insists that we take a walk through the woods behind the house, which is an extremely muddy venture much of the year.

He gets impatient when I sit around the house, knitting and talking with Jen, which is what I love to do when we visit.  Pongo always reminds me that he wants to be outside exploring, by pacing and barking at me.  Finally, I indulge him. We go for a walk.  After all, that is what it's all about to him - all the wonderful smells on acres of land, a dog treasure hunt or smorgasbord.

Pongo ignores the sheep in their pen and keeps his head to the ground, nosing in the dirt and grass.

Jen and Marcus let their chickens free range in the yard.  It made me nervous the first few times we visited.  I didn't trust Pongo with them.  I was sure he might decide he wanted to chase one.  I kept him on leash when he was first exposed to loose chickens, and I never leave him unsupervised with them.  But he leaves them alone, focusing his attention on smells in the grass and the bushes.

Jen and Marcus currently have a cabin and a yurt on their property.  We visited both as we took a walk.  Here, Pongo says hello to Jen on the cabin porch.

 

Jen's son, Sam, stands chest to nose with their Great Pyrenees, Luther.  Luther loves to escort us through the woods, as he knows every pathway.  His job is to protect the farm animals from coyotes and other prey animals in the area.  A gentle soul, Luther will steal your heart. 

We fit in a vehicle search on Marcus' truck before we leave.  It's a great opportunity to practice nose work in a new location with lots of distractions.  At first, Pongo was more interested in smelling the surrounding terrain.  I kept him on a short leash and paired treats with the odor. 

Next, we drive North to Ferndale to visit my cousin, Aimee, Jen's older sister.  Aimee and Homero have a small working farm with several animals.  Here, the girls have just finished feeding the animals in the afternoon before it gets dark.  Ivory greets them at the gate.  Ivory is a greyhound mix who is about the same age as Pongo.  Seven years ago, she stayed with Pongo and I for several weeks when Aimee and Homero went to Mexico.  I love her dearly - it is always a joy to see her. 

The cow is the newest addition to the farm. 

Pongo meets Marley, a black lab, that Aimee's daughter, Rowan, acquired since the last time we visited.  They instantly like each other, but Marley is only a couple years old and has way more energy than Pongo does.  She wants to run and Pongo moves slowly at his own pace.

At Aimee's house, there are animals both inside and out.  They now have two ferrets, who were sleeping in their cage.  Pongo has never met ferrets.  I thought it was a good idea they stay in their cage.  Pongo once tried to eat my niece's gerbil.  He only gave it up after we pried it out of his mouth.  He definitely seems to have a strong prey drive for small rodents, which makes me continue to question his ancestral blood lines.  While hiking with Pongo and my sister's dog, Calder, last year, Pongo showed no interest when we encountered a pheasant, but Calder had to be called off the chase.  I am always fascinated how dogs have been bred for different purposes for thousands of years.  In today's society, most dogs have lost the opportunity to do the jobs they were bred for.  The result is that many dogs develop behavioral problems out of boredom, or a mismatch between the owner and dog's activity level.  Sadly, a large number of them are given up to shelters or ultimately euthanized.  In rescuing Pongo, who spent six months in a no-kill shelter in Washington, DC, my goal has been to provide him with the appropriate training and exercise to meet his individual needs.  At times, it hasn't been easy.  If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that this is my commitment to Pongo.  When I come home tired and all I want to do is sit back and relax on the couch, I remember my commitment to Pongo, and we go out the door.

Pongo sits happily sporting his winter snowflake bandanna ($1 at Walmart)! It has been a wonderful day visiting both our two- and four-legged family in the Bellingham area.