hqspanimals

Waiting Patiently

Posted by Ellie
 

Border collies are working dogs and are happiest when they have a job. That job can be something as fun as playing Frisbee or ball, or as serious as sheep herding or search and rescue. Joni wears this pack often when we go for a walk, partly because it helps to focus her, but also because the weight it carries gives her additional exercise and builds stamina and muscle. When she sees me holding the pack, she walks up and puts her nose into the harness. As soon as it is buckled on her character changes to being calm and serious. She becomes a working dog in fact as well as name.

She is learning to wait patiently for me while I stop to chat with someone or to take a photograph as I was here. She has also learned to drop to a 'down' position wherever she is, when I raise my arms and call her name (this was how the sheep herder told me to train her). She will also come straight back to me and sit by my left side when I call her name and tap my leg. She needs to work a bit more on it as, like a child, at times she becomes distracted and needs a reminder that life is not all about play. But she is getting there. She will soon be 2 years old.

#woofwednesday +Woof Wednesday by +Sandra Nesbit and +Debbie Drummond
#Animalia (+Animalia) curated by +Adelphe BACHELET
#hqspanimals +HQSP Animals curated by +Andy Smith +Nicol Eh and +Shannon Adelson

#noapologies #bordercollie #puppy #dog #JonisDiary #AdayinthelifeofJoni #fansofJoni

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Joni Has a New Toy : or The Lost Red Ball Process

Posted by Ellie
 

This big red ball is mostly air with wonderful soft but strong rubber webbing that is most satisfying to run after and catch and chew (I imagine) and almost as much fun for us to kick and throw. The main problem with it is that it rolls. Of course all balls roll, but this one rolls without much outside influence. So Joni who loves to play with it shaking it and tossing it over her head, watches it with delight as it rolls away, then leaps to catch it and repeats the exercise.

The trouble is that our drive has a gentle slope and when the ball rolls past a certain point, Joni knows she can't go after it as it's outside of her boundary. So she sits and watches it as it makes its way down the hill, gaining momentum as it goes around the corner and out of sight, before it comes to rest, buried in some weeds or under a pile of (red) leaves at the base of a tree. As most of this playing and losing of the red ball is done while we are elsewhere, we have no idea that it's even missing until we look for it to play with her and find it… gone.

If she lost it only a short time before we arrive on the scene she might still be sitting staring around the end of the drive in the general direction where she last saw it. Usually by the time we are looking for it, Joni has moved on to other toys that don't leave of their own accord (such as the Frisbee) and looks at us blankly when we ask where it is.

She loved it as soon as we brought it home to her and this photo is showing her and the new red ball on the day she first got it. We still have it, but now have to reserve her playtime with it when we are there to keep an eye on it.

My posts are all on my blog at https://www.elliekennard.ca.

#hqspanimals +HQSP Animals curated by +Andy Smith +Nicol Eh and +Shannon Adelson

#Animalia (+Animalia) curated by +Adelphe BACHELET

#noapologies #bordercollie #puppy #JonisDiary #AdayinthelifeofJoni #fansofJoni

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The One That Didn't Get Away!

Posted by Ellie
 

The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens features a profusion of flowers (of course) trees, shrubs and trees. Then there is the wildlife! In such a rich habitat, you didn't have to stand in one place for very long before you heard the scampering of tiny creatures, the buzzing of insects and the fluttering, screaming, chirping and whistling of birds. Before long the creatures that made all these sounds would begin to appear. I got photos of some of them, some I just couldn't get as they moved too fast or scurried in and out of the bushes and trees.

One of the most frustrating moments in that visit was when I heard the squeals of baby squirrels playing under a hedge of thick undergrowth. The sounds of high pitched delight moved quickly around the area at ground level, but they were hidden deep in the shadows and leaves. I got on my knees and waited patiently for them to put in at least a brief appearance, but they never did. In the end, with knees aching and back and neck sore from being poised at such an awkward angle, I had to give up and move on.

As if to make up for my disappointment and discomfort, this little red lady was sitting on a rock calmly eating a seed when we came by and was quite content to keep (almost) still for me while I got my camera aimed for the photo. It doesn't match a rolling knot of playful babies but it is what I got!

My posts are all on my blog: https://www.elliekennard.ca .

For squirrel lovers everywhere and a theme which I believe is almost defunct, but in hopes that +Squirrel Saturday and +Skippy Sheeskin will find this post, I offer it for #squirrelsaturday .

#hqspanimals +HQSP Animals curated by +Andy Smith +Nicol Eh and +Shannon Adelson
#Animalia (+Animalia) curated by +Adelphe BACHELET

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Lurking in the Bushes

Posted by Ellie
 

Joni has her rituals and habits as do we all. She refines and develops hers into more and more complicated routines and uses her communication skills to train us to respond to them and make us a partner in them. This is her latest. If you looked out of our kitchen window you would not see a dog on our property. You would see dog toys – a Frisbee or a ball, strategically placed so you wouldn't be able to miss them if you stepped outside the door. As soon as you were outside, you would hear a slight movement in the bushes. If you crouched down, this is what you would see, lurking in the bushes, almost invisible. Her eyes are fixed on the toy near you, pointedly looking in that direction in case you have missed it. Every nerve of her body is tense as she waits for you to take part in the game. And you have to! How could you bear to disappoint her when she looks like that?

I had to share another photo of Joni as I have just heard that this is #dogweekendonGooglePlus #dogweekend and I knew that she just had to be a part of it. It is the brainchild of +Heidi Anne Morris . A great idea!

My posts are all on my blog : https://www.elliekennard.ca .

I guess I can name the other tags, too: #hqspanimals +HQSP Animals curated by +Andy Smith and +Nicole S.

And #Animalia (+Animalia) curated by +Adelphe BACHELET

#noapologies #bordercollie #puppy #JonisDiary #AdayinthelifeofJoni #fansofJoni

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