the daily action adventure movie

This week I've had both my dog, Tansy, and my mom's dog, Perkins.  They are best friends and due to my travels and my mother's, they've spent most of the summer together at one home or another.  As with any pack animal (dogs, small boys) they tend to get into more trouble together than they do separately.  Walking both of them presents all kinds of challenges. Perkins was a rescue dog and doesn't like other people, particularly small children, joggers, and bikers.  Tansy doesn't like other dogs.  I've been working with Perkins and he is a bit better around people at the park and on the trail, but I have to really rein him in.  Tansy is sometimes better around other dogs, and if she can sniff them, she is mostly fine, but until the sniffing, she barks her fool head off and tries to approach in a very unfriendly manner.  Not all dogs take to being approached in this way, the kerfuffle sets Perkins to barking too, and they both pull on their leashes like they are hell bent on killing the approaching dog.  Frankly, it's embarrassing.  I feel like my dog is an ill-behaved, poorly trained little shit, which she sort of is.  I've come to realize I need professional help with this and will be seeking this out.

Last night this exact scenario was playing out with two approaching dogs, and I was trying to pull my fluffballs of fury in the other direction.  They somehow managed to get themselves twisted up in their barking melee, and the next thing I knew, Perkins' leash was looped around Tansy's neck in a noose, and Tansy was on the ground, being yanked this way and that, gasping for air.  I went into immediate life-saving mode but it took me a minute to hold Perkins' leash with one hand, hold Tansy with the other hand, and get the leash from around Tansy's neck--it was looped around twice--while all the dogs involved were going bat-shit crazy. Except Tansy.  She was just gasping for air. By the time I got her loose and got both of them locked down on the shortest leash setting, I was shaking.  It was all just too much.  They remained on leash lock down and were marched directly home, no stopping, no peeing, no nothing.  Tansy seemed fine afterwards but I watched her closely for signs of neck injury or choking.  It was a terrifying adventure, and both dogs are on leash lock down for all walks in their immediate future, if they even get to go on a walk at all.  These little twerps need much more discipline and I am resolved anew to give it to them. Since my kids have grown, I have lost my disciplinary edge, and even though my dog is four and a half pounds, she needs some tough love.

 (Photo: Perkins and Tansy on a better day, sharing a strawberry popsicle after running around in the heat in the back yard.)