Smallest Big Dog

Marley's fabulous dog walker is simply amazed at Marley's ability to keep up with larger dogs. He keeps calling her Little Miss Big Stuff. He has not realized Marley does not know she is a little dog. As far as she is concerned if something is going on she must be involved and nothing will slow her down.

Is that a dog or a shadow?

Sandwich?

Sandwich, where?

I'll beat these ginormous dogs to the food!

All photos in this post taken by James McKellips.

Bored Dog

Marley is very disappointed with my behavior.

There are times when life becomes incredibly busy and complicated. These last couple of months have been extremely busy for me and Marley is not a happy dog.

When I decided to become a dog owner I knew I would spend a lot of time with my dog. I expected to spend time at the park and in classes in addition to providing fun and mentally stimulating activities.

Due to my busy schedule we have had to postpone our Agility classes and our long evenings at the park are now brisk walks. We have missed a few fun events. Blogging has been reduced to once a week instead of multiple posts during the week (I still have a lot to share). We are grateful our fabulous dog walker is still providing Marley with mid-day activities.

Fortunately, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I expect my schedule to clear up in a couple of weeks. There are a few activities in May we don't want to miss.

I have made some changes to our blog, if you read this in reader or via email, you may want to check it out. I've added a section of regional dog events. If you know of a fun dog friendly event feel free to let me know and I'll add it to our calendar.

Introducing...

Marley - Trainer of People

Or Master Manipulator?

Last winter Marley convinced me she couldn't wear any clothing. She has recently decided she doesn't like her harness. The same harness she has worn every morning for the last 3 years without complaint.

Every morning I'll stumble out to the living room and she sulks while I put on her harness. After the harness is on she is perky and ready to go for her walk. I've checked the harness and it fits loosely and I make sure it does not pull on her coat. I'm not sure why she is sulking.

She has started training her dog walker; according to reports she is sulking and adding some vocalization. Yep, she is trying to train her dog walker to ditch the harness.

I wonder how fast he'll succumb to her tricky human training.

Marley's Secret

On most days after a morning nap, Marley will sniff some cat butt and take a nap in the sun. As she begins contemplating a quick game of harass Bob her secret friend shows up.

Marley loves having a secret friend. Her secret friend takes her on a long walk and gives her treats and a cuddle before leaving.

Sometimes her secret friend will bring Marley's boyfriend, Cash, for a shared walk. Marley loves those days best.

Sometimes she has to share her walk, but she doesn't mind because her boyfriend usually joins the brisk walk.

Can you find the little dog?

After her secret friend leaves Marley enjoys a nice nap under a chair and dreams about chasing birds.

When I return home Marley is relaxed and happy to see me. What she does not know is I'm onto her secret. My secret is I receive an email letting me know what happened on her walk, did she poop, chase birds or try to entice her boyfriend to play instead of walk.

While I grew up in a big city, dog walkers were not very common and I always thought it was a service only offered in New York. I was very surprised and pleased to discover dog walkers are fairly common in my current city. I highly recommend a dog walker to anybody who has a dog, even if you have a back yard. It adds a nice variety to Marley's day and keeps her out of trouble. In addition, whenever she is having a health issue, it is nice to receive an email notifying me of any changes in her stool or behavior.

I really appreciate Marley's calmness and I always attempt to have her walked on days when we have a class. This is the difference between her being wild in class and her being calm and ready to learn.

All photos taken by peaceful pets.