Living on the Edge

Duncan's little run-in with the pool has become legendary. (Our visits to the vet have a new routine – "Any vomiting or diarrhea? What food is he on? Has he fallen in the pool again?") He's more careful now, but he spends a lot of time prowling around it, running laps of it, and lately, finding ways to use the 6" boards that run around the edge.

It started when I glanced up one day and noticed him casually tightrope walking along one of the boards. No photos, I'm afraid; I didn't dare move to grab a camera! Instead I froze and stayed very, very quiet so I wouldn't startle him, while mentally bracing myself for another rescue plunge. But he just hopped off (onto a hosta) and carried on prowling. He's done it a few more times since, but never when there's a camera handy.

Next, I found him happily hanging out in the middle of the big clump of porcupine grass. Yes, the photo makes it look like he's climbing out of the pool, but he's not:

He just parked his furry little backside on the conveniently-placed board, and settled in.

The view from the across the pool!

But his crowning achievement came this week, when we noticed what looked like a clump of dirt from the garden on the edge of the pool.

Nope. Not dirt. Duncan has taken up Precision Pooping! I didn't catch him in the act, but I really, really hope he's not combining his newfound skill with his tightrope walking, or I suspect we'll be fishing him out again soon!

Shouldn't You Be Going?

Every morning at 7:05, we tell Duncan "crate time", and he trots into his crate, gets a treat or two, and is safely tucked away while I drive Daddy to the train. (He could come along if he didn't make such a fuss about "losing" Daddy!)

Except today. Promptly at 6:54, Duncan trotted into his crate and stared at me expectantly. Way too early, I told him, and he came out. Until 6:57, when he went back in. And again at 6:59, when he started sniffing around rather pointedly in the folds of his blankie, looking for the treats that surely must have appeared by now!

We're not sure why he was in such a hurry to get rid of us – hopefully it was just because it's a lazy, rainy morning, perfect for a nap in his crate!

Road Trip!

This past weekend, Duncan went on his first road trip - a three-day genealogy trip to Quebec. He handled the long car rides like a pro; here he is stretching his legs at the picnic area at one of the service centres on the way there. 

We stayed at a hotel in Cornwall, where he settled in pretty well, except for being a bit worried that there were other people in HIS hotel. But he was delighted to find that hotels come with bathtubs:

It rained, or at least drizzled, pretty much the whole time so he was a soggy pup, but he really seemed to enjoy prowling the cemeteries looking for cousins. 

And here's the highlight of the trip: GGGG Uncle Adam Paxton (kids, add one more G), the earliest immigrant in the family that I've found, who was born in Scotland in 1798, came to Canada, and did the whole log cabin thing. (Duncan had to be told that dancing on his stone was simply not done in the best circles, so he nibbled the grass instead.)

Duncan and the Ducks

It was a tough weekend for Duncan. Not only were there fireworks to deal with (he coped far better than Kerry ever did, but a protector-in-chief still has to worry a bit when loud things happen), but he had a bath that made him go all fluffy. It's hard to be a protector-in-chief when you're fluffy. (Summer haircut coming this week!) So he was flaked out in the yard on Sunday with the remains of a rawhide chewie, just relaxing.

Then the invaders arrived. Every spring we have a pair of mallards that stop by for a daily swim. One year they even laid their eggs in the tall grasses around the pool. We hadn't seen them yet this year until they splashed down right in front of Duncan. By the time we got the camera, they'd finished swimming and hopped out for a quick preening. (By the way, that planter in the background was dismantled by the resident stick-lover. Must find a tougher one to replace it.)

Anyway, Duncan was absolutely fascinated by the ducks. He literally didn't move a muscle the whole time they were here, just stood and stared. I've never seen him so focused! As soon as they flew away, he ran over to try to figure out what they were:

Tough Week to be a Toy

Duncan has turned into a lean, mean, toy-killing machine lately. In the past week or so, he's nearly decapitated his cat, disembowelled his teddy, ripped the face of his hedgehog, and amputated an ear from his dog. All of these (except the teddy, which Grandma gave him) were hand-me-downs from Kerry, but it's asking a lot of a toy to survive two wheatens!

Fortunately, his ferocious hunting instinct doesn't seem to apply to real animals, other than flies, bees(!), and the occasional bird. Yesterday, our resident bunny with the crooked leg was browsing right beside the patio when I let Duncan out. I went over to try to shoo it away before Duncan noticed, but it just stared at me and kept on eating grass. Luckily Duncan never did spot it, so I just called him in and eventually the rabbit moved on.

Visit to the Vet

Duncan had a visit to the vet yesterday for a couple of vaccines, and had a wonderful time. He met another wheaten, a pretty little girl named Rosie, who sounds like she outdid even Duncan in chewing things when she was a puppy. And he got to meet his friend Lucy the cat again. Lucy is possibly the world's most patient cat. She let Duncan lick her face with only a slight grimace, and even stayed around for Megan to take a photo of them with her phone. Apparently the only thing Lucy will not put up with is a kitten.

Duncan's First Picnic

Spring is finally here, which means it's time to start Duncan's training as a camping dog. So today we went to Crawford Lake for his first picnic and mini-hike. We found a nice picnic table under some trees. There was plenty of exploring to do, and Duncan's kibble was garnished with some hard-boiled egg and cheese. He seemed very enthusiastic.

But what about when the kibble is finished? Have I mentioned that he's smart? Here he is, connecting the dots between the empty bowl in the background and the food on the table.

Bagel? And cheese? Don't mind if I do!

 You may recall that Duncan has a stick obsession, and there were lots to choose from, so he finished off lunch with a nice chew:

We bought him a 20-foot leash, partly to allow him some exploring space, and partly to practice "Come". Apparently next week at school we're working on "come", so we're supposed to practice it before then. He did really well, considering all the distractions. Notice how he managed to keep track of his stick and still eat his reward. (Freeze-dried chicken. It seems to be wonderful stuff.)

After lunch we went for a mini-hike down to the lake. It's not very far, but with so many things to see and smell, Duncan had a wonderful time. And he's getting so good at walking nicely on his leash!

The lake was interesting. There were fish, and other dogs, and apparently lots of smells on the breeze:

We were tempted to walk around the lake, but it's probably a good thing we didn't, because we had a tired little boy by the time we walked back to the car. He's napping in his crate now, but I think he'll be happy to go picnicking again soon.