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.

Learning from his Mistakes?

Or possibly not. He hasn't actually fallen in again, but Duncan's leaf obsession makes it only a matter of time. At least once we get the pump working, we can try to vacuum them up before he sees them. Except that it was a vacuum that causes the problem in the first place. Hmm.

Daddy's Little Helper

It was a beautiful Saturday morning, so we decided to take the cover off the pool and put in Duncan's new pool stairs. We bought a set of stairs for the pool, since we figured it's only a matter of time until Duncan falls in, and it would be a good idea for him to have a way to climb out just in case we weren't standing by. Keep that thought in mind...

Chris and Duncan skimmed the leaves off the cover. They were wonderfully smelly after fermenting under the snow all winter, and Duncan had a great time playing in them. He got all muddy and slimy, and we were beginning to think about a bath to follow.

Then he started to get adventurous:

Daddy wants leaves? There's a leaf...

Bet I can reach it all by myself.

Fortunately, the cover supported his weight, and he pulled himself back onto the deck. Several times. Because "no" doesn't necessarily mean "no" if you pretend you've gone deaf, right?

A few laps around the pool to burn off some of the excitement, and then we started pulling the cover off. Duncan was very interested in what was underneath, and seemed to understand that he shouldn't step on the water like he did on the cover.

Chris brought out the shopvac to get the last of the water off the cover before we lifted it off the pool. Duncan doesn't like vacuums, and felt he needed to tell it so – and us, and the rest of the neighbourhood – at the top of his lungs.

Luckily I set the camera down just then, because a minute later Duncan took a big leap backward from the Evil Shopvac...

... and fell into the pool.

The pool that is 41ºF according to the thermometer. Or 5ºC. Single digits above solid ice. That pool.

The steps we bought for exactly this situation are still sitting at the side of the house, waiting to be installed. What's a mommy to do? I had to jump in too and fish him out. To his credit, he was dog-paddling diligently and keeping his head above water by the time I got to him, and didn't seem particularly upset by his predicament.

After a brisk towelling-down for both of us, and a rawhide chewy and a large Tim Horton's respectively, we have recovered. Duncan is back to prowling around the pool peering in. He'll be getting swimming and pool-exiting lessons as soon as it warms up a bit more. Quite a bit more.

And he's a lot cleaner than he was, so we're going to skip the bath.

Duncan and Owen

Duncan was so excited this morning, because his friend Owen came to play with him. They had lots of fun, but it was hard to get pictures. They didn't stay still for very long!

Owen brought Duncan some yummy dog cookies. Thank you, Owen! Duncan was a good boy and sat when Owen told him to, so he got to eat a couple of them, and then Owen had a people cookie.

After Owen left, Duncan was so tired from all the playing that he fell asleep right at the top of the stairs.