Peanut Broke the Half Mile Mark and an Update on Nubs.

This is the day I've been looking forward to for a while now, the day Peanut broke the half mile mark with her tracking, AND had a successful find without any help from me at all.

See, the number one rule in Search and Rescue is TRUST YOUR DOG, can you picture trusting your dog while searching for a child lost in the snow? I'm still only searching for Men or Women that volunteer to go hide in the woods and are in full contact with these people and it's STILL nerve racking to trust your dog. More so when your dog never indicates rather they are on a scent or not.

Peanut LOVES to search. She has a blast doing it, and making her find, but she has no indication at all rather she's on a scent or not. It's always GOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOOOOO. I constantly have to ask her if she's still working or not because there is no way to tell if she's still tracking the person we are after. Today for example, there is a fork in the path we use, and our victim can go left or right. There is no way I can know which way they go, I have to trust my dog. Now Peanut has been wrong before, and I have trusted her, and until she came back to me and started playing with me, did I know she wasn't on scent.

Today after 6mins into our track I asked Peanut "Are you SURE you are working?" She just spun around and looked at me with a grin on her face, and kept moving, but she had a dance in her step. Sure enough 20ft away was the guy we were searching for, hiding behind a tree. It was a proud moment for myself and Peanut. Peanut was so excited to find the guy and to get her treat (just one piece of cheese).

Not that amazing? I want you to sniff a person's hat, and then find them in the first half mile of a forest without cheating, only using your nose. Could you do it? I know I can't. So CONGRATULATIONS PEANUT! Shows you even street dogs can do amazing things!

Monday brings Peanut's Spay, so everyone keep her in your thoughts on Monday. This will be the first time she's ever been put under and out of my care in the time she's been with me.
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Well, I wish I could tell you that Nubs was back to his old self and starting to do some work himself, but sadly that's not the case. Nubs tore his ACL/CCL again, this time on the knee that he never had surgery on. For those keeping track that is 3 in under 2 years. Right now I am trying the non-surgical route with crate rest and lots of supplements. Seems to be doing well, this is day 5 of crate rest and besides Nubs going crazy from being in a crate, his leg is showing much improvements. Surgery isn't out of the question for the future, but with my hours being cut down to 17hrs a week (yeah how lovely right?) as long as he's not in pain, we will do this.

Nubs Always Gets What He Wants.

Peanut's crate is right next to my computer, under my computer desk. On nights that I'm on my computer, Nubs lays in Peanut's crate to be close to me while Peanut normally runs in between laying in my computer chair with me or on the love seat staring at me.

Tonight is like every other night. Nubs is curled up in Peanut crate, while Peanut alternates different places. Well at some point tonight, Nubs stands up and grabs a drink of water. All of a sudden I feel Nubs's head on my lap which he does all the time when he wants to be loved on. Not taking my eyes off the computer, I use one hand to pet Nubs and the other on my mouse (multi-tasking FTW!). Just a normal night in this house.

After a few minuets of petting him, he's starting to whine and nudge me even more. So he wants something so I ask him "What's up Nubs?" This is when he turns toward Peanut cage and starts pawing at the bed inside.

Now Peanut has never been much for her crate. She likes her crate, but will not go in to it unless I ask. Even then sometimes I have to make her go into it. She's just not fond of it.

I finally make out a figure in her crate. Peanut, while Nubs was grabbing a drink had taken over her bed, kicking Nubs out of it.

I have to laugh. Silly puppy. Nubs gives up and makes his way to the love seat while Peanut seems content with the new sleeping arrangements. As soon as I hear Nubs crawl up on the couch, Peanut takes off because all she wants to do is cuddle up to Nubs. Two seconds after Peanut runs into the living room, Nubs is hauling tail and again laid claim to Peanut's crate.

Nubs always gets what he wants.