Notes From Grace: Berite Maneuvers

This is the silly Raphael wiggle.

Another move.

OK, done with that, now what?

This is the mouth that steals the slippers. It is a slipper stealing mouth!

Hi G-Fans!

Well, to answer the first question on the faithful folowers yes, the concierge retrieved the slipper in the morning. It was intact and glad to be reunited with its mate in the closet. None of us helped to retrieve it.

Tonight I would like to share about Bertie going on leash walks.

We all get a little nuts when it is time to take a walk. We are ever vigilant for signs that it is about to occur. We all shoot out of the house like wild banshees when it is time.

RIley is the quickest to settle and patiently wait to be leashed.

I am next, although I can prance to some degree, I am compliant and decently patient.

Raphael and Tessa usually go so berzerko that they dash off the deck in a frenzy and into the yard. Once they get back and are corralled, Raphael is next best in being patient while the leash is adhered. Tessa can be a bit of a bugger. She will prance out of reach and tease to get hooked up, but then will bob her head to avoid the leash being placed. Once the process is underway she will hold still and allow the buckles to be clasped. Then there is Bertie. He weaves in and out of legs, leashes and bodies in a dervish. He doesn't go off the deck and he begs to get leashed. But he can't keep his head still. He will go into a down, he will sit, but he is twisting and writhing and wiggling and moving. The concierge gets so frustrated with him. She talks soothingly sometimes. She yells sometimes. She grabs his snout sometimes. Sometimes she puts his body between her legs to hold him still. She threatens that she is leaving him behind if, "he doesn't cut it out". She hasn't left him yet, but with her, you never know.

Now, she finally wrangles him adequately to get the leash on, she holds his snout and buckles up as quickly as she can. Once the leash is applied she has to step on the leash so he doesn't start entangling himself with everyone else by doing a maypole maneuver between everyone's leashes. Then he starts biting the leash, she tells him to leave it and to get it out of his mouth. THEN, we try to get underway. Now he has some latitude. He will usually rear up at some unexpected moment and punch me! Since we walk on a tandem leash, I don't have much in the way of an escape route. The concierge tells him to knock it off and settle down. Then, he will act like he is actually acquiescing to the concierge, but only so he can pull a surprise jump-and-lurch move. He gets another reprimand. He may do one or two more hurkey jerky movements and then the concierge reels him in for the close encounter. He gets on a two-inch stretch of leash. Usually with a close-up face to face with the concierge where she lays the seriousness of his actions out for him. He soulfully looks into her eyes like he is so distressed that this is the result of his exuberance. He just has gas. There is nothing else to explain it. Because he will continue with his leaping, punching and lurching for at least the first five minutes of the walk. Once he has allowed the demons to be exercised, he usually settles down nicely and proceeds to walk like he has half a brain. Staying focused and compliant. He will intermittently pull too much, but the gnashing of teeth and snarling stops (from the concierge).

So, that is a typical first ten minutes of a walk in our house.

FUN!

That's all I have tonight.

May you exude joy in whatever you do!

TTFN!

-G