Banksy is almost 7 months old, but her tail is almost 300 years old if you count in raccon years. Tail doesn’t even describe that thing that’s taken on a life of it’s own. Tail of Magnificence is close. It keeps growing and growing and her fur is like fur of poof. If she jumps in the pond, she looks exactly like the skinny little coyote from across the pasture that is going to eat the orange kittens. But dried off there is poof, a most bountiful poof. Most of it in her tail.
Her magnificent fur also loves foxtails. The emergency doc had to pull 2 out of her ear the other night. This wasn’t my idea of a cool way to spend Friday night, especially since the time of the crabby vet tech at the other vet for her rabies shot a couple months back. This time, me and a very patient vet tech, teensy tiny needles, and all our hard work with happy restraining, grooming and relaxing on a mat made it not too traumatic of a night out on the town. Also, Banksy is super cute when she’s drunk.
I took that vet tech a Starbucks card the next day with a thank you note. Thank you, Amanda the Patient Vet Tech. She definitely helped Banksy not be too freaked out by her evening in the hospital.
Otterpop is still the champion of the stillness for photoshoot. Banksy is getting pretty good at stillness of not moving when there’s a toy and a release word. Like when she’s on the clock. For our forest photoshoots, I would say not so much. Like she is gone by the time I snarl the camera out of my pocket. Maybe someday, Banksy will be able to sit still like Otterpop. In a whole lotta years. Maybe.
Everybody else is all, whatever. There goes the puppy! They’re used to her moving like a blur across the landscape. Sometimes across the top of them. Ouch. A new thing in the forest is complete insanity of zooming if we go to the Place Where all the Leaves Are, where it used to be wet. On the steep slope, that goes down to where there used to be water. Back in the day. Wow. Eventually I caught her mid air on the 4th or 5th trip across the gulch and back on the leash she went. Super gnarly. We’re staying out of the leaf place for a while. Some things make Banksy’s brain explode, leaves that blow or MIGHT blow are one of them. It’s a good thing we’re not all about autumn around here.
In the forest, except for in the leaf place, she just stays in the group and totally gets it how it works with no leash and no long line. She’s one of us in the forest now, totally part of the group. Banksy understands hiking. She’s not so much the border collie puppy who gets all the special treatment for everything else in life including all the chewies. Well, maybe some special treatment. Because I do still carry treats for her in my pocket. So far no coyote chasing, no deer chasing, and all good listening. But I am going on never say never for. One day, shit will happen. Let’s hope her life skills continue to stay on the side of sensible most of the time.
And by the pond? At the beach? The recalls kind of suck there. Water is her demon on her shoulder. Water talks to her and says, Go Apeshit, Banksy! Hahahahahaha WET! We’re working on this.
Banksy goes to weekly foundation class now, and we’re also playing along with all the Silvia stuff from the videos. I set her up a new baby agility field at work, that’s hopefully mostly foxtail free. Augh, the foxtails. Drought means everything here that isn’t dirt is foxtail.
All her things are going better! But everything a work in progress. Banksy can go from her weirdo floppy smiley polar bear persona to super intense hard worker in a flash. And sometimes to the scary stare bear that MUST WATCH THE BLOWERS. Getting back to the floppy polar bear, not so easy. It’s a little bit schizopphrenic how her multiple personalities pop up and swap places. She REALLY, REALLY LIKES agility. And her blowing particles. Sort of like the water. Go apeshit, young puppy girl! She has some cool pre-skool agility moves now. There are nosetouches. There are ciks and caps and lefts and rights and a lot of chasing front crosses and circle works. Jump bumps! Forward focus! Stop and Go! Every kind of training is her BEST THING DO IT MORE!!! MORE!!! Banksy LOVES to chase me and LOVES to chase the toy. And she REALLY LOVES tugging.
I am so easily impressed by border collies.
We’re working on play, eat, come, stay everywhere, every time. That’s hard everywhere and every time. But easy in the low distraction places, much of the time. Supahstah of the backyard. It will take a long time for the whole enchilada. But Banksy’s only 7 months old. I think we have a long time. So no big rush.
Otterpop continues to run the show. Gustavo just hangs out being a good boy. Except for being the total thief of chewies. Ruby is Ruby, and we are happy she can still see, because now something is wrong with her good eye. They all love Banksy, however. I am pretty sure they are all as happy as me that she’s our puppy. Our super old, 7 month old puppy.