The Great Hunt: The Instinct to Hide Treasures
Charlie believes in The Great Hunt. He is the best dog at hiding his favorite treasures than any other dog I have seen or owned! He finds little hidey-holes in the couch cushions, behind boxes, behind the file cabinet, under the desk, by the TV stand, under his blankets (great for tripping!), on the ottoman, in empty boxes.... Wherever there is a little space, he will hide a treasure!
One of his favorite hiding places is his toy box. He loves to take out all his toys, put a special treat or bone in there, and cover it all up with toys again! Then, some time later that day or even later in the week, his little nose will follow an invisible path and then it's "Oh boy oh boy!" as he rediscovers his treasure, gleefully throwing it in the air and settling down to gnaw on it. Sometimes I don't understand dogs, except for the times when we have found a forgotten treat for ourselves in the freezer or cupboard... Maybe it's not so hard to understand them after all!
The great hunt for toys is only superseded by his great hunt for the elusive scent trail. His schnozz buries itself in the grass as he scoots it along, searching for that missing scent. Sometimes his head startles up and he sneezes when he finds something amazing! Then he cocks his head, looks at me and I swear he's smiling! Off to the next adventure.
Life, for Charlie, is indeed one adventure after another. Every day is new, the same old walk is different each time he takes it. He walks along the red curb like an intrepid circus dog, balance sure, trotting along. His balance is so much better than ours! This morning, he was so busy sniffing and exploring that he barely acknowledged a little dog he hadn't met before. He gave some cursory sniffs, a friendly wag of the tail, but he was totally distracted. It's compulsive, he had to search? Is there such a thing as OCD dogs, or is this instinct so deeply buried that they have to act on it? How he fights the leash when I try to tug him another way! But he is learning to obey (when he wants to).
There are always more dogs for Charlie to discover, new cats to spot, new birds to watch, and more people to charm. Even folks who don't particularly like dogs like him. He is so earnest and open! That's a dog's nature, isn't it? Last night, on our last walk before bed, he met Bella and her owner. The girl had seen Charlie before and thought him "adorable" (he took her compliment in stride, sniffing her toes and accepting a pat). Bella was over 4 times his size, a big gangling 2-year old baby! Charlie and she played, jumping, pretending to attack, hunkering down in the grass to slither toward each other. I think he's found another kindred spirit! Bella was enchanted to have a new friend; she sought him out twice during the course of that half-hour walk. Charlie was thrilled with his new friend. Now, when we walk past Bella's apartment, Charlie pauses to see if she is coming out to play, just like Chewie pauses outside our apartment to see if Charlie can come out to play. Just like kids!
Speaking of walks, it's pretty much time for our next excursion. I wonder what sniffs he will discover this time, and how many sneezes will mark his excitement as he finds an old trail. I wonder which buddies and new friends he'll find this time? Sometimes I think we live vicariously through our dogs! We have met so many new people since embarking upon this adventure! There's nothing like being adopted by a dog to give you a new lease on life!
(next time: The Meeting: Charlie and Munchie's Showdown)
Charlie believes in The Great Hunt. He is the best dog at hiding his favorite treasures than any other dog I have seen or owned! He finds little hidey-holes in the couch cushions, behind boxes, behind the file cabinet, under the desk, by the TV stand, under his blankets (great for tripping!), on the ottoman, in empty boxes.... Wherever there is a little space, he will hide a treasure!
One of his favorite hiding places is his toy box. He loves to take out all his toys, put a special treat or bone in there, and cover it all up with toys again! Then, some time later that day or even later in the week, his little nose will follow an invisible path and then it's "Oh boy oh boy!" as he rediscovers his treasure, gleefully throwing it in the air and settling down to gnaw on it. Sometimes I don't understand dogs, except for the times when we have found a forgotten treat for ourselves in the freezer or cupboard... Maybe it's not so hard to understand them after all!
The great hunt for toys is only superseded by his great hunt for the elusive scent trail. His schnozz buries itself in the grass as he scoots it along, searching for that missing scent. Sometimes his head startles up and he sneezes when he finds something amazing! Then he cocks his head, looks at me and I swear he's smiling! Off to the next adventure.
Life, for Charlie, is indeed one adventure after another. Every day is new, the same old walk is different each time he takes it. He walks along the red curb like an intrepid circus dog, balance sure, trotting along. His balance is so much better than ours! This morning, he was so busy sniffing and exploring that he barely acknowledged a little dog he hadn't met before. He gave some cursory sniffs, a friendly wag of the tail, but he was totally distracted. It's compulsive, he had to search? Is there such a thing as OCD dogs, or is this instinct so deeply buried that they have to act on it? How he fights the leash when I try to tug him another way! But he is learning to obey (when he wants to).
There are always more dogs for Charlie to discover, new cats to spot, new birds to watch, and more people to charm. Even folks who don't particularly like dogs like him. He is so earnest and open! That's a dog's nature, isn't it? Last night, on our last walk before bed, he met Bella and her owner. The girl had seen Charlie before and thought him "adorable" (he took her compliment in stride, sniffing her toes and accepting a pat). Bella was over 4 times his size, a big gangling 2-year old baby! Charlie and she played, jumping, pretending to attack, hunkering down in the grass to slither toward each other. I think he's found another kindred spirit! Bella was enchanted to have a new friend; she sought him out twice during the course of that half-hour walk. Charlie was thrilled with his new friend. Now, when we walk past Bella's apartment, Charlie pauses to see if she is coming out to play, just like Chewie pauses outside our apartment to see if Charlie can come out to play. Just like kids!
Speaking of walks, it's pretty much time for our next excursion. I wonder what sniffs he will discover this time, and how many sneezes will mark his excitement as he finds an old trail. I wonder which buddies and new friends he'll find this time? Sometimes I think we live vicariously through our dogs! We have met so many new people since embarking upon this adventure! There's nothing like being adopted by a dog to give you a new lease on life!
(next time: The Meeting: Charlie and Munchie's Showdown)
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