The wollen revenge

As I have already written, Sambo celebrated his birthday on a seaside vacation on the island of Cres again, where we spent a nice week last year. We enjoyed camping, walking by the sea and plundering figs on the half-forgotten paths. Of course we also had our share of the local attraction – sheep. Unlike last year, when we had two or three quick encounters, we met sheep daily this year, sometimes even several times a day. Again, this year Sambo didn't fail his shepherd ancestors; he herded with great pleasure – and great style too ;). So after the first few days our ego grew stronger and we treated ourselves to a good round of herding with a clear conscience and even began looking for opportunities to find sheep so we could have a little fun. And so it happened that we were walking on a deserted path with nearby folds of rocks, common in these areas. Sambo was walking a bit ahead of me and saw the sheep running from the bush first. They played a short match of tag and then Sambo got the sheep into a corner between a bush and a low fold. I thought to myself that this could be a great opportunity to practice recall in difficult situations and without any victims. I called him for the first time and he only gave me a 'can't you see I'm in the middle of something important here' glance. I called him for the second time, this time with a bit more serious voice, and he came to me, of course walking backwards towards me and never leaving his wollen prey out of sight. Happy with the fairly quick reaction I praised him warmly and gave him a treat. He would probably eat the treat gladly any other day of the year, but the newly appointed shepherd thought it was below his dignity to accept a reward for him completing such holy duties. He took the treat out of courtesy and spit it out in exactly a second, eying the sheep carefully thr whole time. I gave him a little pat and let him return to the sheep and bark at her some more. And so for a few more times. He came to me a bit faster each time, obviously figuring out that he wouldn't be left without the sheep… But he didn't let her out of his sight for a second. Oh well, that can count as progress too. After all, it's the only proper and decent way for a shepherd, don't you think? ;)

(ps: but he found his match too… This sheep wouldn't give in and luckily Sambo realized that perhaps keeping a safe distance would be a good idea… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zOJnoliQ9I )

And to end, a few photo pics of us enjoying ourselves big time:

What do the prettiest ears in Europe do when on vacations? They take care of the coat, of course...

A sunset for me and Sambo

A trip to the island of Lošinj

Sleeping a la Sambo...

Sun pleasures

My two significant others

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

On Thursday, August 16th, the Black Death celebrated his 8th birthday. He variegated his celebration with an abundant round of herding the island's sheep (which were on a daily schedule either way) and a good deal of three-some swimming. I hope he will keep improving my life with his way of being for many, many years to come and that health will serve him well and long despite of his periodical stunts (willed and unwilled).

Unleashed life

Lately there had been many discussions about dogs, dangerous dogs, dangerous breeds, leashes etc. There are a lot of people who believe that dogs should always be on leash and most of them think of unleashed dogs as dangerous and their owners as irresponsible. I think that a dog's life or rather said his relationship with his environment is defined by three components – socialization, education and training. Sacrilegious as it may sound, the same order applies also to the priorities or importance of the individual component.

Some people cite working (police or military) dogs as an example, saying that they are perfectly trained and, in consequence, supposedly not dangerous. Are they? Well, my experience is that working dogs are or can be dangerous. Firstly, because any dog can be dangerous, at least if it has at least one tooth, one claw and a heartbeat. Secondly, because regarding working dogs the emphasis is on training, not socialization. Everyone that thinks so highly of model trained working dogs should see them on the field (and I don't mean in action). I think that after 5 minutes the logic leash = discipline = safety would fall apart. Sambo has been attacked quite a few times, from leashed dogs as well, so from then on the 'on leash' logic doesn't convince me anymore. When the ever so praised leash fails, I only pray that the dog that just snatched off has been off leash and socialized enough times in his life.

I admit, I don't comply to laws. I comply to common sense and respect towards other living beings. If I see that someone shows signs of stress because of the dog, I call him and hold him close to me. If I see children playing with a ball I hold him until we pass by them. If I see an unknown dogs on leash, I again call him and hold him. But if the other dog is off leash, then I let my dog be free as well, regardless if the other dog is a Yorkie or an Irish wolfhound. Furthermore, my dog isn't guided by a leash but by 7 years, 9 months and 16 days invested in him. Others claim that a dog that is off leash is a simple connivance because you don't have to take an interest in him. I think that it's exactly the other way round – if you have a dog on a leash he is 'secured' anyway, so meanwhile you can talk on the phone, chat with your friends, look at the birds… On the other hand, if your dog is loose you have to observe him constantly to see what he is doing, you have to check the surroundings… Or maybe it's just me that's weird, because I even care what is happening with my dog when he is running around. I do know that the rare occasions when he is on leash he is on leash so that I can be occupied with something else, rather than him. When he is on leash, he is connected only with my hand, when he's off leash, I'm with him 99%.

To end, a word or two about doggy racism or better said, a different attitude and treatment for different dogs… We all know that there are no dangerous breeds. We also know that there are more demanding breeds. Leashes and prohibitions won't solve anything. Every owner should be aware of where his or her dog has its mines set and why. With common sense, some knowledge and a bit of luck these mines will never explode. If people would gather enough (self-)criticism, most of the canine accidents would never even happen. Sambo has been off leash for most of his life since he was 10 months old. He is off leash for a simple reason – he deserves it (well, actually I deserved it with more than 7 years of invested time and effort). He ignores his surroundings, has zero interest in people and close to zero interest in dogs – and even in that area he passed the test of good manners with flying colours. IF he were problematic, I would have him under much more visible control than I do now. Just as I don't like 'children pest' screaming, running and passing footballs over my head, I'm also aware that my pooch may not be pleasant for everyone and I try to act in confirmity with that.

So… we're still on the loose as much as we can be ;). There are no civil victims known in our area.