So Close... And Yet So Far...

Preparing Kitty for therapy dog status is going to be much more difficult than I thought.  And all the ups and downs with her diet and sensitive stomach do not make it any easier since treats are necessary for the training.

Today I got my hopes up though.  Did I ever mention that Kitty is an indoor dog?  You might’ve guessed… 

Well, being that she is always indoors, every now and then I will take her collar off if she starts trying to chew on it.  A couple of nights ago was one of these times.  She kept licking and yanking and tugging at it, all while I was trying to sleep! 

I finally just unclasped it and had to place it under my pillow so that she would not go after it.  She seems to have the idea that whenever I remover her collar, I am giving her a new toy to play with.   So, I hid it quickly… and must’ve fallen asleep not too long after that.  Hence, I forgot all about her collar under my pillow.  Then this morning as I was curling into a more comfortable position, I stretched my arm underneath the pillow, felt Kitty’s collar get pushed to the top edge of the bed and fall to the floor.  I was too busy sleeping to worry about it at that time.  However, later in the evening I invited Kitty to go with me for a ride to the video store.  She happily said yes.  And I went in search of her collar, harness, and leash.

That was when I remembered where the collar was--under the bed.  I don’t know about you, but it is not the easiest or most comfortable thing to try to fish something out from under the bed.  Needless to say, I knelt down by the bed, lifted the bed-skirt, and gazed at the little collar too far away from my immediate grasp.  I sat up, looked to my right, and there was Kitty sitting just a couple of feet away watching me rather intently.

“Can you get that for me, please?”  I asked.

She looked at me as if to say, “Are you serious?”

I crouched down a bit, and reached my arm under the bed, opening and closing my hand, and I pointed to the collar. “Please?”  I begged.

“No.  I think it’s more fun to sit here and watch YOU try and get it,” were the words I am sure she was thinking.

I stood and walked a couple of steps to pick her up.  I turned and knelt and placed her right under the bed facing in the direction of the collar.  “Can you get me that please?”  I pointed.

She turned and walked out from under the bed.  “No, thanks.  I don’t feel like playing with that right now.”

Once more, I went and picked her up.  Again, I reached a little further under the bed and placed her facing the direction of the collar. 

I pointed.  “Please?  Get that for me, please?”

She began walking towards the collar.  She sniffed at it, and guess what she did??!!

She began picking it up!  It slipped from her mouth a couple of times, and she tried to grab it again.  I was so excited!  I cheered!  I gave her praise!

“Good girl!”  “Thank you, my precious baby!”  She came towards me and saw that I was reaching for the collar…  and then… she turned and ran the other direction!  Just like a little quarterback trying to get past defense. 

“Come here…” I cooed, as I reached out toward her.

She dodged to her right, dodged to her left, scooted back, then curved back around and ran right past me!  She ran right out of the room, through the living room, and under the kitchen table.

“TOUCHDOWN!” (I’m sure she was thinking.)

Yup.  I guess we’ve got our work cut out for us.  But we will not be discouraged… Today a quarterback, tomorrow a therapy dog… or something like that...