our dog walker

Although we've had a dog walker for a couple of months now, tax season at work has kept me from singing his praises until now.  We found Mark Sedgwick of Walkabout Critter Care through an ad he posted at our vet's office.  As I've said in a previous post, there aren't many dog walkers who take clients in the outer Richmond area where we live (which I think is totally lame).  We were very lucky to come across Mark's card and to hear he was still expanding his pack.

Since I was super busy with work on the weekends, Papa and our roommate interviewed Mark and went through the initial introductions with Dash.  From what I heard the meeting went really well and Mark seemed like a great guy.  I was also pleased to hear his test walk with our mini Aussie puppy wasn't a complete bomb.  He said Dash had a great spirit and that he'd love to work with him more before bringing him into the pack.

I think he ended up taking Dash on two more private Saturday walks to strengthen the bond between them and figure out which treats Dash liked best.  I don't know how Mark did it, but he figured out that bribing our mini Aussie puppy with cooked chicken quelled his wandering (aka spazzy) dog park behavior.  I'm told Dash has better recall by using the treats, and is learning to follow the pack with Mark as his leader.

We currently have the little monster signed up for 2-3 hour adventures to Fort Funston on Tuesdays and Thursdays at $25 a pop.  Mark comes to our house, picks Dash up, takes him out, and drops him off without a trace.  I wish we could afford to send him more days of the week, but for now with the wedding budget this is a comfortable schedule for us.  Sometimes I wonder what they do out there, but for the most part Dash seems more relaxed on those days, and it definitely gives him 2-3 fewer hours at home to destroy the house!

I still haven't met him yet, but Mark Sedgwick has become like our guardian angel in a way.  He swoops in when no one is home and takes Dash out to release some of that never ending energy!!  I'm sure he's saved at least one thing from being chewed to death... and I get to come home to a (relatively) calmer puppy!

fort funston: part 2 of 2

"Break time is over.  We're back in business..."

"Toss the ball!  Toss the ball!  Again!  Again..."

"Mama can I have some water, please?  Thank you..."

 "Look Mama!  We're pretending to be zebras.  Can you find me?"

"I love Fort Funston!!!  But I sure am pooped..."

fort funston: part 1 of 2

As Valentine's Day non-believers, Papa Dash and I were in no rush to get dressed up and fancy on Sunday and go anywhere special.  Instead, since the weather was nice we opted to go to Fort Funston and give Dash his first big day out since his injury.

Not only was it Dash's first big trip outside, but it was also a chance to socialize with tons of other dogs.  Basically Fort Funston is one huge dog park with all kinds of different terrain.  There are trails, hills, forested areas, sand dunes with low ground cover, paved walkways, and even beaches.  Oh, and don't forget the billions of off-leash dogs!!!  It's totally doggy heaven.

Once we parked at the large parking lot area and got away from the moving cars, we let our mini Aussie puppy off leash and he went flying.  Papa Dash spent the good part of the morning trailing after him as he literally dashed from dog to dog to person to person all over the creation.  When Dash is this excited he doesn't really have any recall skills, so we just have to be patient and wait it out.  Thankfully he's cute and small so people don't really mind his spazzy behavior.

After he focused a little more and had his initial fix of freedom, he was more than willing to play fetch with Papa Dash.  Pathetically, I still haven't gotten the hang of using the Chuckit!  My throws seem to just plunk the ball into the ground 20 feet away.

Here Papa Dash and our mini Aussie puppy are checking out the other dogs down the pathway.  Dash has been very fortunate to only meet friendly dogs at Fort Funston with equally friendly (and responsible) owners.

Looking back, I can't believe it was so sunny.  The weather was just perfect for our Valentine's Day out.  Of course, even crazy hyper dogs eventually get tired, even if just momentarily...