Tara has been hard at work. : ) I tell everyone how she's a "magic" dog. She has
never met a dog she doesn't like. She gets every single dog that comes to visit here to play with her, whether they arrive here liking other dogs or not, Tara always gently encourages them and encourages them and then soon enough they are playing. She most definitely has a job, and I'm confident that she loves her job. I think she's probably a little sad we have no visitors this week, for the first time since May. It's too quiet for her. She also takes her jobs of patrolling the perimeter and stream quality control very seriously. She walks the perimeter by herself, as well as the stream beds frequently and then sits at the top of the hill to view the whole property. She's got everything under control. She figures out grumpy dogs and overzealous dogs, big dogs and small dogs, well-socialized dogs and unsocialized dogs, puppies who have never met a collie before, and dogs that come across as dominant. She sends calming signals like a pro, and she has definitely taught me a wealth about dog behavior. She's intense, but calm, in control but very relaxed and comfortable, she's amazing. She is an asset in ways that I never imagined that she would be. I'm sure she will make a great demo dog in training (which I believe I will be offering my first classes this fall) as well. She rehabs everyone who walks through our door, human, canine or otherwise. When my best friend visited 6 wks ago with her one-yr old, Tara made sure to be near the baby at all times, when the baby was nervous she backed off. She can read anyone. She loves everything and can make a game of anything. She loves to dance with me, and bark and howl with Orion, run skittering across the floor and growl and bark while playing with bouncy balls. : ) She is a good dog. She's topped out (I believe) at a whopping 40.5lbs! Lol, she's a little collie, still 21" at the shoulder too, last time I checked. She's perfect. I really think she's everything I hoped for and more, I just hope I'm good enough for her.
Next weekend we have 4 days of AKC Rally trialling, where we'll hope to finish her RA and start working on her RE, just have to work some more on the 3 backwards steps with her in heel position, we're getting there though. I'm sure we'll enjoy some local scenery while we are out there too, maybe sneak in a trip to the ocean too.
