Labradors [are] lousy watchdogs.
They usually bark when there is a stranger about,
but it is an expression of unmitigated joy
at the chance to meet somebody new, not a warning.
~Norman Strung~
They usually bark when there is a stranger about,
but it is an expression of unmitigated joy
at the chance to meet somebody new, not a warning.
~Norman Strung~
Yesterday, Tess, my 2-year-old female Labrador retriever, courageously took center stage at the Big Dog Parade & Canine Festival in Santa Barbara. After I asked her to warm up with a couple of whispers for everyone, she joyously produced three well-enunciated barks on command with her usual bright-eyed enthusiasm.
When it was announced that Tess was the winner of this year's Best Barker contest, she was invited to take center stage again and receive her award.
Not that Tess took note, but I was certainly more than a bit shocked to discover that her award was packaged in a rather large (much, much bigger than a breadbox) carton. It was definitely cumbersome and heavier than I could easily carry back to the car, especially if I had any intention of simultaneously walking Tess safely back to the car with me.
Add to the equation that I was already hauling my --- correction, make that our --- day pack, which was now overloaded with our allotted free Big Dog Parade goodies bag, my Big Dog Parade t-shirt and our other Big Dog Parade freebies along with the essential items in our pack.
Thankfully, it turned out that a very nice couple, Steve and Linda, looked kindly upon Tess and me. They helped haul Tess's prize back to my car in the bed of their pick-up truck, while Tess and I rode in the back seat in air-conditioned comfort.
In case you're wondering, there was a reason why the mystery carton weighed what it did. This is what Tess and I found inside:
- Limited Edition Big Dogs leather bomber jacket
- Limited Edition Cowboy Big Dogs plush
- 100.00 gift certificate from Big Dogs
- Custom Big Dog Parade & Canine Festival treats jar
- Dogswell Mellow Mut, Happy Heart, & Vitality Dog Treats
9 - 1 lb. bags of 100% Chicken Breast or 100% Beef Liver - One-year subscription to Wag Magazine
- One-year membership to Fido Friendly Travel Club, including a one-year subscription to Fido Friendly Magazine
5 comments:
Congratulations.
When I told my 6 yr old GOlden janke about what your dog won, he reminded me that we discourage him from barking, but if I really wanted him to he could start practicing barkiing for the fun of it. He also said that if you and Tess are ever want to come out our way she could teach Jake her winning ways.
Phil
Thankfully, when Tess does bark, she usually has a very good reason for it.
Unlike the quote stating that Labrador retrievers are lousy watchdogs, my experience has been exactly the opposite. They can be great watchdogs, but I wouldn't call them guard dogs. Attack dogs, maybe, if licking someone to death falls into that category.
When Tess does decide to bark, I can tell just by the tone of her bark if a friend or foe is somewhere on our property. Late at night, our property seems to include the alley, the front sidewalk and parking curb as well as the sidewalk and parking curb across the street.
Thankfully, thus far, Tess's rare, middle-of-the-night browls (barks combined with growls) have alerted us to some unusual situations e. g. "Wake up and check out this strange guy shouting into his cell phone at three in the morning while parked in the alley right behind our house with the engine running!"
If Tess ever develops a problem with barking, I guess that whisper command will come in really handy.
::wink::
Congratulations, Candy and Tess. She is earning her keep at a tender age. You can add dog training to your many other talents. Love you, M
You are such a wonderful story teller Candy. You should write stories! Tess looks lovely. Boy, she would give my 3 cats a run for their money!.
love u
Di
Thanks for the compliments, Di.
Your cats are safe, since Tess would want to play with them. I stand corrected. She would want them to play with her.
Case in point. This weekend Tess got way too close to a wood kitty. It seems that she wanted the nice, little kitty to play with her.
The nice, but stinky, wood kitty had other plans. Apparently, ssssssspray one was too insufficient to stop Tess. Oh, no! Tess wanted to find out what made this cute, little, black and white kitty different from other kitties. Before we could prevent another christening, ssssssspray two!
We did manage to keep Tess from striking out completely. She's the third dog to be formally welcomed in such a manner by the Colorado River skunks.
Luckily, the skunk had sprayed Tess lightly. Thankfully, we keep a special product on hand to deal with this particular situation. Sadly, it was nowhere to be found, but that's another story.
Love,
C
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