Week 30

Clover would rather watch people than the stock cars at Mosport

After the festivities on Saturday at Pointblank we headed to Mosport International Raceway.  As we arrived you could hear the thunderous roar of stock car engines as they sped around the track. I closely monitored Clover's reaction to the noise levels and busy crowds, prepared to call it quits on spot.  I wasn't especially concerned per se, it was more because we had a busy day and everyone was potentially irritable.

Right about now I'm thankful for following the advice of Dr. Sophia Yin to plan ahead for special circumstances.  I'm grateful for the friendly motorcyclists touring our neighbourhood that provided a positive association for our little girl those first weeks home.  The loud motors and strange uniforms came with cookies. Not so scary at all!

Clover handled the chaos in stride. She never flinched or appeared stressed.  In fact, she was quite happy to be perched on the picnic table nuzzled into my lap. Two families (one, a fellow V owner) were surprised by the lack of interest in her surroundings and made a point to speak to us. In part I knew C was exhausted, but she really was quite comfortable with the action in the pit. We didn't stay more than an hour. I wasn't about to push our luck with tired child and dog in tow.  But it was a nice treat to have the tickets so we decided to stop by on our way home.

Still wearing her seatbelt in case we decided to beeline back to the truck

Sunday morning we hiked through Greenwood and Clover dared to play in deeper water.  She was really diggin' the creek.  Later that afternoon she ran free in the enclosed baseball diamond next to our home.  It started out as a game of fetch but those darn bird feathers (goose or osprey) were far more interesting!!  She came to a screeching halt staring down the random plume.  Though usually a fantastic retriever, her favourite red tennis ball has never been abandoned so easily. I can't wait to get on that bird work in the fall.  I'm excited to see what she is capable of, and learn more about hunting myself.

Pumpkin Dog Biscuits

I have kept Clover on a commercial kibble diet, but I do bake my own training treats.  It's economical and I'm happy to avoid extra products containing fillers and preservatives.  William often likes to help to with rolling and cutting dough.  These pumpkin cookies make the house smell fantastic!