Mr Tommy Tomato Dog has earned his keep this past week for sure. Lots of Gold Stars on this dog’s chart! That would be if we did such a thing. Which in all honesty in the past with certain dogs I have. Mostly to help me keep the faith that their behaviors were indeed changing for the better. Smiley faces on the calendar really help with staying motivated to stay the course.
Anyway….Tommy Dog. Gold Stars. Right.
First it snowed it snowed it snowed!!!! Yay!
Which provided Mr Tom with gold star number one. Also with gold star number two for that matter.
Gold Star #1: Last week after the first snow storm. We are in the woods. With a friend. And a bunch of dogs. I have my lovely snow shoes on. The snow is too deep for Tom to safely be guiding in harness. The lighting is glarey crap so I can see about a pin hole in one eye. Tom’s solution? Which he did all on his own as I had been planning on my friend helping me out. To walk directly in front of me, right in the pin hole of a visual field I had left. Stopping at roots and rocks buried under the deep snow until he knew I had found them also. Making sure I didn’t slip off any of the wooden over swamp bridges. Notifying me of fallen trees over the path. And finding alternate routes through the woods when the trail itself was unsafe to pass.
Damn I love this dog.
Gold Star #2: This morning. It snowed again. I let the dogs out in the fenced yard as usual and began shoveling our deck. Suddenly Tom is at my side bugging me, not his usual morning routine. I asked him what was wrong, and he led me to the back gate. Which my husband (who is now in the dog house himself) accidentally left wide open when he shoveled last night. The naughty corgi had gone through to the front of the house, but came running the moment I called her to my relief. Thank goodness for Tom as if he hadn’t alerted me to the open gate, it would have been a good 5-10min before I realized they were gone. The corgi is also now on a ‘review of gate/door rules’ plan effective immediately! And the husband is on a ‘review of gate/door rules’ plan effective immediately! I’m ever grateful we didn’t have any visiting dogs today either. I can only imagine what horrors might have happened. I have a nightmare image in my head currently of the corgi and a snow plow. Shudder. I’m glad the dogs are ok and that Tom likes to inform me when things are amiss.
Damn I do love this dog.
