Friday, June 5, 2009

Inside Activity


Ok, I'll admit, the above picture was staged. But either way, it was quite an accomplishment for my cat to stay with Marge, even if it was just for a few seconds. Wish the picture turned out better.

It has literally been raining the entire day, nonstop. The weave poles are tucked away in the shed, and the makeshift jumps have been taken down. Marge only went outside for bathroom breaks and to take a car ride with us. We didn't do much training, just a short Rally warm-up in my living room. The only other doggy stimulation came from playing with toys and eating dinner out of a food-dispensing toy.

Since I had the day to work, I decided to repair some of Marge's toys. I threw out a few of the really bad ones, but there are some that she really likes that I knew I could fix with a little sewing. She is rough on plush toys, but not rough enough that she isn't allowed to have them. Instead, we supervise her and make sure she doesn't start ripping the stuffing out. She doesn't play all that much, anyway, maybe just a few minutes a night.


This bunny was Marge's first "real" toy, so I guess it holds some sentimental value for me. I am reluctant to get rid of it, and I know she still likes it. Recently when playing a little too rough, the bunny's leg came off, leaving him with a big open gash where fluffy stuff could have come pouring out of. So, he'd been delegated to the waiting list for a future stuffy surgery, which I performed today.


I have some replacement squeakers, so I took one out and got ready to put it inside. For extra protection, I took the remains of one of Marge's old toys, cut it up and sewed it around the squeaker. This way, she is less apt to puncture it while playing, and should she rip the toy open, it will deter her from trying to eat the squeaker. I think it's a neat trick. Maybe some of you with more-aggressive chewers could do something like this to still give your dogs the pleasure of playing with squeaky stuffies.


And here is the finished product. Looks good as new!.. well, except for the old battle scar across his face, but that was from a separate sewing session. I'm no seamstress, but I can patch up dog toys just fine. Just one of the many great things dog ownership can teach you.

After I finished it and Marge patiently waited, I gave it to her to play. I was thanked by her running off to go squeak the heck out of it. I like how her ears pop up when I say "okay."



The weather here is supposed to be nice the next few days, so we might go out to the park. It will make up for the lack-of-outdoors we experienced today. We have Rally class on Sunday.. here's hoping it goes as well as the previous two weeks. Have a great weekend, everyone!

3 comments:

Rufus and Indie June 6, 2009 at 10:50 AM  

Bunny's surgery went well! :)
We hope you have a great weekend and great walks!
Kisses
Rufus and Indie

Sue June 6, 2009 at 12:44 PM  

Don't you love how they watch you stitch up their toys? When my guys start to pull out the stuffing Rob takes all the stuffing out and I stitch the toy up flat. They seem to like it just as well, maybe better because it flies around really well. They continue to play with they unstuffed toys for a long time.

I kept the favorite toy of each of my dogs that have died. I have them in a special box where the others can't hurt them.

Martha June 6, 2009 at 1:04 PM  

Hi Marge
Thank you for visiting our blog - it is very nice to meet you. Our mum read your profile and you sound a lot like Martha so we are really pleased you have now got your forever home.
We liked seeing you play with your stuffie after it had recovered from it's life saving surgery!
We hope you get outdoors for a great walk and look forward to getting to know you.
love and kisses
from your new pals
Martha & Bailey xxx

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