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!