Tonight was just going to be another picture of my adorable fur babies, until something . . . interesting happened on our walk today. As Wiley and I were walking along our river path we spotted something strange in the river.
Something we'd never seen before. . .
Was it the Loch Ness Monster? Had we gotten the first actual pictures of Nessie!?!
My first thought was that Wiley would turn tail and run, given he is very afraid of any and all new things, especially ones that are alive and moving quickly. But he surprised me. As I paused to check it out, and he realized I was enjoying myself, he decided to join me.
So was it a river monster? Uh, not so much. Turns out it was just Mojo!
Mojo was a gorgeous and well-trained dog having a blast with his human as she lobbed huge sticks into the river, and he took off at top speed to retrieve them all. I'm truly sorry I couldn't get a better picture, but at 6 o'clock on a cloudy evening the lighting was average, and Wiley was not up for getting any closer. So unfortunately my pictures don't do Mojo any justice.
Mojo's mom and I chatted from a distance, until he eventually saw Wiley and me and came trotting up the bank, huge sticks in his mouth, to investigate. He was incredibly calm and mellow, dropping his sticks to walk over to us. Although Wiley immediately went into neurotic mode, ears back, Mojo approached so slowly that Wiley remained "calm-ish," and by that I mean he didn't start pulling in the opposite direction. He and Mojo sniffed nose to nose for a brief second, and then Wiley walked behind my legs, and I pointed at Mojo's sticks and off he ran, back to playing.
There is no doubt in my mind that Wiley's summer walks with his other dog friends have done wonders for his ability to be around other dogs, especially calm ones, without flipping out.
You can see how calmly Wiley can walk side by side with Rosco.
And he is completely unfazed by Rosco's human brother, Owen, and his stroller.
And his little boy giggles.
And his chubby little hands.
Overall Wiley tends to do well walking with Rosco and Owen, and with Leroy and Fanny?
Well that's where he learned the river could be really fun, even for swimming!
Sometimes he was even the one to leave the others back on shore.
He learned to flirt a bit (just a little bit) with Fanny.
My favorite moment, though, was this one, where all three dogs approached Hubs without incident, and by incident I mean Wiley pulling like a loon to get away from them.
Three years. I've been working on socializing this dog for three years. It might be the slowest approach to socialization anyone has ever taken, but that's what happens when a neurotic, anxious, perfectionist is put in charge of the development of a neurotic, anxious, pessimist. BOL.
Oh, and you didn't think I would forget to share a good Halloween picture today did you? I mean I know Mojo is frolicking with some fall scenery in the background, but those pictures just aren't "fall-themed" enough. Enjoy!
Don't you think the ghosts on the scarf kind of look like teeth? haha
Don't forget we want your pet's fall pictures. You can share them with me via email at pabibliophile@gmail.com, or through the links to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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