| Pearl was about six months old when we became “regulars” at a nearby neighborhood park, a secluded, wooded area bounded by homes on one side and a creek on the other. Locals gathered so their dogs could have some off-leash exercise.
When we began visiting the park, Pearl was enrolled in a “Manners” class. We had unsuccessfully completed our first attempt at obedience class because the instructors did not appreciate Pearl’s verbal skills. The second trainer was much more forgiving of Pearl’s protestations. For some time, we had practiced the “Leave it” command, but it wasn’t, and still isn’t, Pearl’s favorite command.
“Pearl, Leave it!” I said. She looked at me, gulped and ran in the other direction. Uh oh. “She is serious about her squirrel,” I thought, and approached her again. “Pearl, Leave it! Treat!” I called. She looked at me as if to say, “My treat’s better than yours!” She gulped again and ran. Several of the park regulars noticed my dilemma. Some were amused and a couple tried to help me catch her – to no avail. Every time anyone tried to approach or entice her, she chomped and more of the squirrel disappeared. When only the squirrel’s tail was visible, one of the regulars asked me, “Is she purebred?” “Yes!” I said, but “What difference does that make?” is what I was thinking. Pearl swallowed again. This time there was no squirrel left. She was so proud of herself! (Have you ever seen a dog grin?) I called my husband from the park to express my horror at what had just transpired and how uncooperative Pearl had been. He laughed. It was just another day in the exciting life of the Pearl puppy. We kept our eyes on her for several days and she suffered no ill effects. ### P.S.: Pearl is now an Advanced Therapy Dog but still hasn’t mastered the “Leave it!” command. ### from Mary, in Georgia (Editor’s note: I hope the people Pearl visits don’t have squirrels nearby.) |
One afternoon Pearl was romping with her friends while I was walking laps around the perimeter of the park. I realizPearl, the squirrel girl