It was time for Sadie’s Canine Good Citizen evaluation and I was concerned about a few things. Like, would she bark, “Hello,” when I shook hands with a stranger; or when we passed a strange dog would she rush up excitedly and say, “Let’s play!” Either of which would have been a “No, no!” failure. I tried as hard as I could to keep my emotions in check, so as not to spook her with my “vibes,” and she passed those elements. Then came the dreaded “Stay” in care of a stranger while I left the room for the longest three minutes of my life!
My heart pounded. I took slow, deep breaths, and closed my eyes so I wouldn’t look at my watch. Finally the evaluator called out,”You may return,” and when I got back inside, she said, “Sadie did fine. In fact, she was so relaxed, she fell asleep.”
Hmph. Sadie must have thought they were a long three minutes, too! (By the way, she filled all the other squares and earned her ribbon.)
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from Jim in North Carolina