The Envelope Please…

Brian will tell you that I am the first person to roll my eyes when someone comments on what a good dog Ollie is.  Now I agree he has improved leaps and bounds from the absolute craziness of his first year and a half or so that had us stating “good thing he’s cute” on a regular basis.  But despite the fact he’s made big inroads, especially since Finn arrived, there are a couple of areas where we still don’t really have full control. 

One is his jumping.  This one is our fault, as we do not discourage such behavior because we think it is cute and like being greeted at the door with a 20 pound fluff ball, balancing on his back legs while jumping up and down, growling a smile.  Lesson for guests:  don’t wear nylons or white pants to the Walker house.  The jumping thing is not likely to change anytime soon.

The other area where Ollie always seems to need vast improvement is his walking etiquette.  Most walks, especially ones where there are other dogs, squirrels, strollers, kids or trees where dogs may have peed in the last decade, involve a decent amount of leash pulling, Ollie admonishing and apologizing to other pet owners.

This is why I have been reluctant to take Ollie on walks with Finn around Greenlake.  We have a nice Mutsy stroller that, while very stable and comfy for Finn is quite heavy, a little unwieldy and tough for me to control with one hand.  How will I be able to handle a dog that is pulling me after every four legged creature we encounter while staying on the “feet” side of the lake path?

It isn’t often I am happy to be wrong.  But today I am pleased to announce that I had completely underestimated our little crazy white dog. 

We trotted off on our walk around the lake in the middle of the day to limit traffic, and Oliver was an absolute joy. 

There were a few moments of slight pulling, but all it took was a quick jerk of his leash to restore order.  Most of the nearly 3mi trip he just kept pace with the stroller, on the left side, leash slack.

Because of this incredible accomplishment, I am thrilled to present our little White Wonder with the “Best Dog in the World… Today” award.  Congratulations, Oliver!

Our big winner, looking quite pleased.