"Cousins"

Over the Easter weekend, one of my cousins came to visit. He brought with him a very energetic young chocolate Lab - Kodiak. She has been a member of his family for about four years, but my boys haven't seen her since she was a puppy of a year.

The reunion was glorious in dog terms!

Kodi tried to get out of the car the minute she spotted her "cousins" by climbing through the partly opened car window. She managed one leg and her head before my cousin got back to his car and tried to slow her down. Might as well have tried to stop a run away train.

She was so excited to see the boys, she ran in circles around them, around the front flower gardens, around my cousin and me and persuaded the boys to get into the game. You can tell by the open mouths in the photographs - that everyone has been running - one chocolate lab more so than the other two.

It was great fun to see the three together and it brought to mind a recent article that I'd read on Labrador retriever personalities being linked to colour...chocolates being the most energetic, most active and while affectionate and devoted family members, far more interested in playing, running and inspecting the worlds around them. Blond or yellow labs are similarly active and energetic and have a vast interest in the surrounding world as well, but are a bit more trainable. (Actually Bliss is/was much easier to train and is more obedient that Spirit his black brother.) Black labs are notorious worriers, they are completely devoted to family and close friends of family - as active and playful as their other-coloured mates, but if it comes to being with the family or playing with other dogs, the family often takes precedence.

I'd be interested to know if others have found these observations true.

In any case after a while, Spirit decided to ignore the two players - and stuck by me, Kodi and Bliss played and chased and ran in circles whenever we were outside, Bliss often poking Kodi with that big long nose of his to get her to start again whenever she'd stop. Finally it was Kodi on her own, running here and there to check out that smell, that sound, drink a ton of water and heading off to relieve herself, doing another check of the nearby trees and gardens to make sure the squirrels were well and truly gone. Generally making us laugh.

It was an eventful few hours. And fun! All cousins should have as much fun when they're together, whether they are cousins of the human kind or animal buddies. Hope you too may find the affection and fun that a playful dog or three can offer, today or soon!

Puppy play

The labs love playing on a frosty morning such as this.

Bliss grabbed a squeaky toy and headed for the door when I asked him if he wanted to play. I'd rather they do this outside than in - they are such big dogs and I have pine floors which doggy nails have scratched and scoured enough.






The game is on.

Wrestling with a toy in his mouth, having it dislodged by Spirit and then looking around for it making a grab and back to wrestling or running away begging to be chased is a bit part of this game. You can tell it's very serious doggy play business.

Finally after about 10 to 15 minutes it winds down and they come back inside for breakfast.

All the while I'm laughing - as I said yesterday, it is great fun to watch these brothers, litter mates actually, enjoy each other and a frosty morning. So for the rest of today we're going to be outside raking leaves and enjoying the last of autumn. Snow is likely not far away.

Hope you have a lot of laughter in your day today.

Morning puppy play

The standoff

Almost every morning lately, because I'm not ready to go outside when the dogs want to play, they come to me after breakfast. One nudges me, the other picks up a toy and out they go tails wagging.

Bliss always is the toy carrier, though Spirit carts everyone's boots, shoes, gloves, hats, scarves and anything else that is loose to his bed when he's inside.

So Bliss goes to the horse bucket of toys and grabs something - usually a stuffed ball with rope running through it - from the dollar store, cause they quickly lose their squeaks and stuffing and I don't sew.

The attack and defence

Bliss takes the toy outside with Spirit following and stands there tail wagging watching. (the standoff)

Spirit attacks, not the toy but Bliss's neck, grabbing him by the collar, the cheek, the shoulder and hauling him around...then someone wins and Bliss breaks away and tears around the flower beds or sometimes the house. Spirit stands and watches - where will he come out and when he sees him he either runs or attacks again.

The battle goes on for about fifteen minutes.Tthe trophy which Spirit does't really want appears to be a dollar store stuffed dog that has been disemboweled with squeaky removed as well and carted squeaking loudly around the house being t by king Bliss.

The battle is the thing - then -

Spirit breaks free and runs for dear life - actually he is running for dear life because he is having so much fun just being alive and running around... he is one of those dogs who shows every emotion in his eyes and the look when he comes in after running like this is just full of humour and sparkle.

Detente

Okay let's share - and let's go get a cookie.


Game is usually over at this point and the two come to the door covered in snow with happy grins.

This starts my day off well - happy smiles all round. Hope your day goes well with lots of smiles.

Doggy play day

Bliss (the blonde one) and Spirit love to go out first thing in the morning (after breakfast of course,) and play. 

Bliss usually grabs a stuffed toy or a rope or something from the bucket of toys by the door when he exits, and shoves it into Spirit's face or Spirit tries to grab it as soon as they are out the door.

Bliss so far is the winner! You can see the remains of a stuffed toy swinging from his jaws.

Spirit tries diversionary tactics and makes off around the rose bush garden near the front of the house.

And the game begins all over again, but this time it looks like Spirit's tactics worked and he's the holder of the toy!
Great to have so much fun so early in the morning and it always makes me laugh at how silly they are!
Hope you have a laugh today!