Saturday morning is usually a very relaxed day around our place unless we have dog class or some other event. This Saturday I had decided we would go to have pictures taken with Santa. I let the dogs out early so they would have time to run and get dirty and then, if necessary, I would have time to clean them up and get them to Vancouver before 2:00 PM, for their pictures with Santa.
It was cold outside and the lawn was covered with frost. The dogs ran and rolled and chased each other until they were all wet and very keyed up. Finally, I was dressed and ready to go and they were all dry by then so I brushed them. The younger guys could have been cleaner, but it would have to do as we ran out of time. Everyone climbed in the Subaru and we headed south, along the river. It is a pretty drive in any weather, but this bright sunny morning was especially nice. Autumn is such a beautiful time of year, with the leaves changing colors. Our drive from Kelso to Vancouver takes about 40 minutes. Sometimes I see deer and other wild life. Several times I have seen coyotes.
When we arrived at the Pet Store there were no parking places up close, where I usually park. I was dreading the walk through the parking lot to the store. I have been lax about walking my boys on leash together. Spirit and Quest were wonderful. Quest and Pirate are pretty good, but add Journey to the mix and it is almost like trying to hold back a dog team. Our walk to the pet store involved about a hundred stops while I waited for them to regroup into their proper places and stop pulling before we would continue our walk. It was awful and I suspect people in the shops we passed were placing bets as to whether I would make it in an upright position. As we approached the doorway to the pet store, a kind woman held the door for us. Unfortunately another woman with a dog decided to use that opportunity to exit, right in the middle of our pack. At the last minute, she decided to take stock of her position, and changed her mind. She waited until we were out of the doorway. Once inside I put the dogs in a sit and we waited a little out of the way, for our turn with Santa.
I filled out our information sheet and used my card to pay for the pictures. I was rather proud of the way they stayed put while I performed these seemingly impossible tasks while holding three, excited, big dogs on leash, in the middle of a store full of people and other dogs. Even though they were being growled at by two Cocker Spaniels, they were acting pretty nice.
As we entered the back room I thought I saw Santa wince. The photographer, Kirsten, is a friend of ours and she greeted the boys. They were very happy to see her and I think Santa was even happier to see that she knew the dogs. She suggested taking pictures of each dog individually, with Santa and then a few group pictures. My job was to place each dog in a stay, by Santa, and then move back behind Kirsten, drawing their attention toward the camera, with a squeaky toy. Pirate, always my super performer, did his rock solid stay. His every ounce of attention was on me, with Kirsten happily snapping pictures - way more than we needed. Next was Quest's turn and though he is quite capable of doing as well as Pirate, this time he had other ideas. For one thing he felt that he had not been properly introduced to Santa and he promptly set out to remedy that. He turned his back to the camera and offered to shake hands with Santa. Then he thought it would be nice if maybe Santa would give him a nice belly rub. He rolled over on his back and Santa looked a little baffled, but I assured him that all the dogs were friendly. Quest is very photogenic and he really plays to the camera once we got his attention on Kirsten.
Journey also has a rock-solid stay, which he did, but he was very concerned about what we were doing and why one of Santa's helpers was taking Pirate out of the crowded little room. He had to get comfortable with the idea that when I squeaked the toy it did not mean he should jump for it. He needed to be certain that when I stepped behind Kirsten I was not leaving. Anyway, all went well with the individual shoots. Next I placed all three of the dogs with Santa. That went even easier than the individual shoots. They posed together just beautifully. Santa did well too. I am anxious to see the photos - we may have them by Wednesday.
When we were finished I wanted to look at a few things in the store. I was mainly interested in checking out some of the new dog foods. I was reading labels and the dogs were behind me sniffing stuff. The next time I turned around I realized why they were being so good. They had discovered the buffet! So many different treats, each variety in a different bucket, right at their level. Quest and Pirate were only sniffing but Journey was taking a few sample licks. He had big plans. I decided to take them out to the car and come back for a few things I wanted to buy. Our walk back through the parking lot went much better and I think I only had to stop about a 6 to 8 times. What a relief to get them pack in the car. As usual, after one of these experiences I vow to get busy doing some extra training. As I went back inside the store I must have had a dozen people tell me "how well behaved" they were. I was amazed! and very surprised. It did not feel that way on my end of the leashes. I am determined to have the three of them walking as a unit by the next time we go in there.
All in all I was happy to be on our way home. I decided to stop at a drive-through. I bought each dog a burger patty and they were so happy they attempted to reach out to thank the girl at the take-out window. Yum! I shared my fries with them and we got home just as the sun was setting - so early at this time of year.
The whole experience exhausted the dogs and they slept most of the way home. The dogs played outside for a while after we got home. It was not long until they came inside. It is very cold out - maybe in the thirties already. What a fun day.
