Let me tell you about two little dogs I like to call "The Stepford Dogs." Iggy and Squiggy are the cutest little Havanese pups you've ever seen. Fluffy, soft, adorable......with absolutely zero personality! My instructions were to let them out in the backyard for 20 minutes for a potty break and some playtime. Well, I thought, that sounds simple enough. So, out we went. They quickly took care of business, and then they did nothing! The yard was strewn with dog toys as far as the eye could see; balls of every size, color and texture, Frisbees, various latex squeaky animals, anything and everything ever made to amuse a canine. And these dogs wanted no part of any of it. I threw balls and retrieved them myself. I demonstrated catching a Frisbee in my teeth. In desperation, I even got down on all fours to chase a passing squirrel. These dogs were no more interested in playing than I am in watching anything broadcast on ESPN.
Oh, don't get me wrong, they watched me with great interest; the same way you'd watch a tennis match or a ping pong tournament. They sat next to each other and moved their heads from side to side as I leaped and frolicked around their backyard, throwing toys and fetching them myself. I imagined each one wearing a Mr. Peanut-style monocle (complete with tassel), conversing with each other with English accents (I know, I know! Havanese are Spanish, but hey, it's my blog and I can say whatever I want.) "I say," said Iggy, "she's really quite energetic, isn't she?" "Right you are, Squiggy. Look at the old girl go! Good show, I say, good show!" And then they would clap their little paws quietly and politely, like you do at a golf tournament. After 20 minutes of frenzied activity, on my part, I put them back in the house, tucked my tail between my legs, and left.
On my next visit I decided to leash them up and take them for a proper walk. This, I decided, couldn't miss. "What dog doesn't like to walk on a leash?", I thought. Wrong, Stacey, wrong! I don't believe these dogs had ever gone out of their front door since the first day they were brought in. They were terrified! With every step we took away from the house, they pulled with equal intensity trying to get back to the house. I thought that after a while they would see that the world beyond their backyard was indeed a wonderful place, full of new smells and other equally wondrous things. Instead, their anxiety quickly reached a fever pitch and, finally, I relented and retreated to the backyard where we replayed the activities of the previous day.
On the way home I mulled over this perplexing situation. Not only couldn't I imagine dogs who didn't enjoy playing, these dogs didn't even know how to play! Never one to throw in the towel, I knew there had to be a solution. And that was when I decided to enlist the services of Wally - Super Westie! Yes, Wally is my 2-year-old West Highland White Terrier who lives to play. Wally never met a ball he didn't want to chase or a Frisbee he didn't want to catch. Surely, Wally could teach these dogs the fine art of Fetch.
And so it was that Wally accompanied me on my next visit to Iggy and Squiggy. When we arrived, I put Wally in the backyard, then went into the house to retrieve the Stepford Dogs. Iggy and Squiggy went out the back door and immediately froze when they saw Wally. In the next instant they started barking at him, loudly, in unison. Wally, who had already been checking out the plethora of toys in the yard, and was anticipating a rollicking good time, looked confused. "What is wrong with these dogs?", he seemed to say. I decided to ignore Iggy and Squiggy's complaints and threw the Frisbee for Wally. Wally ran after it and brought it back. Iggy and Squiggy stopped their kvetching long enough to take in this surprising turn of events. Wally and I continued our game, and then it happened. I threw the ball, Wally ran after it, and Iggy and Squiggy ran after Wally. Success!! From that moment on this became our new routine. During the following 6 months that I "walked" Iggy and Squiggy, they never did learn to fetch the toys themselves, but they did learn to run after Wally as he fetched them. Even more important, they seemed to enjoy themselves in the process.
Hey, success isn't always what you'd hoped for; sometimes it's just what works!
