The Other End of the Leash

Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, has made a lifelong commitment to improving the relationship between people and animals.

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Fall Colors and Sheep, Maggie, Sheep

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A quick post today, tomorrow is my second cataract surgery so I’ll be a tad less productive for a few days. It’s been glorious the last few days; here are a few photos to share:

Here’s Maggie from last weekend after one of her sessions. The fall colors came out so fast we could almost see them change.

Some lovely color on the way home:

Here’s one on me: I was working Maggie at home just a few hours ago, and took this photo of her unable to see the sheep (see the white butts to the right of the tree?).

And then we I walked up a few more feet toward the gate on the left, exactly where she’d been looking:

Yup, trust your dog.

I like this photo of Maggie bringing the sheep to me at the gate; a rather nice shot of speckle-faced Beyonce, on the right:

After that, Maggie brought the sheep down to the barn so that I could grain the lambs. I liked the light on the flock in front of the red barn.

Two more photos of lovely textures–corn, old hay and grass in the first, Japanese Anemone seeds second.

Here’s hoping your week has a generous share of loveliness in it.

Comments

  1. Lovely photos ,thank you. Speedy recovery from your surgery. I found the first week so frustrating. Now I can actually see and greatly appreciate all the splendor of the fall colors. Well worth a few days of fuzzy vision.

  2. Lovely photos and descriptions Patricia. A beautiful fall day. Thank you for sharing. Good luck with your surgery!

  3. Trisha you’re amazing on do many levels. Thank you for sharing ups and downs of training.
    And the joys along with the heartbreak of sharing our lives with our 4-legged companions.

  4. Thanks! Worst for me is “don’t bend over for X weeks”. For an avid gardener and owner of a geriatric, tiny dog, that’s not an inconvenience, it’s a mini crisis. A crisette if you will. But everything is temporary, and it’ll be over soon. At least this afternoon (about to leave for surgery) I get to drink liquids again. So thirsty!

  5. 👁❤️me too! 2nd surgery tomorrow! I pray the 2nd eye experiences the same “miracle” that my first eye did! And yes -as someone commented-no bending over? With horse and dogs that’s a challenge! But oh, the leaves and the colors and the crispness of my vision in one eye! Can’t wait for both. Good luck – keep us posted!

  6. After cataract surgery, my sister said it was like “Eye Disneyland”. Colors once again vibrant, dust in your home visible, dog hair on furniture visible…you get the idea. Here’s to a successful recovery.

  8. Best wishes for your 2nd surgery! I had the Best time in between surgeries comparing colors by playing “old eye, new eye” 😄

  9. By now you will be feeling better…but know I was thinking of you during the procedure. Good luck with the crisette! Your sense of humour will do the trick!

  10. @ Joy–I did that too! I am so happy with the results of that surgery.
    All the best, Tricia. October will be twice as beautiful.

  11. Couldn’t see the sheep right way…couldn’t see the skunk my dog spotted tonight (luckily it was across the road when I did discover it’s presence). Maybe I should join you and the others regarding surgery!!!!! My best wishes for speedy recovery….. and vivid colors! You so appreciate the beauty of nature and you should so enjoy seeing it in all its splendor!

  12. Mike is having his first cataract removed next week, and can’t wait. Loving all these stories of successful surgeries – and hoping yours have gone equally as well. May your crisettes be few!

    The photos of where Maggie is focused – a good lesson. Good girl!

    Those Japanese anemone seeds – wow! What one sees when one pays attention.

  14. Wishing you quick healing and lots of dog & cat nurturing while you wait to get back into the field ❤️

  15. I compete in Nose Work and that is one of our favorite sayings; Trust Your Dog! Sometimes it’s hard to hand over the control, us humans think we’re so smart! 😉
    Hope your procedure went well. Here’s to a quick recovery!

  16. Wishing you well. I got to spend some time this afternoon with a Great Pyrenees, that’s looking for a new home, admiring the white against all the colorful leaves on the ground. Wishing now I’d thought to take a photo but I was having too much fun playing with him and getting to know him.

  17. Good luck with the surgeries! My mom came home from her surgery and looked around her kitchen and said, “Who’s pink spatula is this?” It’s yours, Mom. “I don’t have a pink spatula!”
    Can I sneak in a question here? I’m a volunteer at a dog rescue. One of our long-time residents, a 3-1/2 yo Pit Bull, ended up in quarantine for 10 days. She was off in a separate building by herself. No one was allowed to walk her or go into her kennel or touch her. She was removed to a safe area while the kennel was cleaned every day, and her food was delivered thru a slot. My question is, is it worse for her to be basically ignored for 10 days, or for someone to come and talk to her from outside the kennel for a few minutes several times a day? I noticed her food aggression got worse over the 10 days. Mgmt insists that no one should interact with her in any way. I thought it was cruel. She was food aggressive but is not normally people aggressive otherwise. How do you feel about the lack of human contact for 10 days? Thanks for your help.

  18. We have not tried herding with my Aussies yet being addicted to agility but it must be great seeing your dogs do what they are born to do. My issue with my new young rescue I thought was just fear reactivity, but now after about a year of desensitizing I think there is another issue:
    He is also nipping – not as a reaction but as a control mechanism, possibly doing what he was breed to do – only herding humans in an unacceptable manner. Where does one find the techniques to remove nipping from the herding profile?

  19. Marianne: That is not humane or “animalane” in any way, shape, or form. So many studies have been done on the severe effects of solitary confinement. It is no different on dogs or any social species. For example: “Those in solitary confinement are at increased risk of self-harm and suicide. Over the past three years, nearly half of suicides (14/30) in federal prisons occurred in segregation cells . . . ” from this study: https://www.cmaj.ca/content/186/18/1345.short. I don’t know why or how or what if, but this is just damaging. Here’s more: https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/05/solitary

    Is this a precursor to putting her down?

  20. Marianne, I wanted to add my two cents here. (Thank you LisaW for your comment!) I too am concerned about why this dog is being isolated in such a way. Have you asked administration the reason behind the policy? If it’s related to a communicable disease, there are many ways to deal with it without completely isolating the dog. Lots of shelters deal with it on a daily basis (foot baths, gloves, coveralls, hair nets, etc.) I would first gather information as objectively as you can, and then go about trying to find ways to get this dog more human contact. I’m honestly not sure which is better/worse–total isolation or the sound of a voice through a barrier. Probably depends on the dog; but either version is just awful. Please keep us posted…

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