Please Play with Me!

A White January

Every year, five cities in Upstate NY compete for the most snowfall. I have heard that Syracuse usually wins, but this year, we're destroying the other cities. Albany doesn't even stand a chance. As of January 27th, we have had 113 inches of snow. Considering that the normal average to date (all of these figures are coming from http://goldensnowball.blogspot.com/), which is 64.3 inches of snow, it looks like Syracuse just may beat the all time season snowfall record of 192.1 inches. I have to admit, it would be awesome if the city broke its record my first winter here.

I am taking a nature and environmental writing class, so I get to enjoy some bonding time with the white outdoors. Last week, I dressed warmly and headed to Clark Reservation. You can view a little bit about the state park here: http://www.iloveny.com/What-To-Do/See-And-Do/Clark-Reservation-State-Park/1680.aspx

My senses felt frozen out there. Every breath seemed to frost my nostrils. I tried to stick to the trail, since the terrain includes large boulders with deep cracks zigzagging through their stone. I didn't want to end up falling in the snow with my journal and camera. After surviving pretty well on the white, frosted trails, I decided to head back. Greg, Lily, and Keiffer had found me (they had been in the car keeping warm), and already, the dogs, dressed in their warmest coats, shivered. I saw a patch of pine trees I wanted to take a picture of, and I stepped off the trail that hugs the cliff edge. The ground disappeared beneath me. I slipped in a crack. My entire leg dangled in empty space. I laughed for a long time. Snow pushed its way into my gloves and pants, so my fingers and legs started burning from the cold quickly. By the time Greg pulled me out of the earth, my fingers felt raw.

As I hustled to the warmth of the car, I looked back on the snowy park. Our footsteps were the only thing that marred the winter world, and I was glad that the night was going to bring another layer of snow. Again, nature will cover up the trace of human interference. Again, she will frost herself in white.

Puppy Kindergarten

This weekend zoomed by, like most of them do. On Saturday, we took Keiffer t0 Puppy Kindergarten. My work, Blue Prints Dog Studio (http://www.blueprintsdogstudio.com/), offers Puppy Kindergarten every Saturday morning at 9 AM. The classes are led by a trainer named Gina and accepts puppies up to 5 months of age. Though Keiffer is now a little over 5 months, he was still able to attend the class. We let all the puppies off their leashes to watch them socialize, and Gina's dog Kenzie, a black Cocker Spaniel, went around correcting the puppies for inappropriate behavior. The craziest dog was a little Yorkie, who zipped around the room rapidly. Kenzie corrected him several times.

While all the little puppies played, Keiffer ran to the nearest corner, lowered his tail, and watched his surroundings warily. If any of the puppies ran up to him, he tried to curl up as small as possible, as if that would make all the scary things disappear.

After the pups were put back on leash, we worked on a number of training techniques. We even switched puppies with other owners. It's important puppies learn that they need to obey everybody, not just their owners. We got the little Yorkie, and he did pretty well despite his short attention span. We practiced eye contact and sitting positions. We led the puppies into flat hula hoops. When at home, there should be a designated "laying down" spot. To get a puppy familiar with that spot, which will typically be a dog bed, you lead them onto it and teach them that's their sleeping quarters. Gina had us use the hula hoops to give as an idea how the training should work.

After some more training, we let the pups off their leashes again. Sure enough, Keiffer found his corner in his attempt to hide. If we bent down, he would come. People ended up going over to him, and his little tail would start to wag. He loves everybody, and he was so playful with all dogs and puppies that were with him when we picked him up at Leslie's house. He was never shy with Lily, but the new, scary location with all the puppies brought out the little, timid Sighthound in him. We're taking him back to Puppy Kindergarten next Saturday, so hopefully he'll be a bit more brave next time!