Nadya had another first yesterday. She walked up to me in the yard and quietly asked to be patted and scratched. I excitedly told Harry about it last night when I got home from work and he said, "Yeah. She did that to me this afternoon too." Like it was no big deal! He understood when I explained that she didn't HAVE to approach either of us at all. She did it because she chose to. That's exciting! She's starting to trust us now.
And inside, she's taken to lying on the floor right behind me while I'm at the computer. If I lean over the back of my chair and talk to her, she no longer jumps up and runs for the crate. She just looks back over her shoulder as if to say, "Well, what do you want now?" That's cool too.
Yesterday we were out in the yard and she was trotting along the back fence. I was concentrating on her and pretty much ignoring the others, still worried about her trying the fence. When she got done with her business, I called her, "Nadyaaaaa! Nadyaaaaaaa! Come on baby! Let's go in now." She looked up nonchalantly and started to gallop right towards me! Half way there, she stopped! DEAD stop! I thought, "Now what did I do?"
She just stood there watching me! When I glanced down to my left, I noticed what she was REALLY looking at. Tia! And she was stalking Nadya, crouching low and walking slowly, one step at a time, challenging her to a run. Just as I said, "TIA! STOP STALKING NADYA!" Tia took off towards Nadya. Nadya ran straight at her. In the middle, they met and both turned in the same direction, (Thank doG) and took off together, bouncing and running to beat the band.
Tia the tank.
Every time the two of them came upon a hummock of grass, Tia the tank would plow right through it. Nadya would leap joyously over it. What a sight!
I don't think Nadya can run quite as fast as the greys, but she has it all over them when it comes to cornering and leaping. That's a little scary. her first run with Malachi produced a nice little
grass stain down the side of her neck, but she seemed to be having a ball, so who can argue with that? She's like a kid playing for the first time in her life. Who needs toys? She can jump. (Maybe I'll have to buy her a jump rope.)
Friday, June 23, 2000
This afternoon when Harry came home from work to let the dogs outside for their potty break, he said Nadya went right out with all of the Greyhounds. Normally he lets them out in the fenced in yard and takes Nadya on a leash through the kitchen door to do her thing in the other, no- fence yard. This time, she went out with everyone else and it seemed to be her own idea, so Harry didn't argue. He just went out with them to keep an eye on her.
He said she trotted around a little and then went to the door to go back inside. A little surprised, Harry just went with the flow and opened the door for the Russian princess. (I'm beginning to think that's all we are when we have dogs--a doorman.)
Then to his amazement, she went directly to the kitchen door and stood with her snoot pressed up against the door...waiting. Finally she looked over at Harry as if to say, "Come on Papa! Let's go for our walk!" I think she realized that she had broken routine and that just wouldn't do.
Harry said, "Man! Talk about spoiled!" I asked, "Did you take her out?" His answer, "Weeeelll....yeah!" He's such a softie!
Tonight, she's lying here next to me as I type this trying to get Leonor to play with her again. This time she aaaalmost cockroached! She tipped her head all the way back, upside down and started to roll over, but that wheel back spine wouldn't quite let her get all the way over onto her back. Not like these broad backed Greyhounds here! Now THEY wre built for cockroaching!
