Round and Round

Mollie’s injury is a multiple-options kind of injury, so we’re in a wait-and-see situation right now. She has a thumbnail-sized lump in her quad, which could be a) a bruise from running into something like a stick, b) scar tissue from an old injury which has been tweaked and inflammed, or c) a lump. We’re obviously hoping for Option A, but we need to rest her for 10 days and see if the lump reduces in size. She’s been to hydrotherapy since and seems happy in herself, so we’ll just have to wait it out. Obviously no flyball at Drax this week whatever, so Kim is now on standby to race if necessary.

Rio had a fun walk around the playing fields next to the vets whilst Mollie visited. It was busy; a couple of footballers, 3 Westies playing ball, an Italian Greyhound, a family out jogging with a spaniel, and a few random terriers. Ri recalled off the Westies just fine, but then her brain fell out after she politely greeted the IG and they started to play.

I’ve never had a dog with as high a chase drive as Rio; Kim and Mollie are obsessed with squirrels/rabbits/hares etc, but they will both recall away (unless the squirrel is a foot from their nose and they’re in full flight, but that’s reasonable no-recall stuff). Dylan is Mr. OCD Collie, he can’t possibly chase something because that would involve leaving everyone. Rio, on the other hand, cannot resist a chase at this age, and once she has started chasing, she literally loses sight/hearing of everything that isn’t what she’s chasing. She ran into my legs whilst playing with the IG, and even once I was holding her collar and waving my hand in front of her face, she didn’t respond. You can see her coming back to herself, at which point she wiggles at me and says hi, in a “where did you come from?!” way. Unfortunately I have to put her on the lead until this happens, which I really hate having to do.

So we played lots and lots of recall games for the rest of the walk. I feel like I need to get her in an enclosed space with some well behaved dogs and practise this, but that is easier said than done.