The Best $250 We Have Ever Spent!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Last night we took Lucy and Sophie to Bark in the Park at the Cincinnati Reds game.  We got downtown early as to avoid the rush hour traffic and were just walking around a little bit.  I'm not sure how people downtown have dogs, because finding grass for a potty was a challenge.  We finally spotted a small area of grass (ok, I was being nice, it was just weeds).  We crossed a 4 lane down town street and were walking through the weeds to get them to potty.  All of a sudden Sophie's prong collar came undone.  (I have no idea what happened as I checked and rechecked that it was secured when I put it on her).  Anyway, she turned and looked at me and took off.  I can't even come up with any words to explain how I felt at that moment.  I instantly started after her thinking I can't let her get to the street but she was running so I said I have to stop and not chase her.  I stopped and screamed SOPHIE STOP to her.  (Don't know why I thought she would understand STOP, as it isn't anything she was every taught).  She turned around and looked at me, and I heard Mike behind me say Sophie COME ... Our recent training kicked in and I dropped to my knees and started clapping my hands excitedly saying Sophie come, and much to my total and complete amazement, she started at full speed running right to me!    I am so very thankful that we have been working on the COME command for the last couple of months as a result of the training we started in February!  We had never tested it outside of the back yard, but I feel a slight bit better.  I won't stop working on it as it could have gone the other way and I don't even wanna think about what would have happened because we were just on a tiny little piece of a lot between the Ohio River and a 4 lane City street!  It had disaster written all over it.  So, if your doodles do not have a 100% recall, please please start working on it today!  Don't put it off another day as you never know when you will need it.  This is also leading me to more practice to get off of the prong collar and onto a collar I feel more comfortable with, as that is a situation I don't ever want to be in again!

[Leslie and Halas]

Oh, that must have made your heart rate jump.  Good girl coming back, Sophie!

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

Oh that's so great!  I almost teared up!  we need to teach Zoe to do this...she used to come but now she will only come half the time and only if she sees a treat in hand =/

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Yesterday when we were out shopping I all of a sudden noticed a dog running across a street and parking lot and he had a leash attached to him.  I told Mike you have to pull over, that dog has gotten loose from someone.  We have to stop and help.  We were going the opposite way on a 4 lane with not really anywhere to pull over.  I told Mike right up ahead we can do a U-turn and go back.  He did, and we pulled over and I saw the dog peeing in some bushes.  I jumped out, got down on my knees and started clapping just like I did with Sophie and the dog came running straight to me.  There was a young guy that appeared to be looking for the dog but couldn't see him from where he was standing, so I yelled is this your dog and he said no, he belongs to an older gentleman over there.  He took the dog and I watched him walk him back around the building to this older gentleman.  It was a little scary in that the man really had no business with this dog out in public.  He could barely walk himself and the dog as a pretty good puller.  I noticed when he handed him the leash he wrapped it around his hand several times ... I hope they got home safely without the man being pulled down!  When I saw the dog running though it just brought back memories of Tuesday night in Cincinnati and I knew I had to help catch the dog as he was right at a big intersection with 4 lanes in every direction.  Whew .... another happy ending.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I'm sure this man really appreciated what you did to help.  Glad to hear that it was a "happy ending'.