Dog Handling

Fae and Miska have discovered from the Fairy God Dog that if Miska does two good things then she will forget her past and can move on with her life with her new friend Rose. Miska's past is so bad she cannot talk about it, so nobody knows how badly she has been treated or how neglected she has been. We all think we know that she had one really good owner who died and that she has at some time had a small companion dog as a friend. After that she won't tell.

Fae knew she would have to get the help of her person for this to work. Of course she couldn't tell her person exactly what she was up to because she wasn't allowed to talk about the Fairy God Dog to 'people' only to other dogs.

So the next day after the training day at the dog park where she introduced Miska to the Fairy God Dog, Fae asked her person. 'Umm can I have Miska come and play at our house'. 'Sure' said Fae's person. 'How about tomorrow, because it is a long weekend and the weather looks good'. 'Yipee' said Fae and raced off to the computer to email Rose and Miska.

Rose replied that she would like to come out to the farm with Miska and have a doggy play day, and she could work on Fae's person's computer and sort her out - again and maybe get the Good Dog Training newsletter organised.

So next day Rose and Miska arrived at Puddlduck Farm and the people immediately decided on a cup of coffee and a natter, so Miska and Fae wandered off to see what they could get up to.

Fae had sort of decided that the best way to get Miska the German Shepherd Dog, to do good things was to teach her farm work, like she did. Now Fae had been helping other dogs with her person, to learn how to be around farm animals, all her short 14 month life and she reckoned she could teach Miska how to be useful on the farm.

'Come with me' said Fae to Miska, so Miska followed. They went into the Donkey paddock. There was Sam Donkey eating his hay and just watching the dogs out of the corner of his eye.

'What is that?' asked Miska looking a bit worried about the big brown donkey busy munching his hay. 'This is Sam the Donkey' said Fae ' he is the best first farm animal for you to meet'.

'Looks dangerous to me', said Miska 'I am outa here'. 'No wait' said Fae 'I'll show you'. So Fae walked up to Sam's house and went in and got a lead rope then she jumped up on the top of the gate and put the lead rope through Sam's halter. Then she jumped down and took the end of the lead rope in her mouth and walked along and Sam followed her. 'Sam' she said 'Meet Miska the German Shepherd Dog'. 'Eeyyyore helloooo' said Sam. Miska ran to the gate of the paddock and tried to get out, she had never heard such a horrible noise in her life, she was shaking like a leaf. 'Steady' said Fae 'look it is okay see, he doesn't do anything, he quite likes dogs - don't you Sam?' Sam nodded quietly so he wouldn't frighten Miska again. 'Come on Miska come over here to where me and Sam are'. Miska very quietly with her ears back and trying hard not to look at Sam - eased herself a bit closer, then a bit closer again. 'Come on Miska' said Fae 'He really will not hurt you - Sam is one of my best friends, him and me and Paddy the Cat spend a lot of time just mucking around together'. Miska was still pretty fearful and hearing the word cat didn't improve matters, she had never liked Cats much scary, spitting, clawing things. 'That's better' said Fae 'Now my person really likes it when I lead him along for her'. 'No' said Miska 'I can't do it'. 'Yes you can' said Fae and she dropped the lead rope in front of Miska. 'Now pick it up' said Fae 'No can't' said Miska. 'That is stupid' said Fae ' If I can do it and I am really little then you can do it Miska'. 'Why am I doing this' asked Miska 'Because you have to do some good deeds,remember?' said Fae.

'I don't like this game', said Miska 'Can we play something else'. 'No my person sayes no other Farm Games can be played if you don't get to know the Donkey first'. said Fae. Reluctantly Miska picked up the lead rope and moved forward and Sam started to move. Miska dropped the rope and ran to the gate again. 'Actually' said Fae. ' I am really pleased with that on your first lesson, that was very brave'. Fae had heard her person tell other dogs that when they came for their first lesson and the dogs always looked quite pleased. It worked well. 'Okay' said Miska 'what's next'?

'Come and meet the Goats' said Fae. 'Hello team' yelled Fae from the gate into the goats paddock. 'Blaaa' said Jojo the Mother Goat. 'These goats have horns' said Miska 'Do they' said Fae. 'Listen pup if those guys get those horns going we will be mincemeat'. 'Nah' said Fae, 'I play with them all the time'. 'I don't understand how going into a paddock with six goats, all with horns, is going to help me get rid of my past' said Miska. 'This is stupid'. 'What I do' said Fae 'Is I go with them down the farm and watch them and play with the twins Dingle and Dewdrop, and make sure they stay on the farm and don't go through the fence to the neighbours. Then when it is time for the goats to come up for milking I bring them up to the shed and my person is very pleased with me. She is sooo pleased she gives me a little drink of goats milk and one for Paddy the cat as well.' 'Yuk' said Miska 'I don't want to do this game either'.

'Oh look over there', said Fae ' One of the Muscovy Ducks is bringing home a whole troop of new babies, now we really can be useful'. Miska looked bewildered again and rolled her eyes to the sky, she had no idea what harebrained scheme her friend Fae would dream up next. 'See that pen over there with the door open' said Fae 'Well we have to carefully round up the mother and babies and herd them into that pen'. 'What for'?? asked Miska. 'Because' said Fae 'That pen is rat proof and hawk proof and the babies live in there until they are big enough to come out'. Well at least Miska could understand that reasoning, Hawks and Rats were horrible things and she shuddered.

So the two dogs went way round the back of the Mother and ducklings. Mother duck looked suspiciously at them and squirted a fowl poo in their direction. 'Oh poo, poo' said Miska 'That smells awful oh yuk again'. 'What smell' said Fae 'Oh that poo tastes delicious, but we will have to go back to it cause we have to keep going with this brood.'

About this time Rose and Fae's person looked out the window from the house and saw the dogs stalking the Mother duck and ducklings - all 10 of them. 'Goodness' said Rose 'Miska will probably kill them'. 'I don't think so' said Fae's person. 'Lets just sit here quietly and watch'.

So they watched as the dogs - Miska copying Fae - inched the Mother duck and ducklings closer to the pen. Bit by bit they got to the pen door and then on the first try the ducklings all filed in through the door . 'Quick Miska' said Fae ' Move forward and force the Mother in behind them and I will shut the door'. So Miska jumped forward, and Fae grabbed the door. The Mother duck got such a fright she went in through the door with Miska's nose right up her bottom, but Fae was a little slow with the door and the Mother duck, quick as lightening turned around and reached her head out the slightly open door and pecked Miska's nose so hard it started to bleed straight away. 'Ooo ouch snuffle snuffle sneeze sneeze ooo ouch again' said Miska. 'Hooray' said Fae ' We did it'. Just then Fae's person and Rose came to the gate from the house to the farm. 'Well aren't you both clever girls' said Fae's person. 'That was a very good deed'. 'Did you hear that Miska' said Fae 'You have done a good deed, that is one of the good deeds you needed to do, Wow, whoopee'. Poor old Miska had her head down with the blood still dripping off the end of her lovely black nose.

'Looks like the duck got Miska on the nose' said Rose. 'Oh dear a bit of first aid needed here' said Fae's person. So the hose got turned on gently and Miska's nose got washed and then sprayed with Vetadine Iodine. Miska's eyes watered a bit when the iodine stung her pecked nose but then it was fine.

Rose looked proudly at Miska 'You have a good head for farm work by the look of it Miska, I am so proud of you'. Miska went all coy and happy, it was such a long time since she had been useful and told how good she was and a big smile broke out on her face. 'Miska's smiling,' said Fae's person ' what a change from that stressed face we usually see. Good work Fae'. Fae wagged her whole fat little body and smiled as well.

'Guess what we are going to do now' said Fae's person 'we are going to take a picnic lunch down to the lake and play in the water as it is such a hot afternoon.'

'Oh boy, cool, great, yes, bark bark yap yap' went all the dogs and Chan rushed off and got his favourite ball to take to the lake.