Koa's Obedience saves the day!

A loyal Riverdog client took the time to tell us about an adventure while they were out playing ball this week. Thanks to solid obedience and great instincts this potential catastrophe was averted!

“I took Koa for her exercise and Tuesday we ended up at the ball fields. After letting her off leash to play fetch and take care of business I happened to look up and notice a brown dog crouched in the grass watching us. Koa saw him, too, but stayed with me. I picked up the poop; and when I looked up at the Strange Dog, he had commando-crawled several yards toward us and then crouched down again. No owner was in sight. I decided that he didn’t look quite right, and instincts were telling me to leave the park. At that point, S.D. began scooting closer. I called to Koa “This Way!” (which is her command to “come”); picked up everything and told her to “Right Here!”; and we headed off-leash toward the car, parked about 50 yards away. As I looked over my shoulder one last time, S.D. was in a full run. So I picked up the pace and ran, telling Koa to “Right Here!” the whole way. Then I changed to “Car! Car!” (a command to get in the car); and she took off ahead of me. I hit the remote door-opener as we ran to the van; Koa jumped in; I shut the door and jumped into the front seat just as S.D. got to our front bumper, whereupon everybody started barking.

I don’t know if the dog was interested in playing or fighting, but he just didn’t “seem” right – plus, he was alone. Koa plays with lots of new dogs, and she gets along with everybody – but this dog was different.

At any rate, I have to thank Riverdog and especially Carol. Koa and I have attended 3 of Carol’s classes, and Koa and I practice a bit every day. Because of that, she minded beautifully and nobody got hurt.

We’re currently taking Carol’s “Outdoor Excursions” class and having a great time. Last night was especially fun for Miss K, as she got to go swimming in Rattlesnake Lake. How perfect is that for a Golden Retriever! “School’s out. Let’s swim!””

Thank you Pat Hackett and Koa for your sharing!