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August 5, 2014

Penny Meets Her Match

Heading to the beach with Eko is easy. He knows the joint like the back of his paw, he romps for a bit, and he has good recall so leaving is a cinch. Heading to the beach with Penny is another story. My little wrecking ball tears up and down
Heading to the beach with Eko is easy. He knows the joint like the back of his paw, he romps for a bit, and he has good recall so leaving is a cinch. Heading to the beach with Penny is another story. My little wrecking ball tears up and down the beach with unbridled puppy joy. For the most part I just have to keep up, but occasionally I have to shepard Penny away from other dogs who don’t share her playful exuberance. Penny still must learn to move on when a dog declines her invitation to play. I always supervise Penny, but this particular lesson is one best taught through socialization and experience with other pups. Luckily, we stumbled up the perfect teaching partner the other day. Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, dog beach, chicago, adventure, pet friendly, marking our territory

As usual, Penny rose out of the water with all the subtlety of Godzilla 

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, dog beach, chicago, adventure, pet friendly, marking our territory

And, as usual, Penny set off a frenzied dash from the other pup

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, dog beach, chicago, adventure, pet friendly, marking our territory

At first I thought this would be another time I needed to step in and settle Penny 

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, dog beach, chicago, adventure, pet friendly, marking our territory

But a light bulb seemed to go off in the other pup’s head

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, dog beach, chicago, adventure, pet friendly, marking our territory

“Hey, you know what? I’m a crazy puppy too!”

At that moment, a very nice woman quickly said, “She’s a five month old pup and a bit crazy, so please let me know if she plays too rough.” “Perfect!” I said. Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, dog beach, chicago, adventure, pet friendly, marking our territory

On cue, the pup turned the tables on Penny and chased her down the beach.

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, dog beach, chicago, adventure, pet friendly, marking our territory

The pup was completely friendly, but I could see Penny wanted to disengage

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, dog beach, chicago, adventure, pet friendly, marking our territory

“Hey, I’m supposed to be the annoying one!”

I kept a close watch on the two, and I saw Penny use body language and a little “back off” bark to send the other pup on her way. Penny was clearly flummoxed by the role reversal.

Oh, and where was Eko during all of this you ask? Comfortably watching the whole thing unfold with an evil grin on his face.

Rhodesian Ridgeback, puppy, dog beach, chicago, adventure, pet friendly, marking our territory

 “Excellent” (Mr. Burns voice)

Could Eko or I have intervened? Sure. But was Penny ever in any danger? Nope. Well, unless you count being in danger of learning a thing or two. As Penny grows, here’s hoping this lesson will stick with her!

Comments for Penny Meets Her Match

  1. meANXIETYme says:

    Get that pup’s name and number and plan some playdates! There’s an excellent way for BOTH to learn with each other…and give Eko a little rest. 😉

  2. fredrieka says:

    I think she found a friend they have to learn each other Woof

  3. Emmadog says:

    That is great. Bailie and I both know if things get rough, we can yelp and an older sister will come dashing in and handle the problem dog for us. I bet if Penny yelped, Eko would save her too. Did Penny sleep well after the beach?

  4. OMD I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!! You know what? I bet she ended up loving that pup!! Eko’s expression is priceless!!!

  5. raisingdaisy says:

    Wow those pictures really tell the whole story. I can’t get over how that other pup’s entire expression changed when she decided to play along. But I did cringe when she pulled at Penny’s skin. I think Eko was keeping an eye on his little sister to make sure her new playmate didn’t hurt her – he would have sprung to the rescue!

  6. Oh my goodness! Penny certainly met her match on the beach….what fun the two of them had with an ever watchful big brother making sure all was well……..GREAT photos!

    Pam and Sam

  7. Victoria says:

    good for you – i might have intervened because i am a wimp!! And I love Penny’s last pic where she is expressing what i can only guess is “what the heck is happening here” look – and kudos to Eko – what a gorgeous calm look he has

  8. Elyse says:

    Let me know when to show up at that beach with Duncan, too. He needs a lesson or two as well!

  9. How ABSOLUTELY sweet!! And I really like your cover photo with Eko 🙂

  10. Kyla says:

    Kali is a quick learner. The second day she was here she went after my green beans after finishing hers. I bit her on the knee-$400 vet bill later but she learned.

  11. OhMelvin says:

    Love that she met her match! But my fave part is that Eko sat by, watching the madness unfold!

  12. Bongo says:

    Wish I could have been on the beach too. But I guess those pups might have been a little much for me.

  13. Oh I love this, especially Eko’s reaction.

  14. oh my gosh, Penny got a little love bite from her friend, you captured it so nicely!

  15. by Sushi says:

    Reblogged this on Beach-Walk-Muse and commented:
    This blog is my everyday walk with Pepper who is very excitable. I wonder if all these boisterous puppies are always somehow named with a “P” ?!

  16. by Sushi says:

    Ha ha I love your post. I have two dogs, one is calm and always well behaved so he is off the lead wherever we go. But the other 9 month of old is a trouble maker. Although playful, her size and breed doesn’t gain her much sympathy. But again every now and then we meet her match and that is a very successful walk! Pepper sleeps all day long after that!

  17. they look cute together (the ears!) … I agree with Mr. Burns… Excellent lol

  18. I can’t thank you three enough today – having a sad time thinking of furry friends that are no longer with us – and you’ve totally made us smile! Brilliant watching the two pups romp, but hysterical seeing Eko’s “evil grin” and hearing “excellent” in Mr. Burns’ voice – too funny! Thanks for the giggles!

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