"Sit on it, Fozzy" by TEE Shots (Senior Writer Tom Embrey)

Sit on it, Fozzy

October 31, 2012

Let's get one thing straight. I am a proud, but realistic parent of a four-legged friend that is equal parts energy and fur. But I am also realistic. I know that Fozzy, adopted from the Animal Center of Moore County in late Auguest, is anything but perfect. He is a bit shy, likes to chase cyclists and runners, and will do just about anything for a treat. But there are two things that Fozzy does as well as any animal I have ever had. He is a fast learner and a master of the 'Sit" command. It takes only a matter of minutes for him to grasp new tasks or commands, like "here," 'drop it," "stop," and "home." But when it comes to sit, he is a star. His problem is he is often times he views commands as optional. So I enrolled him in dog obedience classes, or puppy college. Saturday was our first class. I can't even begin to explain it. But I'll try. Take about 20 dogs (five in our class and about 15 others that were on adopt-me parade from one of the local advocacy groups and mix in plenty of barking, whining, jumping and climbing and you are almost there. To complete the scene you will need an inexperience dog trainer talking over the barking, bags full of dog treats, the incessant clack of five dog clickers used at all the wrong times, and a handful of other distractions and you are beginning to see that the learning environment was nothing if not challenging. For 60 minutes Fozzy was equal parts 'A' student, headstrong teenager, bored intellectual, and popular flirt. He was not the best student, nor the worst. He wandered through the "here" command, and seemed interested in the clicker, until he got full of training treats, and was mildly aware when our trainer talked dos and don'ts. But when we got to sit, I was absotively posilutely sure that Fozzy was going to ace it. When it was our turn, and the trainer came to us, Fozzy rose from a down position and cocked his head, staring right at me. "Fozzy, sit," I said as I lifted my hand about chest high to signal the command. He cocked his heard the other way, and stood there. Now, this is a dog who at home will sit on command from across the room without fail. But this day he would stand and wait. And wait. And wait some more before finally deciding to sit. I was so upset I had to sit down myself. I guess we both still have a lot to learn...

debsalomon 6 months, 2 weeks ago

Oh well, there goes the "My Dog is an Honor Student" bumper sticker. Our Airedale Clancy was a singer. I would mouthe OH_OH_OH and he'd lift up his head and croon --- loud. He was so good the kids wanted him to perform in the school talent show. So I tied a bandana around his neck and brought him to the auditorium full of kids and their parents. There I stood, howling like a hound, but Clancy remained silent. Talk about life's most embarrassing moments. People teased me for years.