Tanner's Got His Groove Back

Tanner's post-op swelling (man-surgery @ 14 mos.) is significantly down and today his attitude has changed dramatically from that of the past week. He has turned from a lounging recovering hound into a stir crazy beast! Not hard for some to believe, I'm sure.

We were just outside for our last bit of fresh air before turning in for the night, when of course Tanner slips out of his collar and starts racing around. With his week-old stitches, I figure the healing process has to have taken a pretty good hold, so not too worried there. What I really wanted to do was grab him and get inside. Tanner had other ideas and there was a lengthy chase. I tried lassoing him, distracting him with snowballs, and using commands. All bitter failures. Very frustrating, and I set my feet and went for the tackle. Tanner avoided me, and I quickly rolled to one side and wrapped him up with my legs as one might see in a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) match.

It was funny then, as at the same moment when I most wanted to unleash all my frustration on him, I realized I was having an extreme amount of fun and should really be thanking Tanner, Golden Retriever for freeing my mind from all other preoccupations. We both settled into the deep snow, looking upwards through the falling flakes into the night sky. It's now 10 degrees and falling in this beautiful Winter Wonderland.