I’ve been promising Katie for what seems like days, and probably seems like weeks to her, a trip to her favorite soccer field/park.  Today I wasn’t scheduled to work, it wasn’t raining, and even more motivating was the fact that there were contractors in the basement sawing a window well and a crawl space door into the wall.  After hours of listening to the screaming, grinding saw Katie and I ran away to the park for the afternoon.

Since we missed doggie school last night because I had to work, Katie and I practiced our heeling quite a bit today.  She did awesome, probably in part because she hadn’t been fed yet so was highly food motivated!  This makes me know for sure that she knows how to do everything.  Sometimes she choses not to do them, but she sure knew how today!

After we did about 30 minutes of heeling, sitting, staying, stand for exam and recall I switched her to her long leash and we went exploring.  I was looking for pretty places to get her portrait.  She was more interesting in sniffing stuff.

As we walked along I saw this tiny little nest that was in a bush right at the side of the walking path.

I stuck my finger in this shot not because it’s such an attractive photo, but to give you a sense of scale.  I wonder if it’s a hummingbird nest.  If not, what other bird would be that small?  Maybe a chickadee?  I need to look this up and see what I can learn.

After our walk through the fields we wandered back to the pond.  Katie actually stepped on a garter snake!  Her back feet sort of hopped up which is what she does when she steps on a thistle or a stick, but she kept on going.  I glanced down and realized it was a snake!  I didn’t get a picture of it as it slid slowly off into the tall grass, but I got a picture of another one we came across, about the same size.

Do you see it? Katie never saw the second one, though she did wait patiently while I photographed it.  She’s used to waiting on her Mom while she takes photos I guess.  We sat by the pond for quite awhile, listening to the quiet and watching water bugs on the surface of the calm pool of water.  Then she heard a chipmunk.

And off she ran to investigate.

Hmmm…I thought.  Here’s a good chance to see how she is on distracted recalls!  So I called her in my school voice; “KATIE!  COME!!  And instantly she turned and ran right back to me!

And then of course she sat for a treat.  Like a good girl.

She’s adorable, and I’ve been a bit grumpy with her lately.  So as we sat pondering things, watching the water, I told her I was sorry I’ve been mad, and promised her we’d come back to the park more often this fall.   She said she forgave me.  Cause she is, after all, Mommie’s girl.