In honor of our Gotcha Day a few days ago — two years together — I took a bunch of pictures of Barnum doing stuff. The idea was to show all the things we’ve learned in the past two years. Of course, it didn’t show everything he’s learned, like not eating the furniture or pooping indoors or attacking people’s pants, etc.
We also didn’t take pictures of some of the skills we’ve been working on all along, and that I have blogged about before: sit, down, come, crate, go to mat, zen, etc. This does not mean we’re finished training these behaviors, but I thought it would be more fun (and we only had so much time and energy) to photograph the newer, flashier stuff.
It’s taken me till now to get the pictures uploaded, then downloaded, then captioned, etc., but here ’tis!
I didn’t know how to adjust the camera settings, and since these tended to be action shots, there are very few that are not artistically blurred. That’s right, it’s not a defect, it’s a feature. Thus, I now present . . .
The Post-Realist Photography Exhibit of Barnum at Year Two
Stand tall to turn on and off the lights!
Turning off the lights!
Open the bedroom door….
First, grab the cord and pull back.
Step 2:
Aaaand pull BACK and DOWN!
Step 3:
Eh viola! The door, she is open!
And then close it!
Get that nose behind it, and in one fluid motion, SLAM it shut!
Done!
The second the door latches, whirl around to collect your treat!
Where’s the PCA?
Sharon asks me "Where?" is the PCA?
I know! I’ll find her!
I have found you. I am staring at you. Do you get the message?
When that doesn’t work. . . .
Hello! I'm bopping your hand! Pay attention!
Since we’re in the kitchen, he might as well open the fridge. . . .
I got it!
Mmmf. Riss iss harder dan id loogs.
Puuuuuuull!
Persistence pays off!
Okay, it's open! Can I close it now?
Yes! Shut the fridge!
Shutting is more funner.
I’m a clumsy human, which means a dog’s job is never done. First, the clicker I dropped accidentally. . .
She's always dropping these clickers!
Then the pen I dropped on purpose.
She made me sit so I wouldn't keep picking things up before they could manage to take the picture. Humans can be so slow.
Ah gah da peh im my ma-ow….
Mm-kay. I'b gedding ib.
I got it!
Ah brinnin eh peh...!
And now the retrieval of the “dropped” leash….
Why are you putting on my leash now?
You’re welcome. (By which I mean, “Where’s my treat?”)
Honestly, you drop this thing so often it's like it's intentional. . . .
Two years ago he looked like this:
What a face!
And now!…
Look at me now, world!
Love from Sharon, the muse of Gadget, and Barnum, SD/SDiT
After Gadget 