In addition to being an aspiring AKC champion (and getting ready to leave on Oct. 25 to go back out on the show circuit), you know that Axel also found a new interest in x-treme sports this summer. Well. At least he learned how to catch a frisbee and play inventive games with Jolly Balls of different sizes.
This afternoon, he demonstrated his potential for beach volleyball.
Dan is excellent at putting a ball or frisbee exactly where it’s supposed to go. I attribute the catching skills of our past and present dogs to this, because during the teaching phase, the ball goes exactly where the dog is able to catch it more often than not. So what happened today was not the result of a wild throw.
It is, however, what happens when a dog grows up with a cat. Axe uses his front paws in play more like a cat than a dog sometimes. You’ll notice the 6-foot wooden fence in the linked photos. Dan threw the large Jolly Ball well short of the fence, to a spot where Axe could catch it (yes, he often tries to catch that large ball) or just retrieve it on the first bounce. Instead, Axe whacked the ball with both front paws, sending it flying over the fence and clear to the other side of the neighbor’s yard. These lots are 30 feet wide, so we were quite impressed with his skills. Hopefully the ball will get thrown back at some point.
Just wish I had a photo of that impressive slam!
EDIT: The ball did come back, but not by the most direct route. Jagoffs.
(NaBloPoMo | October ’09: 9 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 231 of 274)