"Fetch"

"Ridgeback psychology is not your strong point, and even you can read his expression which says "go fetch it yourself".

This from the Rhodesian Ridgeback International Foundation.

Guess what?

Xena plays Fetch! She will chase her stuffed toys that have been thrown and she will retrieve them... 75% of the time. The other 25% she will bring them close to me but not close enough that I can get them off her. Cuz she'd love me to chase her and play tug of war too hehe.

Even I'm amazed she is playing Fetch. My 12 year old Mona got her started on it yesterday. Today we played Fetch for about an hour.



Another interesting thing happened today. I went outside with Xena. My daughter 12 went out the back as well but Xena didn't see her. Daughter went right down the back of the yard, through the bushes and under the trees to play. Meanwhile Xena and I were doing our thing. After a while we relaxed and Xena laid near me chewing on her squeaky toy in a pile of fallen leaves. My daughter decided to come back up to the house.

Xena heard her moving through the undergrowth, her ears pricked up (kinda) and she listened. She heard some cracking of leaves underfoot, Xena stood up.

Then she saw legs....

What amazed me was that she crouched and went low while still eyeing those legs moving towards the house. She couldn't see it was my daughter.

She lifted her crouched body a little and much like a cat would do when another cat comes onto its territory.... then she growled a long low growl.

As daughter came out from the bushes, Xena stood up all stiff. I spoke to her calmly, 'its ok'

It took her a moment to register that it was my daughter... she looked, and looked again.. passed a thought telepathically 'what's that child doing down in the backyard without telling me she was going down there' (hehe).. grr... then laid back down.'

Of course I called her over to me for a big cuddle... Xena :P

My daughter went and got her a doggy treat just in case there were any hard feelings but there weren't.