Friday, February 9, 2007

Cabin Fever Cure

Belle and I decided to take our training to the Como Conservatory and see what it felt like to head to the tropics in February. We had a wonderfully warm time and greeted many people. Belle shook the hands of at least 20 school children, sniffed many different types of flowers and was totally entranced by the large fish and stingray in the giant aquarium located just inside the front door.

Belle practiced many cues:

Sit/Stay - That's what I'm practicing in the picture above. Pay no attention to those orchids - aren't I gorgeous?
Push - to open the doors of the conservatory
Go Ahead - every time we entered a new room
Around - every time we practiced Go Ahead
Shake/Paw - with every child we met it seemed, as well as a number of the adults
Rise - on the railings and bridges that sided the water features
Under - at various benches throughout the exhibit

Leave It - whenever a plant or something on the floor appeared too attractive
Get it - to get Lu's keys that she kept dropping everywhere
Bring it and Give - to bring and give those pesky keys to Lu
Behind - Each time we passed folk admiring the flora and fauna
My Lap/Undress/Get dressed - when it was time to go
Rest Your Head - when Lu just wanted to sit and take in all the sights and smells
Heel/Side/LLW - Naturally!

Whew, looking at that list we did quite a lot during the hour we were there. And we still had time to enjoy the fish, flowers, ferns, and friendliness of the Conservatory, its staff and visitors. Belle was at her best greeting each of the visitors that asked if they could pet our dog. Not once did she jump up or offer anything other than a perfect shake or paw. What a terrific place to go to beat the cold.

Here are a few more shots to warm the heart (just click on the image to enlarge) and remind us that spring is just six weeks off:


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ohhh...that sounds nice. What a nice break. I could use the warmth and greenery.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! In that top picture Belle looks like she is in Hawaii!