Buddy and Randy

I carry my dog Willow to the dog park almost every day.   There I sit for about a hour and let Willow do her thing.  Sometimes she mingles, sometimes she digs a hole, and sometimes she just wanders around by herself and sniff things.  She always take a dump. 

I got to know some of the repeat visiting dogs and their masters  Actually, I already knew one of the dog owners but didn't know I knew him (small world), but that is a story for another day.

Seeing so many different types of dogs I feel something like a male version of Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey, Canine Division.

This time a German Sheppard Buddy is on my  mind.  When Buddy and his master Randy enter the park Buddy takes off running to the area we sit; hangout.  Randy has a plastic thing that you can fling a ball much further than if you threw it manually.  Buddy usually snags the ball on a bounce right before the benches, drops it where he caught it and immediately runs in a different direction, which there he catches another ball Randy has sent across the park.  Buddy returns the other ball and Randy has both balls. It was all part of the plan.  They will continue to send the ball whizzing with Buddy until one of them gets tired of it.  They take a break.

Buddy has a mindset of a jock.

A couple of times I have seen some other dog beat Buddy to the ball.  Buddy does not take it well, he might growl, or snap at the poor mutt who wanted to be part of the ball game.

In fact, Buddy holds a grudge.  He remember which dog grabbed his ball and maybe a week or so later attack the poor fellow.  Luckily Randy controls Buddy, so he shouts and the fight is over.... most the time.

Buddy is possessive.  He doesn't want anyone playing with his balls.  And he doesn't want to play with anyone else's balls.

Once a guy found an identical ball to Randy's.  He has his two, so he has no need for the new found ball.  But, he said he would try it anyway.

He put the new found ball in his little flinger and sent it flying.  Buddy ran it down, sniffed at it and walk away with the ball untouched.  It wasn't his.