Mad skilz and WHAM.

Yesterday I went to practice with the dogs before work. It was contact brush up day for Ruby and Otterpop, and distance skills, and just mad skilz day for Gustavo. Who most of the time I call Gus. But it's pronounced Goose. Like Goose-tavo. I add the tavo on when he does something bad like tries to eat Timmy's food or any cat's food. That's pretty much all he does that's bad.

So where I practice has a little mini farm next door to it. It's sad, it's been sold to developers and I won't have a practice place by the end of spring, not to mention the agility instructor who rents it won't have a place place. I've heard that one before. The little farm next door is very 4-H, and has goats and horses and cattle-the cattle live right under someone's window in their side yard. I think it's their bathroom window.

So I tie the dogs up and am planning out what we're doing when I start hearing these crazy noises that sound like something attacking something and then "WHAM WHAM WHAM". Then I see goats leaping out of the barn en mass and jumping on to the picnic table in their paddock. Like I said, very 4-H little farm. And then goats run some and then run in the barn and then loud attacking noises of strangling animal sound and then "WHAM WHAM WHAM" some more. And goats jumping and this happens a few times.

I go over to the fence. Anyone around? Doesn't look like it. If that sound was coming from my barn, I would come a-running. So there's a gate over to their property so since the strangling attacking noises and WHAMMING noises are still going on and the goats look freaked, I go over there. I've been coming out to this field for years and have never heard the like. I have caught horses there before and once dealt with a cast horse in the barn so you know, it's just what one nice ranch lady does for another.

I am a little freaked out about what I'm going to see. One of their big dogs is in the yard and I am hoping it does not try to bite me. It doesn't but it has the stink eye on me since I am now the evil intruder besides poor dog having to deal with attacking strangling sounds and WHAMMING. The noises are still going and going and kind of have been building and I am kind of tip toeing and wonder what I will do when I find what is attacking whatever it is and if it is going to be bloody and what am I going to do? I'm sort of creeping all slow and careful just in case it is maybe going to attack me too? So there's a little window into the little barn covered with some black cloth and I pull it aside and there it is. There is a giant pig in a stall with one of the goats. I guess it's the brave goat. Only the goat is just sort of standing on top of the pig and the pig, who has genuine pig tusks, has a feed bucket in it's mouth and every time the goat climbs on it it is making these squealing, strangling noises and WHAMMING the feed bucket into the side of the wall. Then the goat jumps off and runs outside, then it runs back in and the whole thing starts again.

I am not sure if they are supposed to be doing this but no one is bloody and the pig seems pretty happy and so does the goat so I guess they are having a game and this is why I do not have any pigs or goats.

My dogs did not have any problems with the pig and goat sounds and we practiced insane far distance skills and running contacts at high speeds. Good dogs! Gustavo practiced his brakes and jump skills and just running next to me and not in mad circles around the field (I swear to god, he is a tiny border collie). You have to move very, very quickly at all times with him or have the tug toy in his mouth. He would prefer to do agility 5 tunnels or jumps at a time then run to the contact then run to the table then run to the teeter all in the time I am still standing there looking for a treat in my pocket. Since I cannot ever hope to work at his speed I now throw treats to him from far away to encourage the stay and I am getting really good at high accurate aim of tiny little scraps of cheese at his little nose. Some skills just do not translate to resumes.