Aloha, Mr. Hand.

You guys remember Jeff Spicolli? Total stoner, went to Ridgemont High. My high school, your high school. Everone's high school. Aka Sean Penn in a baja shirt with fringey bangs. Gustavo is Spicolli. I am pretty sure if he could talk, he'd say Duuuude. A lot. For every occasion. He was always baked. For ever occasion. Pretty good dude though. Just a little bakey.

This is Gustavo. I don't think he sits in a van smoking pot, if he does, he's way sneakier than I ever gave him credit for. But it finally dawned on me. He's just a complete stoner dude. Just happy and grinny, a little paranoid (he's outside right now barking at garbage cans that are in a weird place in front of the house), a little late, a little hungry, but really, a good guy.

So the stoner runs at Dirt Nite now. Had never really put him in there, sometimes took him out to do a teeter and a dogwalk here and there during beginning classes. He didn't like the dirt clumping up on his fur, was loud, just kind of too much for him. So the other week, I just brought him out with my dogs and decided to see if he could run a course in our late class, when I run Ruby and Hobbes and Otterpop. Just for kicks, see what he thinks of those hard courses.

He thinks, duuuude. And just runs around them. Like he gets it. Last night, stuck him in the rotation of everyone, so he kept getting turns, let him run 3 or 4 whole courses. Some hard discriminations, hard turns, many contacts, and duuuuuude. Like so nailing it. What's the big thing of this? Let's RUN! Skipped all the poles with him, except for once. Total stoner. Decided to just see. What the hell. He actually had poles on Tuesday when I practiced with him out at the field, not every time, but a couple times hit them hard and flew threw. A couple times, not so much.

Gave him one chance to try it. Masters Level agility course, not where you are supposed to be teaching a dog weave poles. Came thru a tunnel, saw the poles, flew up on the a-frame. OK. Was a pretty sneaky, I-am-sneaking-out-to-the-van-for-a-bong-hit-sneaky, run behind me to get on that a-frame. Clearly avoiding the poles. Threw him back in that tunnel for one more try, sent him to those poles just like how we Now Do in the Driveway, lovely independent and fast straight poles.

So what did he do?

Duuuuude. I wish I was going to tell you he is like the stoner savant, and just sailed through on the second try, fast and accurate and perfect. I so wish that was what I was going to tell you about here. Instead, sort of missed the entrance, did a section in the middle, came out, and just kept on running. Duuuuude. Didn't push it, didn't use precious Dirt Nite time to start teaching poles. But we have a lot of work to do still. Clearly.

But dude. Look how Sean Penn turned out? Upstanding citizen, political activist, important movie director and actor with serious attitude, used to beat up paparazzi for Madonna. Not too bad. If Spicolli can do all that, Gustavo can learn those poles.