The Tarben Series

This is Tarben. He is one of the many new friends that Charley and Sadie met on our Wednesday Walk with a group of dog-loving people in our soon-to-be new hometown. Tarben and his human also live just across the street from our new house so I plan to thoroughly ingratiate myself in order to get lots of Tarben time. I am madly in love with his big, happy, grinning face. Isn’t he scrumptious?

Tarben is a ball fiend. And he is bulldog-persistent.

We were standing beside a huge log – and I mean huge; it was almost as high as I am, and wide enough around for two dogs to easily walk side by side along its length. As logs are wont to do, it had little areas where it didn't settle quite flat on the ground.

Tarben was lying beside the log, mouthing his ball, when – oops – it rolled into one of those little pockets under the Big Log.

Hey, I lost my ball! Somebody? Anybody? Can you get it for me?

No one moved to retrieve it so he decided to go after it himself. But – and we’ve all had this experience – it was just out of paw’s reach, so each attempt to scrabble it closer ended up driving it deeper. (What you can't see in these next shots is his right paw outstretched as far it can possibly reach, nails just grazing the ball which spins under his attempts to fish it back out.)

Aarrghhhhh - I can feel it!

He was determined.

Can't...quite...reach...it

Gotta...get...that....BALL!

Maybe if I turn this way?

Or hold my tongue just so?

And, proving once again that persistence pays and patience is a virtue:

Ah, success!

Aren't I a clever boy!!????


Stayed tuned for more adventures from the Wednesday Walk