Runtly, the ever so entertaining, fast as lightening, Jack Russell Terrier is approaching ten months of age. This has in no way, shape or form, slowed him down. But, I must remind myself, on occasion, he is still a puppy. On the other hand, someone said their's was ten years old and had not slowed down yet.
This speeding white bullet has more toys than should be allowed by law. He doesn't really play with all of them except when they are all picked up and put in the toy bowl. In Runtly's mind, the toy bowl must always remain empty.
When returning from the local big box store, with an arm load of filled plastic bags, he is as excited as a child. He knows there is a fairly good chance there may be something in one of those bags for him. He does not care what it is, as long as it is in a box or bubble pack, its good. His last 'gift' was a flea collar and he was as jubilant over it as he would have been if it was a bag of treats. By the way, flea collars do not work well unless they can be placed at each end of the dog, but that is another story for another day.
Of all the toys that Runtly has at his disposal, his most favorite play thing is not a toy. It is a collar. This bright red, woven nylon collar came with Runtly when he arrived last Christmas. After the first few times of bathing him, I noticed that the collar was leaving a pink ring around his neck. Thinking that a male dog should not have pink stained fur, I purchased a new, black collar.
Runtly has an attachment to this red collar that goes beyond explanation. The red collar is always in one of two stages, either dripping wet with dog slobbers, or stiff as a board. It is his constant companion. It is the first thing he looks for in the morning and when he finds it, the ritual begins. After his "oh, I'm so happy to see you" greeting with the collar he carries it to where ever I am standing, usually at the stove, and drops it between my feet. It is then my dutiful duty to kick the collar across the floor.
Runtly chases after the collar and brings it back to do this all over again....and again....and again. If I fail to kick the collar, he picks it up and places it on top of my foot, just in case I had not noticed it was there. For Runtly, this is a non-stop game, as long as someone kicks or throws it, he will gleefully chase it down.
When my husband returns at the end of the day, he will ask Runtly where the collar is. This dog knows exactly where he left it and comes back prancing with the collar hanging out of his mouth. Since he is so very happy that someone is going to throw the red collar for him, he plays with it himself for a short while. He will throw it up in the air and catch it and on a couple of occasions, has even ring tossed his own tail.
We have learned that, if we are not in the mood to play, one must not mention the word 'collar' out loud. We have taken to spelling it and I think Runtly is beginning to figure out what we are talking about.
This dog has changed our lives. He has brought much laughter into the walls of this home. Runtly is certainly a red collar affair. Just don't ask me how the potty training is going.
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