Tuesday, November 13, 2012

SociaBulls: Unexpected Walking Distractions


When creating our Chicago SociaBulls group, we spent a lot of time creating a structure where so many different types of dogs would be comfortable walking together in a large group. We have spent a lot of time finding obscure locations without other dogs, runners, and bikers, creating a pack order for different personalities, and sticking to our rules. But then there were a couple of things we never expected that has caused some excitement within the group:

Goose Poo:

We were so proud our latest location had so few dogs, squirrels, and runners, until we realized what it did have: goose poo. This seems to be a huge delicacy for a lot of the pups, and I spent almost the entire walk trying to keep Miss M's attention on me and my treats instead of the poo on the ground. And the pups who weren't interested in eating it, were often found rolling in it.

The Windy City:
 No matter how well we plan our locations, there can always be a weather factor which can get our pups a little more excited. This weekend was extra windy making our pups extra excited. We also seem to have a more excitable group after the rain, when all of the good smells are stirred up, and when the first cold hits.

"Buffets":
 We walk in a variety of parks where we're often encountering the remnants of a variety of picnics: rib bones, chicken bones and random uneaten food. Not to mention the many broken glass bottles along the path. Sometimes it feels like an obstacle course, and we always make sure to 'call back' and tell the walkers behind us to watch out.

What are some other unplanned obstacles you've found on your walks?

To learn more about our group, join our Chicago SociaBulls Facebook page for more photos and updates. And check out the Hikabulls page where we first learned about the benefits of group walking.

You can also read about all the different types of dogs who walk with our group and why they walk: Honor (The Gift of Learning to Relax), Maria (Not Letting Age be a Limitation)Sophie (Finding a Safe Place and Building Confidence), Torre (From Learning about Pitbulls to Developing an Ambassadog),  Estelle (Waiting to Be Noticed)Franklin (A Small Dog in a Big Dog Group)Gordon (Learning to Be Social and Have Dog Friends),  Nabi (A Shy Dog Making Sense of a "People World") Sprocket (Teaching a Dog When it's not Time to Play), Lola (Living in the City with a Dog who Fears Strangers),  Zoe (The Dog who "Loves Too Hard"),  Izzy (Being a good pitbull ambassador while working with an energetic dog) and Maize (Being social with an unsocial pup).

7 comments:

Sara @ LiteraryLima said...

Goose poo, a detriment to dog owners everywhere! We had to stop visiting our favourite lake b/c it was so out of control. Now we deal with huge mounds of horse doodie, but at least the dogs don't eat that!

Debra@Peaceabull said...

On a recent walk I was so happy that Ray was doing well and was calm and focusing on me. He was sniffing the leaves that had been raked to the curb a little, but nothing too dramatic. Then I got a call on my cell which I had to answer and the next thing I know, Ray has an entire slice of pizza in his mouth! UGH!

How Sam Sees It said...

We've got the added bonus of rattlesnakes, tarantulas and scorpions. If you ever see me walking, that is why I tend to walk in the middle of the road. I can see things better.

Sam

My Two Pitties said...

Yep, whether we like it or not, dogs love poop! I have to remind my 2 not to eat the horse poop on our hikes. And Norman found himself one of those buffets when we went to a beach and it was covered in sea gull poop:/

Two Kitties One Pittie said...

Oh man... Zoe puked SO MUCH that evening because of all the goose poop she ate. So foul.

Annie & Pauls Mom said...

Goose poo is one of Paul's favorite things to roll in on our daily walk. Especially if he's just had a bath.

Rebelwerewolf said...

Badger and Mushroom eat the little rabbit poops that are scattered all over the grass in our apartment complex. It doesn't help that they're shaped like pieces of kibble. =/

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