Stick!

This blog is always tackling the big issues, and by big I mean huge and by huge I mean titanic and by titanic I mean this post will be about dogs fetching sticks. Dogs fetch sticks, did you know that? It's pretty cool. Here are my extensive observations about the stick-fetching styles of four dogs of my acquaintance. (The two middle B dogs, sadly, have passed on).

Char - Barks at you when you pick up a stick and get ready to throw it. Runs around and around in excited circles. Lollops off after the stick, starts running back with it and then after running for a metre or two sits down with the stick and starts gnawing on it before suddenly getting bored with it, dropping it, and looking up at you expectantly, waiting for you to run after it and fetch it yourself so you can throw it and start the cycle anew.

Bella - Rockets around the garden after a stick once thrown. Never once bothers bringing it back, but instead prefers to run around the garden while you chase after her like a lunatic, waving your arms. If you manage to get the stick, she won't let go. Rather, she will make a noise like a chainsaw while you wrestle with her for the precious object. Easily fooled by that old trick of pretending to throw the stick in one direction and then throwing it in the opposite one.

Boots - Enjoys stick game so much that he will pick up any old twig, or stick, or tree branch, or medium-sized tree in his jaws and prance around the garden with it and lay it before your feet. Is also of the sort that is inclined to keep the stick once thrown rather than give it back, but will get bored with this after a while and nudge you with the stick, and sometimes drop it at your feet while waiting for you to pick it up. (Sometimes, too, he will grab it up again before you pick it up thus continuing the game.) Once he has the stick, it's very hard to wrestle it off him.

Wilbur - you throw a stick, he ignores it, and instead goes for the bar of chocolate sitting in your pants pockets. He is a beagle after all.

Bloggers, on the other hand, don't go in much for the stick game at all. They much prefer schtick.

NOTE: Readers are invited to submit their own dogs' version of the stick game in comments.