GoodCitizen

Sailor here. Mom is very proud of me. Today, she said, I am officially a Canine Good Citizen. Well, of course I am; I have been a good citizen all my life. Mom said that today is the day I proved it to the world.

First we went to our obedience class during which Mom pronounced my officially brain dead. I pronounced her officially imprecise and confusing and not terribly forthcoming with the treats. We did not have a stellar class. Given this sorry state of affairs, it was understandable that Mom started to smell a bit nervous as we lined up at the end of the parking lot for The Test.

Tilly the poodle was there and jumped in my face. Dan, the Great Dane was there and looked down on everybody. Maestro the Australian Shepherd puppy was there and ignored us all and had eyes only for his Mom. Corky the whippet was there and was overjoyed that nobody was going to make her lie down on wet grass. I took my place beside Mom and decided that she definitely needed to lighten up. I play bowed at her. I booped her with my nose. I grinned and licked her hands. Mom seemed to relax a bit but kept muttering about what might happen when it was time for the Loud Noise.

Our turn came. Mom led me through a milling crowd. She led me on a ridiculously easy heeling pattern � Forward, heel, right turn, left turn, heel, halt; forward, right about turn, heel, heel, halt. My brain had revived. I remembered to sit at each Halt. Mom smiled. Mom relaxed. Maestro�s Mom and Maestro came up to greet us and we dogs ignored each other. The two of them wandered off, and the Lady of the Clipboard came to me and patted me and brushed me and picked up my feet. I gave her a kiss and a wag. She said, �Awww.�

Next came a Sit Stay and a recall. I recalled perfectly. Then I did a long DownStay which to tell the truth was NOTHING compared to the long DownStays Mom makes me practice in the evenings when she watched Animal Planet on TV. When we were back together again, the Lady of the Clipboard came up to us and dropped a ball on the ground. It bounced. I watched it bounce. My head bounced in unison with the ball. Then, just as Mom feared, The Lady of the Clipboard dropped a metal bucket on the ground with a loud clatter. I looked at Mom quickly and moved in close in case she was afraid. My reassuring presence helped calm Mom and kept her from jumping out of her skin. She smiled again.

Then came the hard part.

Mom gave my leash to the Lady of the Clipboard and walked across the parking lot and hid behind a large van. Well, she thought she was hiding, but I could still smell her. She didn�t come back. I began to get a bit unsettled. Where was she? I moved my feet and drooled and paced a wee bit and tried to calm myself by saying over and over again, �Mom always comes back. Mom always comes back.� I drooled some more. Finally Mom came back. Whew! Mom grinned and said that this was the hardest exercise because she couldn�t peek at me. I said it was the hardest because Mom was not By My Side.

The Lady of the Clipboard congratulated Mom and petted me and thumped my sides and said that I was a very good citizen. Mom hugged me and I FINALLY got my treat!

But do you want to know what the best part of this was? Not only do I have my first title, but also I get to tell Zoe all about it and make her jealous! Zoe will be pea green with envy. Mom says this is fitting, since it is St. Patrick�s Day and green is the color of the day. I can�t wait!

Sailor, a.k.a. Shalimar�s Stillvalley In Cahoots, CGC (!)