My Tortoise Ignoring Dog

Ten years ago out beloved dog, Petro, had an aversion to barking-- an aversion he never overcame. Or so we were convinced until the day he found a tortoise in the garden. The tortoise was securely inside a fence that kept Petro on the outside looking in. For an  hour Petro barked incessantly at the tortoise he could not reach, at the tortoise who had safely withdrawn into his shell, at the tortiose who was capable and willing to wait as long as it took. Eventually we rescued Petro, who struggled as we pulled him away from fence and into the house. To his dying day he barked only at tortoises.

SHIFT TO TODAY.

Today Madigan  - who barks at unknown people, at rabbits he cannot reach, at cats crossing his lawn, at flies in the window-  met a tortoise. Secure on his extra heavy leash as I picked blueberries, (heavy leash since the  rabbit chasing escapade a few days ago), he sniffed a tortoise under the blueberry bush.  Sniff--paw--sniff--paw. The tortoise secure in his shell offered no response.

I watched as images of Petro flooded my memories. I could almost hear his relentless barking.

Not Madigan. One last paw at the  rock like immoveable mass. His attention shifted to a chipmunk scurrying from under the shed. His barking suggested a cry to let me loose to chase that critter. I am pleased with my super heavy leash.