Having Fun with Tile

By Fred
Sometimes I wonder what dogs think about our hobbies and habits. Cheryl and I might be watching TV, and Coach will briefly look at the screen and then look at us with some real pity, wondering about our willingness to just sit and stare at the thing. Or maybe we will just sit and stare into a book for hours. This is just what people do, dogs learn. They sit and barely move.

A picture of Coach on the top step.
His feet are hanging over the edge.

No wonder these guys are excited when we do something, anything, that involves some movement. I'm in the process of putting tile on the stairs. If I'm doing something that is not safe for Coach, like when I'm working with mortar or grout, I have to put him on a tie down, but yesterday I just needed to put on some tape, so it was OK for him to help.

And at first he wanted to help, like any 3-year-old child might want to do. Let me hold the tape. Let me lick it. Let me pull it off and run away. Etc. And then he discovered that this was just another human thing. He could watch, and I would praise him for being good, but honestly (he must be wondering) where is the fun in this?

He is beginning to lose interest.

I was reminded of traveling to Brazil with Cheryl, who speaks Portuguese while I do not. Sometimes the conversation would contain no English at all, and I would float away with my own thoughts, like Coach listening to me while I explained about the tape and why it was necessary to put on the tile and why I need to put on some special putty, and so on. (Yes, I talk constantly to him while working.)

In the end, he always forgives me. He forgives me for not doing more things that he enjoys. But it's a dog's life, and part of being a good guide dog is learning to be patient with human beings.

A picture of Coach licking my bald head.

Eventually we went for a walk.