“… then there are dogs that walk perfectly…”

That was a bystander’s quote about Murphy I overheard as we were walking by today during Boise’s annual See Spot Walk fund-raising event. Basically, a couple of thousand dogs and their owners take over the streets of downtown Boise for an hour or two to raise money for the Idaho Humane Society.

Needless to say, this was Murphy’s first attempt at this. Actually, it was my first go-round too. I was nervous he was going to be a total ass. Some days at training he’s such a shit that I don’t want to walk him any more.

When we first got down to the park, he was barking and lunging, wanting to play/attack every dog he saw. Um, and there were a lot of them. However, I got his mind engaged with the training routine that the fine folks at Scotch Pines Training have told us. After a few early struggles, he calmed down and we actually walked through a gigantic sea of dogs completely without incident.

We also got to meet up with one of his litter-mates, a sister that looks exactly like him. Named Sammie. It was funny to talk to her owners and hear the same sort of stories about their dog as Murphy. Eating grass, check. Loves socks, check. Very amusing.

Once the walk started, Murphy couldn’t have been better. Heeling right at my side for the most part. I was even able to put the leash over my shoulder, which is something the dog trainer says we should be able to do. He was awesome.

It was actually a LOT of fun. Seeing all the different dogs was a blast. Murphy seemed to have a grand time as well.

Below you can see some pics taken from the event. You can also go to the Flickr.com set.

Enjoy!

On the way down to the park.