Rusty Roy

I visited my sister in Arkansas for spring break this year. She's married and has three kids and it was SO much fun! They also have a dog named Rusty.

Baby Rusty last July

Being in college, I really miss having dogs. I definitely took having dogs around for granted before I left home but quickly realized how much they really make life better. :) Winter break was the last time I was home so when I went to Arkansas, I was excited to be around a dog again (not to mention family). Rusty is only one year old so he is very energetic and fun, perfect for the kids. He has the funniest greeting. When you pull into the driveway, he comes running over, says hi, then takes off for a lap around the yard at full speed. It's great. No muddy paw prints on your clothes. He is one of those lucky dogs that live on a big property with calm neighbors who don't mind loose dogs. In fact, there are no fences (minus fences circling horse pastures which dogs can easily slip in and out of) and Rusty has a good friend (shepherd puppy) who hung out with us a lot while I was there.

Another thing Rusty loves to do is swim in the pool. It's closed for the winter but last summer he would dive right in with us. I've always thought it would be fun to have a dog to swim with who actually loves water. Now there's Rusty. He also loves a pond down in the lower horse pasture (yeah my sister has a horse). It's very useful for cooling off on those hot late winter days in Arkansas. :)

Rusty is a very quick learner and eager to please. When he does something wrong, he knows it and feels bad. One day, we were all down at the pond and my brother-in-law and two of the kids were fishing just for fun. Rusty, being a curious puppy, was super interested in the part at the end of the fishing lines that float to keep the bait from sinking. He would focus on one and spring into the water to go catch it. At first, the people who were fishing had to just keep reeling in the lines super fast before Rusty got to them and got hooked. He wouldn't listed when my sister called him back. But after a couple of these close calls, for some reason his mind flipped a switch and he would stop mid stride when my sister told him to "leave it." The whole point of that command is to stop the dog from whatever he/she is doing and have him/her meet your eyes. They don't necessarily have to come (that could be the next command after getting the dog's attention if it's necessary), they just have to stop and look at you. Rusty made the decision to start listening to my sister on his own, he wasn't hit or yelled at when he didn't pay attention before. They were just patient and he started obeying. When he got praised well for obeying, he decided it was worth it and came to sit next to the viewers (me and my sister).

It was so great to hang out at night playing games with the kids while a dog slept a few feet away. Or lounging on the couch watching tv with little Rusty sitting on the ground next to me with his head on my lap. It's therapeutic to pet a dog when you've lived your whole life with them but gone so long without one. I can't wait for summer so I can be with my dog and the rest of the dogs in my huge family, including Rusty.