An Island Off an Island

Hi Everyone, Ruby here writing after an exhausting day of training at which I proved all the naysayers wrong. I was a star!

Let’s go back a step. Many of you will be unaware that I have been enrolled in a program called “See snake and run” for several weeks. The concept is to keep me ever alert and vigilant to danger and to STAY AWAY FROM SNAKES! I am told that this is very important as there are no vets on Bruny, and once the last ferry goes at 7pm we are cut off from the world. Also, (so I am told) all 3 snakes species on Bruny are venomous, which is a bad thing.

Anyway we started the course a few weeks ago – that is me, Mum and Dad. The first few sessions were done on Zoom. Some of the other dogs chose to participate and sit between their parents and be seen on the screen. I decided against this and instead had a post dinner rest on the lounge.

M & D learnt about “checking in” and “recall” and we got to practice this around the house and at the beach. I immediately warmed to our trainer, Vicki, who stressed that I should be rewarded with lots of “high value food”. Lots of cheese and cabanossi was cut up. On the whole practice was satisfactory, though coming when you’re called is challenging when you’ve just discovered a ripe, dead starfish on the beach.

This morning we all met face to face, seven dogs of varying size, age and breeds and our families, plus Vicki & Michelle who had come from Hobart to work with us. M & D were concerned that I might play the class clown and even grab the dead snake I was supposed to be avoiding and give it a good hiding for it’s trouble. I showed them! I was excellent, even better than some of the overachieving small and fluffies, PLUS I cleaned up all the treats that some finicky eaters left behind, “Well done Ruby, good job” I could hear people say.

There was a certificate presentation, but by then all dogs were resting in their vehicles so the parents accepted on my behalf – but look on that certificate. Does it say Marcus? Does it say Jan? No, it says “Ruby successfully completed”.

As a take home gift we got a rubber snake impregnated with dead snake smell and some snake skin. These are for further training and are in the freezer of the drinks fridge – a warning if you come to visit and reach for ice.

Love Ruby

PS it has just been brought to my attention that Mum wore mis-matched earrings today. What was the woman thinking! My reputation is in tatters R