A Girl with Attitude

Friends who already have a Samoyed, Katie, recently added a five-year old Samoyed female, Shasta, to their household. They drove to California from their home in Ely, MN, rescued her, and then spent five days with her on the return trip. En route, they bonded and found they had rescued a fabulous dog. Gorgeous. Bright. Curious. An alpha female. A girl with attitude.



The Old Baguette had wanted to meet her, so the pet mobile stopped in Minneapolis for a few hours of socializing, research, and play. After it was clear that Shasta was welcoming to strangers, i..e., me, John took her for a walk and gave her food and water which she ignored. She was more interested in having the three of us admire her, pet her, tell her how gorgeous, funny, smart, and good she is. She posed for pictures. She actually looked at the camera and smiled that Sammy smile. That's posing, isn't it? Then, John and Jo played a brilliant game with her. They stood facing each other, about as far apart from each other as the pitcher and the catcher stand during a baseball game. Shasta was "at bat" on home plate. John, the pitcher, began the game by calling, "Come, Shasta." Shasta raced to him, got a treat, and then faced Jo, the catcher. Jo called, "Come, Shasta," and Shasta then raced to Jo, got her treat, and waited for John's call. Back and forth between them, Shasta ran until she was worn out, her energy drained, but John and Jo weren't at all worn out. None of their energy had been drained because they hadn't budged except to dole out a treat. Owners of energetic dogs that require a lot of exercise, do try this game that John and Jo invented. You and your dog will love it.



Next came the research, serious research. Katie, the Samoyed back at the ranch in Ely, is a licensed Therapy Dog. She wanders from room to room in nursing homes and hospitals, cheering up patients. That's real therapy. Could Shasta abandon her alpha female instincts and become a Therapy Dog, too? Could she be calm enough to provide therapy? Yes, she could.


The Old Baguette, creaky, infirm, took on the role of patient and sat in the corner of a bench.


Shasta stretched out beside her, clearly ready to bark Code Blue, if the Old Baguette rolled off the bench and landed on the grass, an unconscious blob. That didn't happen, but Shasta submitted to being scratched on the neck and petted while the Old Baguette muttered sweet somethings. Good dog. Good girl. An aura of peace prevailed. Both dog and human experienced therapeutic effects. Samoyeds are workers. Clearly, Shasta can get and keep a position as a therapist despite today's tough job market.



Too soon the pet mobile was on its way to Ely. Shasta would meet Katie and explore her new home. Would Katie be traumatized? Would she feel like the omega female? Would Katie, Therapy Dog par excellence, require therapy herself? Would Shasta take to her large, luxurious kennel on the lake? It was a good thing that John and Jo hadn't worn themselves out while exercising Shasta because the day was young. Shasta might be young, but John and Jo aren't. (Unlike the Old Baguette, however, they are not the slightest bit creaky.)



The Old Baguette is not a therapist, licensed or unlicensed, or even licentious, but she's not a bad diagnostician. Shasta is certainly a girl with attitude. Lots of attitude. She probably thinks that Mount Shasta in California is named for her. She's going to bring a lot of joy and pizazz to John, Jo, and, yes, to Katie.