The Great Stick Battle of 2009

Not to be confused with the Great Hinckley Prairie Fire of 2009, of course.

Cardinal Rules of Dogdom, number 42: An ordinary stick that has been sitting in the yard for weeks is completely uninteresting, until it has been touched by Mom, at which point it becomes an object worthy of everyone's attention.

Yes, it's true. This large branch sat in the yard for roughly 2 weeks, during which I neglected to pick it up. Bandit, Willow, and Jasper were in the yard playing, when I suddenly got the whim to grab it and try to toss it over the fence. I had only been holding it for a few seconds when the usual growly dog-wrestling noises stopped, leaving the yard eerily quiet. Next thing I knew, I was surrounded by three dogs, all demonstrating a perfect "Sit" in the hopes of earning this coveted stick.

A strategic stick-battle ensued. I tried to break the stick up into 3 pieces and toss it around the yard, but one piece managed to escape the fenceline, and one piece was too small to be noticed ("Are you kidding Mom?"). It all worked out, though. Nobody (ahem, Jasper) threw a tantrum and I was able to snap some fun shots of the group interacting.

Jasper got the stick first, but Willow wasn't going to give up that easily.





The winning move!



She wrestled it away from him, and enjoyed a short chew before Bandit had to come ruin her fun.



She tolerated it for a bit, but in typical Willow fashion, ended up putting her foot down. Bandit is smart, so he listened.



Jasper was the eventual winner, and converted the stick into a pile of wood debris in record time.