Morley

Well, I lost my glasses somewhere in the yard in the dark last Friday. I intentionally follow the exact same path from the house to my garage in an effort to narrow the scent paths, which helps keep her in the yard. So I figured it wouldn't be difficult to find them in the daylight. Whether it's independence or just habit, Morley has her own path that she uses. Whenever I'd call her to come in this week, she would stop at a certain location and I'd have to get firm and command her to come. After several commands, she would then lower her head and take her dead time coming into the house.

To back it up a little, one of the difficulties I've had with Morley is that my kids are now 8 and 10, as opposed to infants when we got Winnie from you. There are toys, balls, pucks and many other things that are strewn about, inside and outside the house, that are just too tempting for a young Lab to resist picking up. I am forever telling her to drop something. It's at the point that she'll fetch just about anything for just about anyone else. When she hears my voice, however, she just drops whatever is in her mouth.

So, this morning we were running late to get the kids to the bus stop. Morley hadn't been out yet to do her business. Now, if I put my shoes on and go out with her along her path, she goes straight behind the garage to do her business, where we're training her to go. If I don't go out, she'll leave "presents" for us 10 feet from the door. So, I go out with her this morning to get her to go behind the garage and right where she's been stopping all week on her way back into the house are my glasses. They'd been run over and seemed beyond repair so I just put them in my pocket and carried on to salvage the morning ritual. I'd get to the glasses when I could, chalking it all up to my own carelessness.

It was after the optician straightened out the frames, examined the lens for damage, looked up and asked me if I owned a dog that it all came together. She said that she had seen dog teeth marks on lenses many times. Mine aren't chewed, but she said there was no question that they were in a dog's mouth. My guess is that Morley found them, was bringing them to me and when she heard my voice calling her to come in she just dropped them, as she is wont to do. Then her hesitation, whenever I'd call her all this week, at the same location where the glasses were sitting this morning has me convinced.

Somebody might read this and think I'm off my rocker. If Winnie hadn't found my key in the snow all those years ago, I might think I'm off my rocker, as well. But, that's another story......