Tillman Treats Take Front Seat to Fishing

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

© AllThingsDogBlog.com
Tanner at the Scene of the Crime

Yes! This photo was posed. This weekend Tanner experienced another fishing expedition which played out a bit differently than our last event. I'm busy getting his mind off the fish today, which is not all that easy.

If you missed Tanner's first fishing experience, here's a quick catch up so you can follow

courtesy K.M.
Tanner's First Catch

along. A Hawk dropped a freshly-caught fish while flying over our property. When it landed on the ground, Tanner grabbed it and celebrated like he had just won the lottery.  A neighbor grabbed this shot of him and then I asked him for the ultimate sacrifice--'Drop It!" He performed this Fetch command perfectly and was appropriately rewarded.

Fast forward to this weekend. With Tanner now on an Organic Natural Balance formula, his nose and eagerness for adventure seem both in heightened alert. I'm not sure how to describe it, but the retriever DNA inside him is awakening and our outdoor experiences seem more active, curious and lively of late. Maybe it's Spring; maybe it's his new food. You tell me.

Last night during our final outdoor excursion, Tanner zoomed ahead, obviously bent on locating something his nose was aware of. Burrowing into one large group of Azaleas that tower above him, I quickly lost sight of him as he went after whatever had engaged his senses. I prayed it was not a momma Raccoon with kids in tow.

I heard plenty of rustling before Tanner came out, and as he headed away from me, I thought nothing of the end of this search. While concentrating on Oliver and Jacque, Tanner scooted by me and the next I knew he was waiting on us at the front door. This is unusual behavior for Tanner. Ever the outdoor lover, he's never the first to be ready to go inside. That was cue number one.

Cue number two was the smell. I may not have a dog's nose, but this was a fish, if ever there was one. From the smell I immediately knew that Tanner had either rolled in or picked up a fish, and not a fresh one this time :(.  

I asked Tanner to sit and quickly saw the remains of a fish that clearly had been the supper of another critter--most likely a Hawk like the one in Tanner's first fishing adventure that I linked for you to read at the top. Just barely noticing the smell, I was in awe of Tanner's nose, realizing that he had hit the trail to retrieve this fish almost the moment we opened the door. Dog's noses never cease to amaze me.

My husband grabbed a CET chew to elicit a Drop It from Tanner, assuming it may be a tougher drop with such an enticing odor emanating from it. Tanner's nose followed the chew back and forth, forgetting the fish and dropping it at his feet, receiving a mouthful of chew in the place of the smelly fish. I scooped up the remains and removed it quickly as Tanner took his consolation prize into the house.

Since he dropped it on the front porch, the residual smell apparently remains on the brick and the door mat. Jacque caught a whiff as we left the house this morning and hardly wanted to budge until he scoured the area for possible tidbits. No luck; I didn't leave anything behind except odor. I suppose a good scrubbing with lemon juice is in order.

While I'm cleaning up the fishy smells, it appears that Tanner is busily posting about this episode over at 5 Minutes for Fido. Who knows what he'll have to say about it. Why not stop in and appease him with a comment. It will make him feel good to know someone cares.

For now, we'll be offering some Tillman Treats to the boys in an effort to reward them all for coming inside, despite having to pass by the yummiest aroma of all. They seem quite pleased with this bribery. 

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