Jumpin' for Treats

This week was all about reaching new heights with Miss Sassie. Literally. The first part was learning jump. When Sassie first laid eyes on the jump obstacle, she gave it a look one might reserve for a door-to-door vacuum salesman who shows up right when you're heading out for a night on the town. Not unfriendly, per se, but an "oh, are you kidding me?" What is this unsolicited obstacle doing here? Tell me!

But once she figured out that jumping up on the obstacle earns her a mouth-watering treat, she greeted it with paws wide open! As if the vacuum salesman at her door had revealed himself to be a Publisher's Clearinghouse spokesperson with a comically oversized cardboard check for one million dollars ('just think of how many treats I can buy!' she'd cry to the camera). 

The second task? Stairs. Strangely enough, going up was easier than coming down. At first she thought, why step down slowly when I could just leap into the air and fly down in one cool move? But, after three or four tries, she developed the grace to descend stairs that would rival any debutante. Sassie has come a long way, and her trainer says he considers himself so lucky and fortunate to be playing a part in helping her develop the repertoire of skills needed to be the perfect companion, and some lucky family's newest member.