Stick Around

After Raimi's rather embarrassing photo yesterday I figured it would be a good segue into today's post. Not about how simple he really is but about sticks!

Sticks, you may already know, encompass all that is bright and beautiful in a dog's life. They can be chewed, carried, gagged on, played keep-away with, pulverised, used as floss and consumed. They come in a variety of flavors and tenderness. They can be attached to a tree trunk, stuck in a pile of snow or lying on the ground. No stick is too small, some sticks are too large, sometimes it doesn't even have to *be* a stick, it can just be a rather large example of dead grass. The choosing of the stick is dependent on the chooser. Some dogs are not picky, any old branch sticking up out of the snow will do. "Dum dee dum dum ... oh, what's this? A stick. I'll chew it" and before you know it that innocent little piece of birch is reduced to a nubbin from which it will never recover. Some sticks are stubborn and do not want to succumb to the efforts of a Ridgeback puppy. That's when a little leverage and force are required.

The choosing of the stick, for some, is an important step in the process. Raimi inspected this branch for a few moments before deciding it was in his way.

And ... my apologies to the totally innocent bush.

Archer was determined that this strange little springy branch was going to get destroyed and he spent a few minutes chewing his way through it. It took some effort because as we all know it's harder to chew through a green sapling than a dried up twig. I imagine it's the difference between eating a piece of celery and a carrot. Archer is a huge fan of the stick - perhaps its greatest advocate. He found an old thick branch frozen into the ground and spent a few moments tackling it. Someone needs to brush his teeth. Chomp. Mmmm, I loves me some birch!