<div>MomPerson,having the day off, and the weather being acceptable decided to have a doggy day. In the morning I took Nigel tracking-- just a short VST track with lots of articles with treats. It was very windy. He did ok. It was his first real track over multiple surfaces-- asphalt, sand, across a sidewalk or two and grass-- and he did fairly well. Nothing outstanding. He needs a lot of work on this part.</div>
<div>Then this afternoon I decided to take Nigel and Cooper for a nice walk. They were ecstatic. Had my whip and I had them on flexis, and they really did a lot of snuffling and getting into burrs (Cooper looks like a black wire-haired something or other tonight) and Nigel was quite taken with all the deer track. (I was quite shocked, really. This is a park in the middle of town and deer sign was EVERYWHERE. We crossed the creek into the wetlands and walked about three yards and up pop three deer about ten feet ahead of us, where they had been resting. Needless to say they took off and with a whoop I have never heard before, so did Nigel. He nearly jerked my arm out of the socket and Cooper went along, altho he knows better, so I did too, not having a lot of choice, with Nigel whooping at the top of his lungs.I finally got them stopped before I fell headfirst into the swampy part of the wetlands (it is really).</div>
<div>Nigel was really stirred up by now, casting all over for more exciting scents.</div>
<div>We walked about a quarter mile, came around a clump of trees and there was a man standing there. In the wetlands, no dog, no binocs, no Parks and Rec jacket, no reason to be there. People like this always make me nervous.</div>
<div>Last year I laid a track out there and watched while a homeless man gathered all my gloves up and ran away.</div>
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<div>So Nigel, all stoked up on deer and heaven knows what, stands there wagging his tail. The man smiled and stepped forward to pet him (did not ask) and suddenly Cooper steps forward and says something low and quiet to the man as he reached for Nigel, and the man jerked back and glared at me and said "F**k you, B***h, I ought to--" But you know, whatever he said I couldn't hear because all at once Nigel's tail dropped and his hackles went up and I had two dogs who clearly wanted me to unclip that flexi from their collars, just for a moment. And I suggested that the gentleman leave, before I did just that. (I would never!!!) </div>
<div>And he ran into the trees.</div>
<div>I walked a little further(and a lot faster)to the bridge and saw a police car parked in the Library parking lot, so I stopped to chat with him, and he called it in. He said he knew who it was and he has been breaking into cars in the area, and he is nasty. He said they had kind of been looking for him, and maybe the K-9 unit would like some practice. I went home. I have no idea if they brought the K-9 in or not. They have three including a bloodhound. I have met all three and I certainly would not want them looking for me.</div>
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<div>The boys are very quiet and happy tonight, and once again I was glad I had my boys with me. I don't think Nigel would have really let this guy touch him, once he got a little closer, and I am not entirely convinced that Nigel would not have gone after him. Certainly he would have if Cooper did. I just hope Nigel doesn't now think all males should be attacked. That would be just great.(NOT)</div>
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<div>MomPerson to Nigel (asleep) Llewis (jealous) Mitchell (resigned) and Cooper (asleep).</div>