Guard Dog

This is mommy writing the story. Stanford doesn't like to brag (well ok he's watching me type this!). 

My mom and I took Alex to the park last Saturday.  No one was around, so I let Stanford off his leash, so he could sniff around the empty popsicle sticks and the old dog poop left behind.  Grandma and I plopped on the bench with the little white dog and Alex headed for the tall slide.

Once he got up to the top of the slide, he stopped.  He was just sitting there and he was whining a bit. Well he'd been grumpy and whiney all morning so we kind of ignored him.  Finally I yelled over to him to go on down the slide already.  Geesh.  So he moved towards the opening and kicked some pop cans down the chute and made a startling, load noise.  Stanford was instantly over there!!! He was on full alert and was looking up at Alex and trying frantically to get up the slide!  He paced and looked up and paced some more - looking for a way up.  Had he not been on the rope climbing side, he would have been up those stairs and to Alex! 

We haven't been in a situation where there was danger or we were in need of protection (yes I am grateful for that) so seeing Stanford actually display a real concern and need to get to Alex was incredible. It was nice that it was actually a "benign" situation, yet see Stanford move into action!

As it turns out, I shouldn't have encouraged Alex to go down the slide.  As he slide down, more garbage came out and he landed on top of a full garbage can, complete with dirty diapers,.  Someone has shoved it into the slide. There was also a street sign, still on the metal pole.  I was lucky Alex didn't get hurt (that metal pole could have done real damage), but boy did he smell.  That ended the trip to the park and got Alex a bath. Stanford got a doggie treat!