Its been bothering me since previous weekend, took me a while if I should post it but here we go...
Two weekends ago we gave a three day demo in Jarabacoa with our dogs, we did Dogfrisbee, Obedience and Security work with them.
It was a great weekend, lots of people watched the demo's and afterwards we got many congratulations from people that it was nice to see the dogs and the relationship we have with them.
A lot of children played after the demo's with some of our dogs, I found it very interesting to see that initially where most of the children were very afraid of them, they pretty soon turned in to children who couldn't stop calling our dogs to them, stroking them nicely and enjoying the fact that they could be so close near a "big" dog.
The next week we were happily surprised that a lot of people called us that they would have a go with on or two of their dogs to start with them to get some basic obedience. In the weeks passed the demo's we were working with people towards taken their first steps in obedience with their dogs but like it is with us, we were actually more learning them to really enjoy their 4 footed friend and learn to play with them, for some it was a revelation that you actually have to play with your dog and still can learn him basic obedience commands like Sit and Stay and Lay Down.
This is more then we wished for and absolutely the positive side of our demo's.
Previous weekend however we got a nasty negative side effect of giving those demo's.
We are living in a very quite secluded area, not far from town. The reason we live here is simple, our dogs are our life and we need space for them and at the same time we do not want to live somewhere very isolated because we love to be nearby Jarabacoa.
Its a vast piece of land (not ours) but there is only one house on it, ours. The rest is ocupied by some herds of cows and the boy's who run a little business with their horses at La Confluenzia let their horses graze on this land.
With those boy's its a non verbal agreement, they come and collect their horses or drop them off alway's being attentive to putting the barb wires, from the farmer who owns the land, back in place, our dogs will bark at them but they are not afraid and they never run or shout loud near our house. Its nothting we agreed on, its just as it should be, they know our dogs and respect them (they helped us retrieving one of our pups who get lost near the river and didn't ask for anything, just glad they found here), and we are alway's friendly to them (putting our hand up, saying an hola) and when they are really having difficulty catching one of their young horses, I alway's put my dogs in the closed fence or take them in house in order for them to have a go to get that stubourn horse back in the row.
Sweet life goes on like this since 7 months now and I think its ok like that.
But last weekend our closest neighbour uphil (500 yards away) decided that it was time to "broaden" his horizon with his noisy quad and bike, breaking down the barb wires on his way, racing at minimum 70 m/h right in front of the closed fence of the dogs which ofcourse gave a riot amongst the dogs very agitated barking from all the dogs.
He suddenly stops in front of our house where my husband was watching to all that commotion and the neighbour reaches for his cell and started to talk to somebody, he slams shut his cell and starts to yell at my husband that those damn dogs make too much noise, that they are dangerous, that he has seen us at the demo's, that are dogs need to be locked up because - again - they are dangerous and they bite, that he will call the police etc..
He couldn't be calmed down so we asked him to go away since we do not talk to people who only shout instead of reasonable speak to us.
He could alway's come back when he calmed down and have a chat with us but he rushed away shouting that it was his last warning and we could expect the police.
Luckely our dogs are know by the police and military in town, we alway's take one of them alternating into town and they are much appriciated so the threats of this American do not really frigthen us but it is a nuisance that one person "playing" on private roads decides he has to make a lot of noise and has to annoy people whilst he has an enormous amount of space on his domain all for himself...by the way his wife cannot sing a straight note when she is playing karaoke...should I complain about that?
Two weekends ago we gave a three day demo in Jarabacoa with our dogs, we did Dogfrisbee, Obedience and Security work with them.
It was a great weekend, lots of people watched the demo's and afterwards we got many congratulations from people that it was nice to see the dogs and the relationship we have with them.
A lot of children played after the demo's with some of our dogs, I found it very interesting to see that initially where most of the children were very afraid of them, they pretty soon turned in to children who couldn't stop calling our dogs to them, stroking them nicely and enjoying the fact that they could be so close near a "big" dog.
The next week we were happily surprised that a lot of people called us that they would have a go with on or two of their dogs to start with them to get some basic obedience. In the weeks passed the demo's we were working with people towards taken their first steps in obedience with their dogs but like it is with us, we were actually more learning them to really enjoy their 4 footed friend and learn to play with them, for some it was a revelation that you actually have to play with your dog and still can learn him basic obedience commands like Sit and Stay and Lay Down.
This is more then we wished for and absolutely the positive side of our demo's.
Previous weekend however we got a nasty negative side effect of giving those demo's.
We are living in a very quite secluded area, not far from town. The reason we live here is simple, our dogs are our life and we need space for them and at the same time we do not want to live somewhere very isolated because we love to be nearby Jarabacoa.
Its a vast piece of land (not ours) but there is only one house on it, ours. The rest is ocupied by some herds of cows and the boy's who run a little business with their horses at La Confluenzia let their horses graze on this land.
With those boy's its a non verbal agreement, they come and collect their horses or drop them off alway's being attentive to putting the barb wires, from the farmer who owns the land, back in place, our dogs will bark at them but they are not afraid and they never run or shout loud near our house. Its nothting we agreed on, its just as it should be, they know our dogs and respect them (they helped us retrieving one of our pups who get lost near the river and didn't ask for anything, just glad they found here), and we are alway's friendly to them (putting our hand up, saying an hola) and when they are really having difficulty catching one of their young horses, I alway's put my dogs in the closed fence or take them in house in order for them to have a go to get that stubourn horse back in the row.
Sweet life goes on like this since 7 months now and I think its ok like that.
But last weekend our closest neighbour uphil (500 yards away) decided that it was time to "broaden" his horizon with his noisy quad and bike, breaking down the barb wires on his way, racing at minimum 70 m/h right in front of the closed fence of the dogs which ofcourse gave a riot amongst the dogs very agitated barking from all the dogs.
He suddenly stops in front of our house where my husband was watching to all that commotion and the neighbour reaches for his cell and started to talk to somebody, he slams shut his cell and starts to yell at my husband that those damn dogs make too much noise, that they are dangerous, that he has seen us at the demo's, that are dogs need to be locked up because - again - they are dangerous and they bite, that he will call the police etc..
He couldn't be calmed down so we asked him to go away since we do not talk to people who only shout instead of reasonable speak to us.
He could alway's come back when he calmed down and have a chat with us but he rushed away shouting that it was his last warning and we could expect the police.
Luckely our dogs are know by the police and military in town, we alway's take one of them alternating into town and they are much appriciated so the threats of this American do not really frigthen us but it is a nuisance that one person "playing" on private roads decides he has to make a lot of noise and has to annoy people whilst he has an enormous amount of space on his domain all for himself...by the way his wife cannot sing a straight note when she is playing karaoke...should I complain about that?