Karma The Dog

For those that don't know, Karma is my dog, a Saluki of sorts.

I came across Karma at a job I was doing late in the autumn of 2002, though she wasn't called Karma back then, but named after a beer! She was just over seven months old, and pretty messed up. It was no one's fault in particular, just not the right kind of environment for a dog like Karma, too noisy and stressful. I took her home with me.

I remember the first month was a complete nightmare. If you raised your voice at her she would pee herself. Ahh, yes, the toilet training, Karma had had none, ever. Doing that stuff outside was all new to her. I bought a big ole bottle of "super-cleaning fluid" a nice big towel, and swiftly got on top of the situation.

It's been a long time since I felt the need to apologise for Karma's actions, nay! when there's a group of dogs around, Karma is always among the best behaved, well-liked, and certainly the most sought-after dog, at least by the male dogs. She's a stunner! Well, in doggie terms (I know because when we're out, every male dog she meets tries to shag her!)..

It's been a couple of years since I last wrote any text here, or even updated the pictures (I'll start adding more soon, promise). Karma's come a long way since then, so now she's even got her own org, just like me! Training wasn't easy, but with perseverence, and constant, continual effort, she get's there in the end. Yes, Karma is a gype, but also pretty smart. For instance, I trained her to bring her lead to me when she needs out for a pee, or whatever. One day, I'd forgotten to take her lead out of my jacket pocket, and she appeared at my side with one of my boots  in her mouth. Now THAT'S clever! Now she fetches them both, Good Karma!

When I first got her, she hadn't been out off her lead (leash), and was used to dragging her handlers around (one of the reasons her old family wanted shot of her; the kids would get pulled off their feet). That had to stop. First I took her to a big park and let her free. There were tears in my eyes just watching her take off (and the wife of couple I was with, and their dogs). Okay, so she's fast, and likes to run, though never out of site, thankfully.

Back home, I started her "Urban Training", as I call it. First, the lead thing. That's easy enough done. Step 1: Whenever she tugs, tug her back, saying "Heel". Rather than big tugs (which hurt my arm long before they hurt Karma) it's best to use a few short rythmic, firm but gentle tugs, I found. After I was certain she understood that "Heel" meant "walk at my side", I moved to step 2. Step 2: When she tugs, we stop. This worked really well. You see, she's a sniffer, and she wants to go forward, to sniff more square yards. Stopping is the last thing she wants to do. So we stop, and I tug her back to Heel, saying "Heeeeel!". It didn't take long before she got the picture, and even walking to the river, after a few weeks of effort, she could manage without tugging even once. *phew*

These days I almost never put her on a lead (leash), unless we are in heavy (vehicular or people) traffic; she is Urban Trained, now. An example: We are out walking, she's all over the place, running up hills, sniffing everywhere, the usual, and I come to a road. She is right there at my side, usually waiting at the road-side, in fact. We walk across the road, Karma at my heel all the way. If I stop, Karma stops. If I slow or run, she slows or runs with me. Perfect. The instant we reach the other side, she's off! Up hills, sniffing, the usual. It took about two years to get that 100%, but it is, and amazes passers-by on a daily basis! As well as annoying other dog owners; an added bonus (not all, though. More than a dozen dog owners, so far, have said to me "I wish I could let my dog off her lead like that, but she just runs away!", or words to that effect, I tell them, "It's all in the training", because it is, and the number of dogs destroyed every year because their handlers simply didn't have a clue is staggering, and quite sadenning).

Sure, wee  dogs get enough excercise on a lead, walking dutifully at their handler's side, but a dog like Karma needs to run. I guess it's like owning a good sports car; unless you take the thing out for a race every once in a while, it starts to seize up. Karma loves to run**, not after  anything in particular, just run. It must be cool having four legs, at least when it comes to running. When we go down to the river, there's a football ground on the way, as soon as we hit it, she's off, open space, just can't help herself.

As you'll see..

** and jumping; she's a brilliant high-jumper, as am I! On one occasion, visiting my sister in Westhills, we got caught in a fenced area, with half a mile back to a gate. The fence was over six feet high, and I scrambled over it, and walked on. Karma got stuck. I walked on. She started to panic a bit, but after a few seconds darting around trying to figure out what to do, she trotted back and took a run at it. Woosh!

There's no doubt she slid her belly over the last few inches, and if the top hadn't been smooth, of course, we'd have walked back to the gate. But it was, and I knew she could do it.