One Tough Camera

I think I have mentioned previously how Alex has been trying to teach me how to play fetch his way. This is not the standard game of fetch where the human (me) throws an object, then the dog (Alex) runs to get the object and bring it back to the human so the human can throw t again.

Nope... not even close to how Alex plays fetch.

He grabs the object to be thrown, chews on in it, licks it, gets it thoroughly wet, then he drops it at my feet, or beside me, daring me to pick it up. If I can grab it before he takes it back for more licking, I then have to throw it for him so he can bring it back and start all over again wth the licking, chewing and daring.

I have not been too enthusiastic about this process because the object usually ends up under the couch or some other heavy and almost immovable object.

Then, Alex cries and whines until I get down on the floor to retrieve the object. While I am down there he likes to encourage me in my efforts by licking my face and trying to look under the piece of furniture to make sure that I don't miss the object of his desire.

There is now a new twist on all of this. I mentioned before that he has been steeling anything he thinks might be an object of my desire. If he can pick it up, he will get it sopping wet and then try to get my attention to play his game of fetch. When he does that, I grab my object and put it someplace where he cannot get it.

He has decided that steeling these objects and buryig them in the backyard for a few days will make me want to play his game of fetch with them all the more.

Several times he has stolen my camera. I have been able to find it, replace the battery and then hidden it away from Alex's kind attentions.

Last week the game was taken to a whole new level.

Last Tuesday he stole my camera and buried it in the back yard. Sometime Saturday night he brought it back into the house, laid it at my feet and proceeded to wiggle his butt with hope on his face that I would play fetch with him.

Understand that this camera case was now now covered in mud, soaking wet and had spent several nights in below freezing weather. I removed the case, opened the camera, removed the battery and memory stick, laid it below a warm lamp for overnight and hoped for the best.

The next day it fuctioned wonderfully.. a little dented and scratched up but it works!

The camera in question is a Canon PowerShot SD 1000 and I can't tell you how impressed I am with its durability. Although it is a few years old it still takes high quality pictures even if the operator takes poorly composed pictures. It doesn't care and captures the good the bad and the ugly in bright living color.

WOW! Wet, frozen, muddy and dented and it still keeps working.

Now that's my kind of camera!

Thanks Mr. Canon for making an Alex-proof product.

Now if only the makers of dog toys, water bottles, cough drop bags and shoes could make equally sturdy products life in this land of chaos would be so much more calm.

I can only hope!