Fetch, Finnegan style

Since we got Finn, over a year ago, we have tried to play with him like you usually do with a dog. Tug of war with a rope toy, squeeky toys, fetch with a ball. For each of these attempts Finn has just looked at us with what I guess is the same expression a formal British butler would give a grubby street child's offer to play hopscotch.

"No thank you, I don't do that."

All the toys we have gotten have been used as chew toys and quickly dismembered. But, he will play with a ball, on his own. He tosses the ball in the air, bats at it, and will chase it. His leaps and tosses are hilarious to watch, more like watching a cat play with a toy than a dog.

Often after our morning walk, Finn will play with a ball in the front yard. He runs, leaps, tosses the ball and growls at it. He pretends the ball has gotten away from him, runs laps around the yard and then pounces on it. A couple of times I have tried to toss the ball for him. He will go after it, but doesn't bring it back.

Until this morning. His ball wasn't where he left it because the yard has been mowed. I found it and tossed it out for him to play. He played with it, then came to where I was and dropped the ball. I tossed it back out, and he leaped after it. He played with if for a few minutes, then bought it back. I tossed it out again, and he chased and played with it. This time he decided the game was over and left it in the yard.



So he CAN fetch, as long as you don't want the ball back in a hurry, and he hasn't gotten bored with the game.