I took this photo a couple of days ago of Travis jumping the gate at the end of one of the ramps. His normal play yard is behind the house, but after his dental surgery we moved him to the front yard for exercise so we could keep a better eye on him during his recovery. One morning we didn't get to the gate before he did, and Travis must have thought, "No point in waiting for those people" -- so he backed up, took a run at it, and over he went. He's been doing it ever since. (The dark spot on his side is where his stomach tube used to be.)
He's always been a jumper, as this blog post from Montana back in 2009 shows. His agility led to containment problems back then, too, and finally resulted in us putting in a 6 foot tall fence around a play yard just to keep him in. When we moved to the New Hampshire farm we set up a Travis-proofed yard with a 6 foot fence, but ironically we've never had to put him in it ... perhaps because we got smart and made all the rest of the fences 5 feet high anyway just in case!
I suppose probably not having all those teeth in his mouth takes a half-pound off his jumping weight, eh?
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2014 Shelter Challenge Underway
The first round of the Shelter Challenge for 2014 is underway and runs until March 30th. You can vote every day here. To search for us, type in our name, Rolling Dog Farm, and Lancaster, NH 03584. We've won thousands of dollars in the previous contests, so your daily votes do bring in serious money for our disabled animals!
Please note that I cannot help with technical or voting problems. I also do not have an "inside track" to anyone at the Shelter Challenge, and I don't know any more about the contest than anyone else does. So if you find yourself having issues, please consult their FAQ page here and their Rules page, which is a pop-up you can find linked on this page.
Thanks for your votes!
That's an awesome snapshot! We're so happy you're being yourself now; just be careful, Travis. :)
Posted by: patty c | March 07, 2014 at 12:01 PM
After all Travis has been through lately, it is wonderful to see him feeling so well.
And great timing on catching this picture!
Posted by: Bev Allen | February 19, 2014 at 09:33 AM
Travis looks good in this picture. Way to go, Young Man! He's celebrating "No More Tooth Aches" ! :)
Posted by: Kathleen Rivard | February 18, 2014 at 01:05 PM
I love this, so full of life, because of you two. Not only is he obviously at his "jumping weight" without those teeth, I imagine he is just feeling better without that infected mouth. Also, being able to get more of his food with less work now that he can open his mouth has also taken years off of him.
Posted by: Diane Borden, Chehalis, WA | February 18, 2014 at 10:52 AM
Wow, I guess not having all those bad teeth has made him feel better. That's wonderful but he needs to wait for his friend Tanner and not be so anxious. It's funny how they continue to do something like the jumping even though we know he doesn't really want to run away from the life he has now.
Posted by: Barb Ribinski | February 18, 2014 at 08:39 AM
Wow, I didn't realize the dog Olympics were being held in New Hampshire! It warms my heart to see him so active.Go, Travis, go!!
Posted by: Ann | February 17, 2014 at 09:42 PM
You go Travis! That is one impressive leap over the fence. He looks like he is flying.
Posted by: Betsy | February 17, 2014 at 08:44 PM
I'd say this is proof he feels much better after getting rid of those teeth. Now he has extra joy and energy to make his jumps higher. That's a great photo.
Posted by: Tonya Allen | February 17, 2014 at 06:28 PM
Way to go Travis.......I love your spunk.
Posted by: Ev | February 17, 2014 at 05:25 PM
Can't hold a good "dog" down!! I laughed out loud!! GO TRAVIS!!! I will be smiling all day after seeing this picture of Travis--It is obvious Travis still "got game!"
Posted by: Shirley * James/Portland, OR | February 17, 2014 at 02:13 PM
Yeah for Travis! It's just wonderful to see him active and doing his thing. Go Boy!
Posted by: Linda | February 17, 2014 at 01:58 PM