Lucky had his first encounter with stairs the day he arrived. "Stairs?" he asks, "Um, I don't know how to work these things." Lucky sniffs the porch stairs, watches me walk up a couple steps. He readily puts his front feet on the second step up and looks up at me, "Like this?" "Yea, Lucky. Good boy!" "Er, maybe not," and Lucky steps back. He looks at me and puts his feet back up. He attempts to go up more. "Good boy!" Lucky's rear foot lifts up, then goes down. He looks confused & freezes. Lifts it up again. "Good boy, well done," and I turn him around without asking for more this time. It was his first try afterall. We let him just use the ramp for the first day or two.
Next try was a different set of stairs going to the same porch. Though of the same construction as the first, these stairs had a bonus feature, a Deerhound named Luna. As Lucky put his front feet on the steps & I asked him to go up more Luna suddently came running up from behind. Ah! I move over a bit & say, "Luna, upstairs." Luna runs up. Lucky looks up. Lucky climbs up. Well, it was more like scrambled up but he did it. He seems willing to give most anything a try as long as you let him check it out & don't try to force him.
A few nights later I go over to the main stairs inside the house. Our fosters don't get to do these very many times. The second floor of the house is cats only, though the cats allow the humans access. So I move the baby gate to open access to the full set of carpeted stairs leading up, up, up.
Laura: "So, Lucky. Do you want to try the big stairs?"
[Lucky comes over to see what I'm up to. ]
Lucky: "What are those? What are bigstares? Oh, I get it. Look at the cats up there giving me big stares!"
Laura: "No, Lucky. These are the big s-t-a-i-r-s. These are sort of like the ones outside. Wanna try them? ..."
Laura: "Lucky. Lucky? ... Hey, Lucky! What are you doing?"
Lucky: [Transfixed, he whispers] "Giving the cats big stares."
Laura: [Sigh] "Come on lit...
Lucky: "Don't say it."
Laura: "Um... Come on ya speedster. I know you can get up those stairs quick."
Luna: [Deerhound Stellaluna butts in] "I can. I can. I can."
Laura: "OK OK. Show him how it's done."
[Luna rushes up the stairs & suddenly cats scatter off the landing, disappearing into side rooms.]
Lucky: "Oh no! She spooked them."
Laura: "Well you could go look for them if you followed her."
Lucky: "It's a long way." [sniffing] "And these stairs smell kinda funny."
Laura: "Quit sniffin & start hoofin it up these stairs. I've got treats for each step up you go."
Lucky: "Why the heck didn't you say that to begin with."
Lucky scrambled up the first four or so steps and then settled into a take two steps & stop pattern but he didn't give up. In fact, he bounded up the last couple steps. Problem is that in prep for the arrival of the foster dog we had moved some cat furniture from downstairs to the landing. Between it & the Deerhound there was very little room up there for a bounding hound. Plus a cat suddenly rushed across the landing from one side to the other, zipping past the front of the cat condos just as Lucky made his last bound. He quickly changed his trajectory nearly knocking me & Luna down the stairs as he stuffed his head into the opening of a cat condo. This one is a lightweight nylon on PVC framework affair. Next thing you know, there's Lucky with a cat condo hanging off his head.
Lucky: "Hey, are you telling them that embarrassing story?"
Laura: "Yes, I think prospective adopters should know how silly you are."
Lucky: "Oh man, everyone is gonna know. And I didn't even get to meet the kitty."
Laura: "True but you did later, didn't you."
Lucky: "Uh, yes. Ouch. Who knew they carried weapons. Is that legal?"
Laura: "It's the right to bear arms."
Lucky: "Isn't it a little cool for that? Won't you be cold with bare arms. This isn't Florida. I should know. That's where I'm from."
Laura: "I mean the right to carry weapons."
Lucky: "You all talk funny here. I'll forgive you if you give me a treat."
Laura: "Lucky, you are settling into this pet life pretty well. Almost too well, actually."
Lucky: [Yawn] "Whatever. I'll just be over here on my bed catching some z's."
Yep, that boy is settling in pretty well indeed. Soon after going up the stairs he came back down pretty well too with very little coaxing. That is, he came back down well after I removed the cat condo collar he was wearing.
A few nights later I go over to the main stairs inside the house. Our fosters don't get to do these very many times. The second floor of the house is cats only, though the cats allow the humans access. So I move the baby gate to open access to the full set of carpeted stairs leading up, up, up.
Laura: "So, Lucky. Do you want to try the big stairs?"
[Lucky comes over to see what I'm up to. ]
Lucky: "What are those? What are bigstares? Oh, I get it. Look at the cats up there giving me big stares!"
Laura: "No, Lucky. These are the big s-t-a-i-r-s. These are sort of like the ones outside. Wanna try them? ..."
Laura: "Lucky. Lucky? ... Hey, Lucky! What are you doing?"
Lucky: [Transfixed, he whispers] "Giving the cats big stares."
Laura: [Sigh] "Come on lit...
Lucky: "Don't say it."
Laura: "Um... Come on ya speedster. I know you can get up those stairs quick."
Luna: [Deerhound Stellaluna butts in] "I can. I can. I can."
Laura: "OK OK. Show him how it's done."
[Luna rushes up the stairs & suddenly cats scatter off the landing, disappearing into side rooms.]
Lucky: "Oh no! She spooked them."
Laura: "Well you could go look for them if you followed her."
Lucky: "It's a long way." [sniffing] "And these stairs smell kinda funny."
Laura: "Quit sniffin & start hoofin it up these stairs. I've got treats for each step up you go."
Lucky: "Why the heck didn't you say that to begin with."
Lucky scrambled up the first four or so steps and then settled into a take two steps & stop pattern but he didn't give up. In fact, he bounded up the last couple steps. Problem is that in prep for the arrival of the foster dog we had moved some cat furniture from downstairs to the landing. Between it & the Deerhound there was very little room up there for a bounding hound. Plus a cat suddenly rushed across the landing from one side to the other, zipping past the front of the cat condos just as Lucky made his last bound. He quickly changed his trajectory nearly knocking me & Luna down the stairs as he stuffed his head into the opening of a cat condo. This one is a lightweight nylon on PVC framework affair. Next thing you know, there's Lucky with a cat condo hanging off his head.
Lucky: "Hey, are you telling them that embarrassing story?"
Laura: "Yes, I think prospective adopters should know how silly you are."
Lucky: "Oh man, everyone is gonna know. And I didn't even get to meet the kitty."
Laura: "True but you did later, didn't you."
Lucky: "Uh, yes. Ouch. Who knew they carried weapons. Is that legal?"
Laura: "It's the right to bear arms."
Lucky: "Isn't it a little cool for that? Won't you be cold with bare arms. This isn't Florida. I should know. That's where I'm from."
Laura: "I mean the right to carry weapons."
Lucky: "You all talk funny here. I'll forgive you if you give me a treat."
Laura: "Lucky, you are settling into this pet life pretty well. Almost too well, actually."
Lucky: [Yawn] "Whatever. I'll just be over here on my bed catching some z's."
Yep, that boy is settling in pretty well indeed. Soon after going up the stairs he came back down pretty well too with very little coaxing. That is, he came back down well after I removed the cat condo collar he was wearing.
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