Learning to Shake

Rolling Practice

We all know that my super power is rolling! As you can see in the above photo, I am getting even better at it. I have moved up to wielding a weapon while I roll. Okay, that’s just a toy not a weapon but you have to be careful while you’re learning something new. That brings me to the topic of this post, not that the above wasn’t an important update, but the topic is learning to shake so let’s get to that.

For some reason that I cannot fathom, Melly thinks I should do more than just roll. She has this great long list of things Caplin Rous could do and she expects me to learn to do them too! I’m not saying Caplin was smarter than I am but those tricks are hard! Up until today I had only learned one, to sit, and I did not like that much. At my old home I could climb all over whoever I liked to grab my treats right out of their hands but Melly is all, “Gari, you have to sit to get a treat.” I don’t like it but I do it. It’s not like I have a choice.

For the past couple of days, Melly has had something new up her sleeve, which is hard because it’s been very warm and she’s wearing short-sleeves all the time. She offers me my new favorite treat (a gummy bear) and then taps my front leg and says “shake.” This makes no sense. The only time I shake is when I’m wet and I want to get dry. Since she does this when I’m not wet, how am I supposed to guess what she means? But it is annoying to have her tapping my leg like that so eventually I pick it up to move it farther away from her. Then she grabs my paw, says “Good boy!” and feeds me the treat!

This might make more sense to you humans but the whole thing is bizarre to me. Nevertheless, I now realize that when she says “shake,” she means “give me your paw.” Why didn’t she come out and say that?

Now that I have it figured out, apparently I have to “shake” for the rest of my life just to get a half of a gummy bear! Too bad I love them so much that I am willing to sell my little capy soul for even half of one.