Rasha: Lokaranis Log: Animal Care with Pups

From FiranMUX

Anarinuell: Palace District -- Lokaranis Academy -- Main Hall

Rasha enters the academy accompanied by one Chimera clan guard, who bows of course, and one large hound who does nothing of the sort. She herself curtseys, if a bit awkwardly for she's holding a rather large basket in her arms which she has to put aside on a table first before she can offer a more proper one. "Your Highness,Princess Akiva and Lady Sabiana, thank you very much for attending today's class."

• Firan*

Sabiana hands you 25000 stenis.

Sabiana lays her payment down near Rasha, offering the woman a polite nod. The pups get a somewhat curious look; the only dogs that Sabiana is familiar with are those little yapping things her mother and cousin Laurelia have. These ones look... /different/... to her somehow.

Akiva sits on one of the benches, made comfortable by a cushion that one of her handy-dandy escorts brought with her. She brightens when she spots Sabiana and greets her cousin with a smile and a happy nod, before likewise greeting Rasha, "Minister, so nice of you to have the class. My aunt, Clan Leader Fidelia, is very fond of her pet spaniel. So it's good for us both to learn a bit about the animals, don't you agree, Lady Sabiana?" *Firan*

"These are my faithful companion Rogue... and two of his sons, whom I have dubbed Nolan and Lacho until their new owners may come up with a new name." Rasha says as she slowly picks up one of the little hounds. "And yes, in my humble opinion it is always best if the people who live in a house with dogs know how to handle them, Your Highness. If only to tell them to be quiet or shoo them away when they are being a nuisance... not on purpose of course, but dogs are rather playful animals." she notes and then slowly moves forward, "My lady Sabiana, you may notice how Lacho's paws appear rather big and large for his body? This is a good indication of how big he will be, even if he's now about the size of one of your Honourable mother's Bomani spaniels."

Sabiana nods in agreement to Akiva's statement, glancing at the dogs. Then back at Akiva, then at Rasha, then arching an eyebrow in obvious question. Perhaps she's a bit dubious that little yappy Rosebud and Bruno require the same methods as dealing with this giant brown thing.

Rasha too begins to look uneasy when Sabiana remains silent and she asks, "Would you like to hold him perhaps, my lady? Or you, Your Highness?: she asks, turning towards Akiva. "Or would you rather have me show you how to do some tricks with a full-grown hound like Rogue or field questions you might have about proper dog care?" *Firan*

"I should like to, yes," Akiva smiles brightly and holds out her arms, pinkening slightly, "Um, if you wouldn't mind bringing him over...I am a terrible clutz at the moment, and my husband has requested politely that I try not to fall and break my own neck."

Sabiana considers this, and then she too nods. Unlike her cousin, she gets up to approach the pups, reaching out to touch Nolan curiously. She's careful to scratch him behind the ears without touching any collar the dog might have on, as if focusing on the feel of the fur and the puppy.

Akiva adds, glancing at her cousin, "I believe Lady Sabiana and I both find Clan Leader Fidelia's spaniel to be a bit...noisy. It'll be nice to be able to persuade her to be quiet, don't you agree, cousin?"

• Firan*

Sabiana nods quite /firmly/ now, wincing as if at a remembered loud noise.

"Of course, Your Highness." Rasha agrees, "We should always try and follow a prince's requests, especially when they are as reasonable as this one. " she notes with a smile and gently hands the pup over to Akiva, showing the princes show to hold her if necessary. "Don't squeeze, but do't be afraid to hold him firmly either. It is a bit like holding a baby, Your Highness... they need our support, but we shouldn't smother them." Nolan in the mean time just opens his eyes and stares up at the strange hands touching and petting him... but since that's all they seem to be doing for now he merely gives a sniff and closes his eyes again.

"And well, every animal is different, Your Highness. Lady Yolette's spaniel is rather well... lazy and I barely if ever hear her yap. But my hounds can be rather loud, I admit, and it is useful to be able to order them to be quiet in a very firm voice, and when that doesn't help it may be necessary to clamp their snout with your hands."

Lacho, the large hound really must see what's behind that wall. Bark, bark, bark!

Akiva cradles the puppy carefully, grinning down at it and giving it a gentle scritch behind its ears. She murmurs to it, "Now, who is a dashing little fellow? I think it is you." She looks up and remarks softly, "I admit, I prefer a larger dog to the spaniels. They are cute, in their way, but there is something so graceful in an athletic working dog. And it would be nice to have one grow up with the children as their companion. Catelyn is very fond of animals - she doesn't show the slightest bit of fear towards them." *Firan*

Sabiana doesn't actually /smile/, but her eyes seem a bit brighter as she now scratches Nolan's back, watching the puppy. She glances up, making certain that Rasha is watching Akiva, and then begins to try and entice the puppy to play a little bit. It would be undignified to play /too/ much, but... as long as no one's watching, right?

You say "That is indeed very nice, Your Highness, although of course my opinion about this is rather biased." she admits with a faint smile. "But I do believe it is good for children to grow up with a pet to have responsibility for in order to prepare them for when they have responsibilities over their fellow Firans once they have become adults." She nods at that in order to emphasize her words. "Although I wouldn't leave small children alone with a hound. Not that they'd bite of course... oh no, I always make sure that the hounds learn that every child in the household belongs to their tribe so to speak.. but they are so big and like to play wild, so without supervision they might accidentally hurt the child during play. With older children it's safer of course, as it is with younger ones.. as long as there is supervision. Also because children are curious and fearless and may want to use a dog to experiment, tugging the tail for example, and dogs don't like that I'm afraid to say. There's no menace there... just instinct." She is still watching the princess with the pup in her arms and keeps talking since Sabiana hasn't answered a question yet. Nolan in the mean time seems to find this slight amount of attention quite enjoyable and rolls upon his back, brown eyes open as they look at Sabiana." *Firan*

Akiva assiduously avoids looking at her cousin, though it's possible that she's aware of Sabiana's actions. She listens attentively to Rasha and nods, murmuring, "Of course, yes, I'd never leave them unsupervised. As do their care, what sort of exercise does a hound require? I would imagine it is considerably more than a spaniel."

• Firan*

Sabiana does, finally, stop trying to get Nolan to roll over for a belly-rub, and glances at Rasha. After a moment, she offers actual /words/, finally asking, "May I hold him?" She doesn't otherwise interrupt Akiva's line of questions, even as she listens to the answers. *Firan*

"Oh yes." Rasha nods, "The Bomani spaniels are sweet and loveable, real lap dogs, who like nothing more than to sit inside all the time and play with the children and be pretty. But they can't really be left out, especially during winter when it's too cold and the snow may well pile up too high for them to survive. Not that I leave my hounds outside of course, but they can weather much worse and are well... roughened country animals, Your Highness. Perfect for hunting or guard duty. They need to be walked extensively several times a day in order to let go of their energy, and a good hunt now and then keeps them happy as well." When Sabiana asks something she turns around and walks to the main desk "Of course, my lady... here let me show you. His name is Nolan by the way, Lacho is the one held by your royal cousin at the moment."

Sabiana nods to Rasha, waiting for instruction on how to properly hold the puppy. Who gets one more scritch behind the ears as the quiet little noblewoman waits. At least now Rasha knows she /can/ talk, even if she apparently doesn't do so often!

"Now, place your one arm beneath his belly, my lady... for support you see, and hold his body then against your own for further support with your other hand on top of him so you may offer further support and spet him at the same time... like this, see?" Rasha asks as she demonstrates what she means, "And hold his head up close to yours so he can look at you and know everything is all right and may even lick you... this is not disgusting, it's his way of getting to know you ad show his appreciation."

Sabiana watches Rasha carefully, then moves to lift Nolan as instructed. She's still careful only to touch fur and not get her hand caught up in any collar the dog is wearing, but she lifts him up so that he can look at her more directly. Then she scratches his head again, watching the dog's face curiously.

Nolan doesn't mind being held at all, but he's a rather sleepy dog it seems and suddenly opens his mouth in a huge yawn before snuggling his head against Sabiana's neck, closing his eyes.

Sabiana blinks as the dog cuddles in against her and tickles her with a cold nose. She lets out an involuntary 'Meep!' and pauses for a moment, then begins stroking his back instead of scratching his head. Still petting sleepy-pup, she moves back to sit down beside Akiva so that she can cradle the dog without worrying about her arm getting tired. There's a definite hint of a smile now touching the little girl's expression.

"Very good, my lady." Rasha compliments the Ista Aldrik heir and smiles, "It seems he rather likes you, and Lacho seems to rather enjoy himself around you too, Your Highness." she notes upon seeing how the second pup is the complete opposite of his brother and actively sniffling all over Akiva and wriggling in her arms in his attempts to get to smell all parts of her and the table they're seated behind. "Now may I ask if any of you has any questions, or shall I show you how to shoo a large hound such as Rogue away when he has creeped up on you when you are studying or doing something else of importance?"

Sabiana shakes her head when asked if she has any questions. She is, however, clearly paying close attention to Rasha while she waits for the next step of instruction. Nolan remains in her arms, as she lets him doze. He's not nearly as hyper as the ferret she ended up babysitting was!

"Well... I hope that silence means you want to learn this, my lady." Rasha notes after thinking things over and she smiles before moving to where Rogue has been languishing upon the floor, eying the various couches with a speculative eye but sadly, none are unguarded at the moment. She kneels down next to him and wraps her arms around his neck, whispering to him and playing for a bit before pushing him off. "Go, Rogue, Go!" she orders the large hound.

"I quite like to go hunting, actually, though I suppose real hunters might not think much of the way I go about it," Akiva says lightly, still cuddling the puppy in her swiftly-vanishing lap. She laughs as he tickles her with his squirming, "How does one shoo a dog without upsetting it? I'd love to know."

Rasha gets Rogue, the large hound to go away. Rogue, the large hound flees!

"The trick when using with dogs, Your Highness, is to always be sure of yourself and to sound it too. Don't shout of course, although the volume of your voice may rise involuntarily when you're giving an order, but also make sure your body language, your gestures... they're all short and decisive and very, very clear for the animal. You are the mistress, they are the dog and they must obey you. And that isn't a lack of affection, really... Rogue accepts me as his mistress because he knows I provide for him and protect him, feed him, and play with him. However... sometimes I can't have him around me, or he is too close for comfort's sake, and so I just tell him to go and give him a gentle but firm push."

Sabiana nods to Rasha, when asked if she wants to learn the method of chasing the dog away. She doesn't seem upset with the woman or anything, and in fact seems quite pleased with little Nolan. It's more just... as though she's not inclined to talk much, overall.

"Now there are other ways to play with dogs too of course, my lady and your highness. And although I know you do not like it when dogs are loud... sometimes it is quite important that they are. For example... imagine if you spot something amiss and there's no one around to help you. Sure.. you may be able to scream for help but the more noise, the better... and sometimes you may not be able to scream yourself. And that's when it us useful to make your dog talk although... I wouldn't give a demonstration if you don't want to" she adds, looking from one to the other.

The city begins to come alive with noise as the merchants prepare to open the market for the day. Sabiana turns to where the dog in Akiva's ever-smaller lap starts barking his head off. Then she pets Nolan a little more. Good puppy, so quiet! But, turning back to Rasha, she asks, "So they act as guards?" *Firan*

Rasha orders the dog to assume a guard posture.

"Well, if you ask him to, yes." Rasha answers and she makes a rather sharp gesture downwards for Rogue who immediately assumes a guard position close to the door, staring at it and glaring. "Now, if anyone were to walk in whom he didn't know and trust... they'd have a good attack of being attacked, my lady. Or being barked at, at least. But if someone he knows enters well..." she winks and slips briefly out of the door.

Rasha enters followed by 1 Chimera clan guards. Rogue, the large hound wags its tail, happy to see Rasha.

Rasha orders the dog to relax from its guard posture.

Rasha moves to the happily tail wagging Rogue and gestures him to relax, placing a hand upon his head and the other on his side. "Good boy, Rogue, good boy." she offers and turns to look at the two noblewomen again. "Of course, this is very advanced dog training, my lady and your highness... but it is very effective and also why I told him to relax right away in case people come in here and are attacked. I'd rather that didn't happen." *Firan*

Sabiana nods, considering this. "That's very useful! Though it'd be bad if they attacked someone by mistake..." She glances down at the snoozing puppy in her lap, perhaps having trouble imagining Nolan the Narcoleptic Puppy ferociously attacking /anyone/. *Firan*

"Oh yes, my lady." Rasha nods, "And of course, dogs may sometimes lapse and fail to bark or attack, they aren't perfect after all. But overall, because they do have very sharp teeth... I tend to do this only at home and would suggest other dog owners from doing the same. Only protect places where no unauthorized personal is allowed so to make sure that no innocent people may enter. And you definitely need to make sure the dog knows everyone who is allowed to be there."

Sabiana considers this and nods. "Very wise." Nolan, ever-alert, is quite probably drooling on her by this point in the petting. "How long does it take to train them to guard like that?" *Firan*

"Well, that depends on the dog and the trainer, My lady Sabiana. You see... not everyone can do this and training the person responsible for the dog may take as long or longer than training the dog himself. I do however offer my training expertise to all my clients, it is the fair thing to do after all." she notes with a faint smile. "But I'd say they make decent guards when they are about a year old, but some may be quicker and others" - like Nolan - "slower. And really, you do not have to train them to be guards, you could also use them to play and do tricks with. Did you know for example my lady that you can shake hands with a dog?"

Sabiana shakes her head; evidently, she did not know that. "So each dog and new owner need to train as a pair, then?" *Firan*

Sabiana smiles, despite herself, as she watches Rasha shake the dog's hand. The expression is rarely seen on the young girl, but it lights her whole face up. For an instant, she looks just like an eleven-year-old girl... her expression almost dreamy, the elfin features of her mother's line softened.

"Well, they don't have to, my lady. I could well imagine that someone like you might prefer to hire someone else instead to do the guarding and hunting for you. Sentries Dar and Teni of your clan for example are very interested in these things and have been taking some of my classes. But it would be good for the dog to get to know his new master or mistress of course so they could spend time together and learn to trust one another." Rasha answers and then kneels down, extending a hand to Rogue and telling him simply, "Paw" in a very strong but not loud voice... and he obeys. Seeing Sabiana's expression, she smiles, "I am sure you can make your noble mother's dog do the same, my lady."

Sabiana sobers slightly, and makes a face. Rosebud is, apparently, not her favorite creature in the known world. "I suppose so," she agrees. Finally, after a moment's hesitation, she moves to hand Nolan back to Rasha with a respectful nod and a rueful gesture towards the door; evidently, she has other lessons to return to. *Firan*

Rasha accepts the still sleeping pup and places him within the basket, smiling. "Thank you for attending this lesson, my lady Sabiana. And please let me know if you have any more questions." she offers along with a curtsey. *Firan*

Sabiana watches Nolan get put back into the basket, until his little head has vanished into blankets once more, then nods to Rasha once more as she moves to depart.