This is Benton. Benton has precisely one brain cell. Benton does agility. I take him every week.
So there we were, me and Benton. We're in agility class. And Benton is... well... He's not good at agility but he loves it. And last week he decided that he was NOT capable of going through a tunnel. It was too scary. He could not do it and would clearly be eaten TO DEATH if he went inside.
It should also be noted that Benton's preferred speed of agility performance is... a gentle saunter? Perhaps a mosey? It's notable when he breaks a trot.
So this week, we decided to work with his favourite toy on tunnel. I fake threw it into the tunnel then ran to the end of the tunnel to tell him to get the toy.
It worked! He ran into the tunnel at full speed.
The tunnel is fifteen feet long. It takes under a second for a dog to run the full length most of the time.
I can hear my dog running in the tunnel.
I look at our instructor. "Anneliese, what the fuck? Where is he? I can hear him."
"He's in there," she reassures me. "I just... don't know what he's doing."
"He's running. I can hear him running," I say.
"Huh." Anneliese looks at the tunnel, puzzled.
I look at the tunnel, puzzled.
The veterinary behaviourist in our class looks at the tunnel, puzzled.
I can still hear Benton running. He has not emerged. It has been at least fifteen seconds. The tunnel is still only 15 feet long.
I open my mouth to ask Anneliese if she thinks he's having some kind of seizure in there.
BENTON EMERGES and excitedly takes his toy and runs around the ring in PURE JOY.
As far as we can tell, Benton ran as hard and fast as he could into the tunnel, which was in a J shape. He hit the curve of the tunnel and fell.
Then he proceeded to run as hard and fast as he could to get out of the tunnel.
And at some point, he accidentally ran so hard on his side he went upright.
And then he completed the tunnel.
He's very proud. We're all very confused.