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The
Harrisonhill Huggle
For those of you who are unfamiliar with a huggle, it is a spontaneous
cross between a hug and a cuddle. This has been perfected by Katie. It
involves lying very close to your human and resting your head upon them,
and look up with a poetic smile, before closing your eyes to doze off.
Missy's version is a little different and usually incorporates lying on
your human, preferably their stomach or lap, so that you can rest your
head on the chest and gaze up into their eyes. The Billy huggle is one
of sheer trust- he chooses to be cradled in your arms while he lies on
his back, head lolled to the side and face in raptures of joy. 
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The
Harrisonhill Welcome
This is a very joyous occassion in our household and
it accompanies the arrival of any member of the human family. If outside
in the yard, then the welcome will consist of a few short barks to vocalise
the felt happiness but it is the body language that says it all. Katie
will do her spins like a puppy, Billy will prance and wag the whole of
his body and Missy will commit to acrobatics, turning herself inside out.
On command they then all "go round" to the back door to eagerly
await to be allowed in, this event is associated with rubbing the entire
lengths of their bodies along human legs as they weave in and out, smiling
and wagging. If already inside and another human member comes home the
welcome will be at the front door where all three are sitting squeezed
together within the door frame, waiting for the opening, then a mad backward
shimmy to allow entrance, followed by more rubbing and weaving. It doesn't
matter whether we've been gone 10 minutes or 24 hours, the welcome is
always the same.
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The
Harrisonhill GoodMorning
This is patience at its upmost. If the sun is up, the clanharrison
shelties are impatient to be up and doing things, but not just anything,
all activities have to be shared with their human family members. So they
sit at the bed's edge just waiting, waiting, waiting, staring, staring,
staring. You can almost feel the tension building in their bodies. Then
finally the human eyes open. This is met with excitement as they start
their morning routine of stretches and body rubs while they circle the
bed to wait for the okay to be given. Then they are up, greeting us with
enthusiasm. Missy can sometimes be a little quick to jump the gun and
has been known to leap onto the bodies at the slightest arousing, as her
excitement at the start of a new day gets the better of her. Katie though
is usually the last, as she works her way around the entire base of the
bed rubbing her body and stretching her muscles while making moans and
groans of pure pleasure before joining the rest of the clan for a sheltie
goodmorning.
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The
Harrisonhill Reminder
This is a gentle reminder to the humanfolk that they really should
be touching, stroking, patting. It involves placing the nose under a hand
or elbow and nudging upwards, so that the hand falls back across the head,
and as a conditioned reflex starts an earscratch. Katie has this reminder
perfected and has passed on the secret through the generations.
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The
Harrisonhill Spirit
This is harder to describe, but basically says, "we put our trust
in you, if you think we can do this, then we'll try and keep trying till
we get it done". We've witnessed this spirit emerging in everything
from going on the boat for the first time, climbing the A-Frame, walking
the dog walk, going to pet expo, demos in public places, heeling off-lead
and drop-stays when we go out of sight. Shelties are known to be wary
of strangers and strange situations, but this spirit has shown us time
and time again that they will trust-and-do even though their inclination
may be to back-away.
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