Willy lifted his hind foot. He peeked under his armpit, but he was so close that he couldn’t see. So I helped guide his foot to the board with my paw. “Okay. Now the other foot.”

He gave a little hop. His paw reached for the board about three times before he finally got his foot on it.

“Great!” I stood on my hind feet with my front paws on his enormous rump. “Now see if you can get hold of the board and pull. . . .” I helped him. With my paws on his hind end, I shoved. “Get hold of the board and pull yourself.”—I pushed—“up. See if you can grab.”—I lifted, strained, shoved—“the top of the fence and drag.”—I pushed so hard I thought my eyes were going to pop out—“yourself up on the fence. Just a little more. You almost got . . . it . . . Now . . .”

Willy slipped.