Month: January 2016

  • Walkin' the Dogs

    It was a beautiful crisp day for a walk; all the prerequisites were in place, decorative clouds, freshly washed bushes, firmly packed sand, and undiluted coyote scents. Mike’s legs were sore from doing a bike ride in the morning and a dog walk in the afternoon yesterday, so I set off on my own with Molly and Sadie walking obediently, one on each side.

    We headed for the wash, as usual, and at first it felt a little creepy being out there alone as I’m used to having human company. But as we got farther from civilization I grew more confident. I assuage my fears with the thought that perverts are too lazy to walk very far from their vehicles.

    067

    We had tested letting both dogs off the leash together yesterday and they came when called, so I turned them both loose as soon as we got past the gate at the reform school.

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    We headed west when we got to the levy, heading towards Barb’s house. The sand was moist and provided good footing so we followed the water course. Molly found only one small pocket of quick sand but only sank to her fetlock before skirting around it.

    From the wash bottom it’s hard to tell where you are in relation to the city so I decided to make my way back towards the bank to get my bearings. There’s an old flood control barrier that consists of heavy wire fencing stabilizing the south perimeter of the airport property. I was able to find a place where it was low enough for me to step over. The dogs were perplexed until I encouraged them to jump over to follow me up the bank. Then they nimbly leaped over and followed me up the steep embankment. It turned out that we were still quite a ways from our target, the end of Judson St., and it was difficult going because there was a lot of brush; so we turned back to the wash to continue traveling down river. They led the way back and didn’t hesitate to leap over the fence the second time. Molly is excellent at route finding when she ascertains where I want to go, which she does with surprising alacrity. Sadie, who sails over obstacles more easily, isn’t as concerned with picking an easy path for me and she’s more nosey. Molly seems to have a less active nose and relies on sight to keep track of where I am.

    By the time I spotted the tall trees in the distance that marked the intersection of Judson and Pioneer, my legs were growing weary. We again cut cross country, through stream beds, rocks, and landscaping, until we came to the bank. I scrambled up, resorting to all fours when it got really steep near the top. Molly and Sadie tried to find an easier route but when I called, Molly came back and followed me up. Sadie met us at the top.

    It occurred to me that there could be a fence at Pioneer as Judson is closed there, but I was too tired to consider turning back. As we approached Pioneer, my fears were confirmed. I could see a HUGE fence spanning the road. And there were insurmountable fences on either side of the road on which we were walking so there was no skirting around it.

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    Thankfully, there was a gap beneath the gate just wide enough for me to wriggle under. I scooted on my belly, propelling myself with my toes and emerged outside the fence with nothing worse than a muddy shirt. (Oh, yeah, I got the new tights that Tamera gave me for Christmas muddy too.) I turned to the dogs and urged them follow my example. Molly assessed the situation and immediately crawled under. Sadie, who is a little taller, looked a bit concerned but quickly followed suit. There was quite a bit of traffic on Pioneer and a couple of people stared as if they had never seen a 63 year-old woman crawl on her belly like a reptile AND have her two dogs emulate her as if it were an everyday occurrence. I stood and giggled with proud delight at my brilliant girls as they sat waiting quietly for me to take pictures of the gate.

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    The rest of the walk home was uneventful but beautiful. I was so pooped I had to take a nap. The dogs seemed none the worse for wear.

     

  • No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

    A scant four weeks have passed since a tumble off the bike resulted in an injured rib and already I'm feeling ready to hit the trail.

    Much news from Mayberry RFD this week: On Christmas Eve morning, we noticed two dogs hanging out in the field across the street. Each time a car would pass by, they would rise expectantly, and then resume their vigil when it went on without stopping. I returned home late in the afternoon and saw they were still cruising up and down the road aimlessly. By dusk, we decided that they needed to be taken in as one of them was black and would surely be hit by a car during the night.

    Historically, we have rescued cats, and hence, have six of them at present. Needless to say, sheltering two dogs was not going to be a simple matter. Thankfully, we had recently purchased the house next door with the idea that we would renovate it and find a tenant who needed a little assistance. At present it stands empty. It has a fenced yard, separate from our own.

    And so, after coaxing the two dogs into the yard, I made a trip to the grocery store to buy dog food. The clerk was touched by my  devotion to my dog when she saw that I had braved the cold and the Christmas Eve crowds JUST to buy food for him/her.  When I told her it wasn't for MY dog, the look on her face told me that she thought I was certifiably insane to be out provisioning for strays. Her opinion was confirmed when she noted that I was buying "the good stuff" rather than the store-brand, made with Chinese melamine, cheap stuff.

    Of course, no good deed goes unpunished, and they kept us up most of the night barking at every thing that went bump in the night. The next morning, shortly after their gourmet breakfast, they were ready to hit the road and nimbly jumped the fence, headed for new adventures.

    I was ready to let them find their way in the world but Mike followed them down the street and called them back. Lest you think him a glutton for punishment, they were headed for a busy intersection where they might have run into trouble. So, since the house is awaiting a complete makeover anyway, it became the dog kennel. This means that we have to go over there every few hours to let them out to do their business and we have to take them for a walk a couple of times a day for some exercise. You can see where this is going, can't you.

    Now, I lie awake at night worrying about what we're going to do with the dogs. Nobody has responded to my numerous ads and I see a future where my entire life is consumed by the needs of these sweet, well-mannered beasts. Mike, generously says he can fence the yard so they can't get out. Seems like a lot of work and expense for dogs we don't really want. So, we compromise. He went to Home Depot and purchased $500 worth of fencing materials and we've spent the last two days creating a dog run next to the house. But now he worries that a cat or other critter (we have a resident family of raccoons and an o'possum) might get into their cage; so, it needs a top on it. He reckons it will cost about $600 to cover it with shade cloth (it's a big run).

    And here's the bigger issue: We have had two people offer to take the Border Collie but Mike has grown fond of her. I am partial to Sadie, the shepherd. Molly, the Border Collie, is a lovable dog, friendly and well-mannered. Sadie, on the other hand, is cautious and will be difficult to place. Yes, by now you have noticed, we have broken our cardinal rule of  never naming strays. What do you suppose the odds are that I will be writing about the antics of these mutts a year from now?

    Here's Molly, looking adoringly at Mike.

    B&W Dog

    And this is Sadie.

    Shepherd