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Doggie Dash 2013

The Doggie Dash is one event that I look forward to every year. What do I like about it? Winter – I love this season. Dogs – do I even need to remind you? Skiing – my favorite outdoor activity. And it’s a light-hearted event – folks don’t take it seriously. Well, most folks don’t. It’s tons of fun. One person remarked that her face hurt afterwards – from smiling and laughing!

 

Getting to know you

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Wyatt Ann wonders “why am I dressed up like this and why are we here? Jennifer doesn’t really like to ski so much.”

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It’s the iEverything team. iPoop and iPickup with their matching iPods and headphones. And all made out of duct tape.

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You can’t make me

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Batman and Robin await the costume parade before the big race

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Daisy waits patiently

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Heck

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Sweet girl

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“Excuse me? You are trying to rent me out to some poor skier without a dog? Are you kidding? Maybe you need to get a another job!”

(people who live in the Methow are known to work more than one job in order to stay here)

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Richard is trying to avert the dreaded costume malfunction while Trip works on his game face.

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Great Owl costume.

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Kristen spent most of the morning explaining her costume. She’s a fork in the road – should she ski or bike? Or maybe play with her dog? Again, a costume created from duct tape.

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Princess Leia and Yota in the costume parade

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Lynnette – where did you get those leggings?

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Frida and the Tufted Puffin

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Going upstream?

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The kids’ race is first!

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It’s a hard-fought contest between Batman and Robin and the Two Grooms!

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Batman lunges ahead

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And the rest of the wedding party follows

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And then it’s time for the adult racers with small dogs

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Heaven and Heck are filmed for the Methow Grist

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And now the big dog race. There are several heats.

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Molly tries to stay in the race without Lynnette

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Some racers are more competitive

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This dog is very competitive

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Stitch and Lelo are in it for fun!

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I was rooting for the doodle!

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This looks like a fast team

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And in the final heat, they have to go around two laps. This is the backstretch of the first lap.

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In the second lap, the poodle pulls ahead

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To win it at the finish

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There was a contest for the runner up position

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The race winner – a poodle from Leavenworth.

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And the costume winner, also from out of town. He was channeling the late Bing Crosby and stayed in character the whole morning. Here he is, holding his dog and the much-coveted traveling trophy – the Golden Poodle!

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This fun event is sponsored by the Methow Valley Nordic Club. All proceeds benefit dogs and cats in need.

 

 

Spring Skiing at Big Valley

Luna is still recovering from her unfortuante accident last November. She continues to lack stamina and may still have some pain in her lower back. However, she wants to have fun. She wants to run and play with other dogs, go to agility and be the happy girl she’s always been. We’ve only occasionally been out to Big Valley – the winter ski/bike/snowshoe/walk/dog trail between Winthrop and Mazama – this winter. Last winter she would outrun me even on my skate skis or she’d be out in the deep snow searching for voles or anything else that caught her attention.

Today was a sunny warm morning and the MVSTA grooming report said it would be done around ten. A perfect morning for spring skiing. Apparently I am not the only person who reads those reports! Numerous cars full of people and dogs showed up right behind us!

 

A Ruffed Grouse slowly crossed the road, one sloooooow step at a time

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I think he is displaying to me. It is Valentine’s Day after all.

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Luna is excited to be at Big Valley!

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She starts off at a good clip

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She’s always had an easy running gait

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Who’s that down there?

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Hi. My name’s Luna.

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I’m Molly.

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Don’t act silly; they are watching us.

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Mike, the groomer, loves his job!

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Come on, quit talking! Let’s go!

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I don’t think you can catch him.

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I love these aspens.

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Starting to slow down after about 3k

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But then, there’s the river!

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I can will you to give me a cookie.

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Remains of the fall

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And winter’s ice

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Getting real tired now

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Trees. I can’t get enough of them.

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There’s some of the dogs we met at the parking lot.

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He doesn’t even know he’s different

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Just another k to go. You can do it Luna!

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Blue Skies and Ice

Yesterday’s warmth melted snow and ice and created beauty everywhere I looked.

 

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January Flight

Every winter it seems there is an unexpected thaw. Does that mean it should be expected? I just don’t know when to expect it. This morning I woke up and it was already 40º and there was a light wind blowing. A warm winter wind is a chinook and can be quite damaging to the snowpack. By mid-afternoon it was up to 50º and downright balmy. The snow was sliding from the roof with huge whumps, blocking our trails to the shop and greenhouse. I was shoveling snow and wearing a t shirt; it was that warm. Walking around the house to check on things, I noticed a dead honey bee on the snow’s surface. Then I noticed one flying and then I found more in the snow. At the hive, there is a great pile of dead bees near the entrance. I don’t know if any of this is normal. Ken thinks maybe the bees are cleaning out the bodies of bees that have died over the winter, taking advantage of the warm January day. I hope that’s all it is. This whole beekeeping endeavour is fraught with unknowns at every turn.

 

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Cougar Capture

Yesterday I returned home after skiing in the morning and found two big trucks parked in our driveway and then I heard the sound of hounds in the draw down below and I knew some cougar was in trouble. In Washington it is not legal to hunt cougars with dogs. Only the state can use dogs to track and capture them. I’d heard last week that the neighborhood just up valley from us had been noticing a cougar and people seemed upset about it. We have always known there are cougars around but haven’t seen them or had any trouble with them. We have seen images from remote cameras not far from our house. I like knowing they are nearby. I don’t have to remind myself that we are the intruders in their habitat so it’s our job to minimize our impact on cougars and other wildlife.

I wanted to see what was happening but I also did not want to intrude and cause trouble. I could not see the area where the cougar was treed so I drove slowly down our road til I could look across the draw through the trees and watch from afar. There was one biologist and four volunteers and two hounds that never quit howling. After they got the animal out of the tree they said I could walk over to observe what they were doing so I parked the car and made my way through the deep snow on the steep hillside.

 

Here the cat has been tranquilized and lowered from the tree to a tarp below

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Collaring the cat. With this collar scientists will be able to track her movements. This is part of state-wide study of cougars.

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This is the second time this cat has been captured and collared. The previous time was three years ago.

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There is a cotton spacer that is designed to rot so that collar will fall away after two years.

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The checked her teeth to determine her health and approximate age. Based on her history, she is five or six years old.

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The tag on her ear indicates that she was captured previously in Poorman Creek – less than ten miles away as the cougar travels.

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All the data gathered is carefully recorded. She will have no secrets.

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One of the hounds used to track and capture the cat. The house in the background is a summer cabin just below our place.

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Measuring her head

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While she is tranquilized, her eyes do not blink so gel is applied to keep them moist.

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A healthy animal just over 100 pounds! She has three kittens that weigh about 30 pounds and they have all been living well off the local deer population.

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That big claw is the one she uses to bring down a deer or other prey.

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And the teeth deliver the final blow

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This is a popular posed shot

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Time to pack everything up so she can wake up in peace.

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This is a Karelian Bear Dog. Normally Cash would have been in on the chase however he recently had TPLO surgery on his knee so is in recovery. He really wanted to be out there.

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Learn more about the Karelian Bear Dogs here.

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I have long wanted to see a cougar and somehow imagined that I would see one slinking across our road when I drove home after dark. This is not how I wanted to see a big cat. It’s unfortunate for her that she took up residence in an area where people were uncomfortable with her. Otherwise she would not have been tracked and treed and tranquilized. She was staying out of trouble. Hopefully this event will cause her to move into a quieter location.