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Tag Archives: dog photography

Winter Dog Walking

The snow has a frozen crust and it’s easy to walk across the top of it. This is great because much of our road is covered in ice and treacherous for walking. Yesterday, the girls and I walked to the top of the hill. We haven’t been there in many months. The views are outstanding and sometimes we get to see coyote or deer but not yesterday. We did see new survey markers and new fencing with new ‘no trespassing’ signs along it. A bunch of the land up there is for sale or has already sold so we can expect changes in the future. Change is inevitable.

Speaking of change, Willow looks more and more like a dog but still has a puppy brain. Sky says she is an alligator and maybe we should return her! Willow is quite playful and Sky has never been playful so sometimes the puppy is a bit much. Willow adores Sky and wants to do everything she does, plus have lots of fun. She does stay close and mostly comes when called. We have many training opportunities with her.

We enjoyed the sunshine and cold temperatures and endless views. We also noted that some of the deciduous trees and shrubs STILL have last year’s leaves. Most notably, serviceberry (or Saskatoon), aspen and elderberry. Some of the aspen trees’ buds are already swelling so the leaves need to go!

Blue Skies, Good Dogs and a Moose too!

What a day! We’ve had many gray days and even rainy days, it seems like for the last two weeks or more. Around here, we are used to blue skies and bright sunshine reflecting off the cold, deep snow. Today was that day! The sunrise produced beautiful alpenglow on the mountains inviting us to explore on foot.

After agility practice (Willow watched), we headed for the hills above town and walked on a well-trodden path through the pines and out in the open. I looked at the road above us and saw movement. My brain went from what’s that, to is it a horse, no wait, that’s a moose! How cool! Moose occur nearly anywhere in the valley but are only occasionally seen. It’s always a treat. We crossed its trail and then followed its tracks back til we found the spot where it got on the path. There were also tracks of tiny creatures who had been out since yesterday’s fluffy snowfall.

Willow likes to lead the way but, so far, she doesn’t get out too far ahead. She is always turning back to see me and/or Sky. And today, she posed nicely with her big sister for portraits in front of the mountains. She is five months old and learning so much. Maybe she is a Good Girl, after all.

Portrait of a Dog

Sky is used to having her picture made. As a puppy, she learned to sit for the camera from Luna. I have many charming photos of the two of them together. Being a labrador, the promise of a cookie when we are finished is all it takes to get her to sit and stay and be a good girl. We used to do lots of photos of dogs on rocks with both of them and other dogs too. Yesterday, as I looked at this big boulder above the trail, she knew what I was thinking. First she went to the front which is way too high for her and then I said ‘Go round’ as if we were doing agility and she went to the backside and found an easy path to the top. She’s a good dog. And the picture of her on the trail shows just how tall the grass grew with our prolonged spring and early summer rains.

Dogs of December

Hurricane Molly, aka Red Molly, now almost 18 months old, came to stay with us for ten days in December. Ken was pretty nervous about having her for so long but by the time she went home, he had to admit that she is a lot of fun. That dog never knows a sad moment, never gets mad, never feels pain, never runs out of energy. No matter how active she is, she is ready for more. Our dogs were pretty well exhausted by the time she left. Sky pushed her into the snow time and time again, grabbed her by the throat repeatedly and she still came back for more. She loves Sky. To the moon. Luna learned to keep me between herself and Molly and walked behind me most of the time. If she was in Molly’s path, she learned to duck away at the last moment to avoid a bruising collision. Molly doesn’t always know when to put on the brakes.

We walked everyday. Sometimes we went skiing. We did keep her as busy as possible but there were some days when I had to get some work done and she would get bored and continuously bring me a ball or something else for a game. Overall she was a good dog and brought lots of joy into our life.

In case you’ve forgotten, here is what Molly looked like a year ago.

Molly is faster than Sky now
Dog with dignity
We skied with Marcy and Guthrie
That’s how my lip gets stuck
Merry Christmas from the three dog pack.
More of that dignity thing
Happy New Year from the Good Dog Gang

Joy

Dogs. They don’t care that it’s raining. Or muddy. Or dreary.

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