River Trail at Tortoise Speed

This seems like an appropriate stance to give a lecture on why it is good to slow the heck down.  I have done the River Trail on hundreds of  occasions.   We have ridden through on bikes and we have rushed along the flat to power walk  up the Boomerang.  Sometimes we have run, breathing deeply,  as we make sure not to trip over tree  roots. (those are really traps set by gnomes in case you didn’t know.) Walking along the trail in deep snow is not unheard of.  The owners  have mistakenly started out on cross- country skis and quickly crossed at the bridge to get on the groomed trails  because I am not allowed to go there; and they need me as a guide. We have hiked in happy moods and we have hiked when no one was talking to anyone else.  I thought we had done it all. Wrong.  We had never done it at tortoise speed.   Since my owner was still not feeling up to snuff, the other day  we hiked just to the Uncompaghre Forest sign and back and it took us over two hours.  It was heavenly and I recommend it to all.

When you are racing along you miss a lot.  Look at this frost pattern for example.  It was 12 noon and bikers galore were passing us, dogs ran by, joggers were doing their thing, other walkers were sauntering along and this frost was still surviving on the earth’s floor.  How is this possible?  We stopped to take photos and still no one else saw what we were seeing.  Even here, in Telluride,  we get caught up in our speed, our have to get things done quickly mode, that we miss the beauty that is spread out right before our eyes.  For those of us who live here the views  are free  but over time we become inured to what is around us.  Everything is so beautiful that we forget to notice our bounty.

This is how everybody else saw our patch of lace,  a little white spot on the ground.   Even I tired of it after a short while.  Up close it looks like strands of diamonds, doesn’t it?

We stopped to check out a few little  trees.  I know we can’t take these home, but I was interested in what size of tree I would like for tree season…..when they bring one inside and hang cookies on it  and everything smells delicious.  I’ve never peed on an indoor tree but the thought has occurred to me.  I  may be a girl but some great guys showed me how to get the job done on three legs.

This tree is way too small even for me. I like a tree to jump out and say, hey look at me aren’t I great.  I would overpower something like this.  Luckily it’s in a safe place and has many years to grow completely undisturbed.

Now you have to hike a little further on until you come to the  decorated tree.  My sense is that it  is in memoriam.  I don’t know who started decorating it but we brought along a new decoration to hang on a branch.    I like red and my owner’s mum liked red when she was alive so we added an old fashioned Christmas ball in her honour.  Since a lot of stones were piled around the tree and tiny pebbles were placed safely on a nice flat stone, we added four of our own. One in memory of Marilynn Grozelle, my  mum’s mom. One for Jim Pancoast, or Jim from the gymn,  a local who died last year.  He was a super guy who always treated us  kindly, and  remembered to ask after all of our boys.    We left one to honour the spouse of our new  friend, Monica, who recently lost the love of her life. We didn’t know him but  his praises have been sung far and wide.   And finally, it seemed fitting to leave a little stone to remind us of dear old Bo, my predecessor. It was a quiet time by the tree and we could hear birds and the river flowing nearby.  Suddenly, we were caught in a tiny shower of  golden leaves.  It was a moment of magic.  Restored, we moved on.

We saw so many things today that we have never taken notice of. For instance there are old tracks, most likely Galloping Goose tracks, and we’ve stepped over them time and time again and thought nothing of it.  Some  old barrels are almost completely covered  with  earth  by the river’s edge.   Although we’ve noticed them before we never wanted to think about what chemicals had likely leeched into the earth through their rusted walls.   We are hoping they were gigantic barrels of baby pablum  for all the children who lived here long ago.  Our minds just don’t want to go further than that.

I love it when people get creative with rocks.  Usually when I see other statues of stacked rocks I think they are there to help us find our  way.  It is impossible that anyone thought I, Casey, could get lost on the River Trail and yet they took the time to create this piece of art just in case. Clearly this  is a man with a small pinecone hat.  He made my day; he’s right sized!  There is a large stack of rocks on top of a boulder on the Wiebe trail also.  Many creative people have built villages of these little statues. They always make my day too!  To whomever did this, thank you.

We saw so much more because we were going  so slowly.  We had time to see the minute details of rocks, the very last dandelion,   little gnome homes built into the base of a tree trunk, old gnawed beaver logs.  The  leaves were obviously  having a contest to see which tree would hang on to the very last leaf in the forest.

The world is a crazy place.  Soldiers dying in foreign lands. Hatred.  People living  in fear. Hunger. Abandoned animals.  Polar bears drowning for lack of ice.  When these thoughts whirl through my head they make it hard for me to go to sleep. I may be a dog but I get scared  for the  next generation just like any human does.   Slowing down and  noticing the tiny miracles that  occur in nature can slow my pulse and calm my heart.  If, however, you find that you still feel morose, just can’t handle your sad thoughts any longer, do what I do.  Sit your butt down in some ice cold water, preferably near a waterfall.  After about ten minutes youwon’t feel a thing. See ya later.

 

Flickr Tags: Telluride,Dogs,River Trail

Golden leaves and blue skies.

Life has been quiet around here lately.  My curly-haired Alpha hasn’t been in town too much.  Well, I say curly-haired but he’s not quite as curly-haired as he was when we first met, but what do I care.  My fur isn’t as luxurious as it was back then either. Hair Schmair in my opinion.  He’s still the Big Guy and that’s what is most important to me. 

My owner has been acting like she’s feeling a bit sick.  Normally it is up and at ‘em by 8 at the latest.  Nature calls eh?  so I have to get outside reasonably early.  Whining, whimpering, barking are not part of my make up so she has to have a schedule.   I simply start trotting around the condo to let her know we need to get a move on, you know what I mean?  Anyway, she has had a bad headache and seems under the weather.  I sure hope it isn’t the porkypig or the piggyback or the  whatever-you-call-it flu.  I’ve been reading up on the symptoms and so far she looks normal. When she starts looking like this I’ll worry.

Actually if she starts looking like this, I may have to look for a new home.  I mean I love her and all but  hanging out with her in this condition would be ridiculous.    Oops forgot, think  now  it’s  the alphabet flu or something.   I guess it looks better to have numbers and letters on your forehead than to look like this poor guy.  Anyway, moving on! 

Telluride’s landscape has been changing every single day.   It is crazy. Texas thinks it has dibs on weather changing every ten minutes.  No siree….Telluride is KING.  We have gorgeous fall days with golden hills then a wind swoops in, the leaves fall down, we wake up to frost, have breakfast under a blue sky and then  watch it snow.  If your dreams are to be  a weather man? atmospheric person? then this is the place to be.  An ability to actually predict  the weather is  a required skill, not like Phoenix where you only have to be able to mouth the words, “Folks we’re going to have another scorcher! “

Even though tourists don’t think of October as the best time to visit town, boy, are they wrong.  When our mountains are coated in  bright yellow  leaves they are absolutely stunning.  I feel like I have been  living in a golden  palace.  Indian summer keeps  swooping in to surprise us and suddenly,  Bob’s your uncle, and the weather is  perfect for a long hike on your favourite trails.   No thunderstorms have  loomed on the horizon so we have had a couple chances to picnic up high.  Now that’s  fun!  I love it when they feel so happy  they  get carried away and  toss a few scraps my way….Cindy bread crust….yum!

One look at this photo and you can see we have it all….ok, we don’t have a ton of maples but who cares.  Gold is the new red! Haven’t you heard? It is impossible to go outside and not feel uplifted when you look at  golden   hillsides.  To have snow capping the mountains in the background  is icing on the cake.   Guess we need to hike up  Bear Creek  and see if the waterfall is frozen.   It looks like Ingram froze up solid in the last week but I haven’t been out to check. If you are reading this and you live somewhere that is always hot, or permanently sweaty you should come check out Telluride.  Yes, our festivals may be over and yes things are quiet but if you need to cool down and want a calm beautiful environment in which to contemplate life….this is  your destination.  Plus, I think prices go down.  That’s not a worry for me since I live free but  most  people have to think about those things.

 

Of course leaves are never guaranteed to last long are they? That’s what is so magnificent about nature.   When you see some gold in them thar hills you need to get out and explore before something new comes along.

We hiked up to  the Silver Lake crossing about ten days ago for pure pleasure’s sake.   It was one of the best little  hikes we had all year.   Well going up to Ingram Basin was a great day too so I couldn’t give you percentages  on which was more fun.  I’m a dog, people; I don’t do math.

But, look at what  we saw just half way  to our destination.  Ice had formed in the pool at the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls.  This is definitely a harbinger of things to come.  Man, it was cold up close to that block of snow and ice.  Luckily for me I had on my winter coat so I was fine.  I think I saw my breath though! 

   Getting back to the Silver Lake Crossing….there was hardly any water.  Normally it is a huge deal to get across for the two legged  people.  They have to take their shoes and socks off, roll up their pants, painfully cross the creek oohing and aahing all the way at the cold, the rocks, whatever.  Normally I’m thinking for God’s sake quit whining and get a move on.   However, at this time of year the water was  quiet and barely moving.   The sky was  Arizona blue with not a cloud.  It certainly made me very glad to be alive, on the loose,  and living in the country.  Going to Starbucks  in The Woodlands/Houston is fun because we see friends but it just doesn’t give you the same joie de vivre.  For you  guys who know the lay of the land around here…I wasn’t kidding about t he water level being low.

Now I have to share my favourite photo of all time. The planets were in alignment with whatever they align with, Pisces swam into orbit with the Aquarium,   my owner’s mood was in alignment with the day and so I got this incredible photo of the river.  It is obviously  advantageous to be  short because my eye level is different than yours.   My owner has learned to just give in and hand me the camera; she knows I am  closer to what is important in life.   Check out the sunlight sparkling on that water.  Don’t you just love it?  They look a lot like the tiles in the laundry room at Eloise’s house. Well, it’s true!

We picnicked away the afternoon.  Soaked up some rays.  I drank a ton of river water  in order to  mark off some territory  on the way down.   And then we went  home.  It was a beautiful day in the neighbourhood.  If you don’t live here, you certainly need to keep us in mind as a place to visit.  Without a word of a lie, since I don’t lie…..we are a pretty great destination all year round.  OK….maybe not mud season in April.  That can be a bit  annoying because you have to have so many darn baths  but other than that Telluride really has it all all year long.

Couldn’t resist…I had to show the owners lazing around.

Flickr Tags: Telluride,dogs,golden leaves,waterfall

 

As for me, well I will have to  keep an eye on my owner’s nose in case she develops that flu. She’s off to Maine with curly-haired Alpha to visit Benj – and you all know how he has betrayed me this year.   She‘s always  busy preparing packages for David and his students  in China –  he adopted me and then moved.  I still feel the pain.   And she calls Kim on the sly  to find out  how she and Jon are doing up in Toronto.    I joined the family and they all took off.    I was adopted by  full-fledged dog  traitors.   Oh well, I love them anyway. I’m a dog; it is what we do. Gotta run.  See ya later.

 

Meat….I Love It

There are many things in life I love.  My family would be at the top of the list.  (gotta say that right?) I love my dog bed.  I love living in Telluride.  I love running around with my dog pals.  Sniffing is really important to me too.  But you know what I really love?  I love MEAT. 

Every once in a while I get a bone from Clarke’s grocery store, those old fashioned soup bones prepared especially for dogs.  My God I could sit on our  patio for hours and hours and just gnaw.  The fat is delicious, the crackly bits are divine, and there is  nothing better than sucking out the marrow. A few flies landing on my bone doesn’t bother me a bit although my owner has flinched on occasion.  Two of my teeth have broken  in the past couple years and bone gnawing probably had  something to do with it.  For Pete’s sake I even  had to have a root canal. The Telluride vet must  love me by now!   My bone consumption went down after that I can tell you.

Normally I just eat dry dog food.  Yes, I have admitted, sometimes a bit of pumpkin and yogurt is added but generally  it is plain old kibble.  The whole food thing got old really quick in my opinion.   Sometimes I hear the can opener make its distinct sound and I bound into the kitchen.  I don’t get canned dog food very often.   My owner  wants to chow down on it herself  so  she  doesn’t allow it in the house much.   How do I know she loves the stuff?  Well, every time she opens a can and that tantalising aroma is released  her nose wrinkles up really tight.  She makes a big grimace with her lips to keep herself from digging in and  having  a bite.    Not once has she even dared breathe until it  is piled  into my bowl.  Obviously she finds it delectable.  What else could it mean?

It occurred to me that I needed to do a little survey around town and see if other dogs feel the same way about meat as I do.  Some of the results were a tad surprising to say the least. Before I give you some samples of what I heard I need to add the following.  I’ve never had raw  freshly caught  meat…on the moving bone so to speak.  Squirrel would be my meal of choice but those guys are just too fast for me. They taunt me; they chatter and chuckle as they run in front of me knowing I haven’t a hope of catching them.    The closest I’ve  ever gotten was yesterday!  I managed to find a petrified squirrel body in the weeds by the River Trail.  The only soft bit left was the fluffy tail.  It’s rich flavour was just being discovered by my tongue when  my owner pulled it from my jaws. I actually heard her stomach turn over.  Cool!

Well the first big dog I surveyed told me that he LOVES meat.   Now he looks just like me so I wasn’t surprised.  In fact my owner has mistaken this guy for me on occasion and panicked I had gotten loose from the condo!  He told me he likes his meat  baked, fried, roasted, poached and barbequed.   He’ll eat meat any way he can get it.

But his ultimate favourite  is STOLEN….right off the counter. He said he has had to do time periodically for his bad habits but it has always been  worth it!    Stealing has never been my thing.   I did stand up on my hind legs once and get a few good  licks of  the cooked Thanksgiving Turkey…and I got caught!  Dilemma!!!! I got sent to my “spot” and she never told anyone a darn thing about it and they ate that turkey down to the bone.  So what was the big deal I ask you?

Another dog told me he’s definitely into delicately cooked  meat but his owner is into the raw food thing that’s going around. Don’t know this guy well yet but he  sure is a gorgeous specimen.  The raw thing doesn’t sound that bad actually.   We eat what we can get and we are grateful for it.   Here’s the best part about that diet.   They call the raw food diet BARF.  That would tickle my funny bone if I had one. It stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food and is apparently good for helping us keep our coats nice and shiny  Well I think they got mixed up here somehow….we prefer to roll in  it to keep our coats shiny, not eat it.   But I’m just a dog, what do I  know?  I’ve eaten barf on occasion and it  was  no big deal,  but I wasn’t allowed  to give my owner a dog kiss for days.    

Look at this beautiful girl!  Bella is her name.  Is that a play on words….bella? beautiful? bella? Owners thing they are so smart, don’t they?  She’s so petite  I don’t think she eats very much at all.  No, she said, meat was not her thing.  But then how could it be as her teeth are so tiny.  She was very friendly and highly sophisticated.  Dog tea biscuits are her food of choice.   Her only problem is she likes them lightly dunked in toilet water but she’s too tiny to reach.  She needs a big guy around who can help her with that.  Most likely  her owner isn’t aware of this preference and even if she was….not going to happen.

Remember how I told you I have a penchant for squirrel?  Well the next  guy told me on the down low…and was really nervous to admit to anything….he’s got a thing for the neighbour’s cat?  He has to be satisfied with whatever dry kibble he gets, but in his dreams he’s chasing that cat and some day, just maybe, he might get her. Oooh… now all you cat lovers, don’t write in to complain about this guy.  He wouldn’t even allow me to take his picture  in case some of you started sitting out in front of his house protesting.  He was honest.  A lot of us like cats.  They are just too smart for us…yet.

Finally, and you won’t believe your eyes, I met Miss Eloise.  She’s a very different type of dog.  I wanted to say she’s a different type of cat, as the old expression goes, but that would just sound weird.  We ran into each other the other day at her place and had a quick chat.   I wanted to include her in my questionnaire results.  What she told me knocked me to the floor.  I couldn’t believe a word she said.  However, when her owner wasn’t looking, she quickly pulled a photo from underneath the welcome mat to prove to me she wasn’t a liar.  She’s a bloody vegetarian.  A what?  A vegetarian! Surely dogs can’t fall into that camp.   Her meal of choice is a carrot.  You don’t believe me. Here’s the proof. Are you still standing?

I’m still in shock.  In fact she left me so speechless that I’m at a loss for words.  Therefore, I have to end this post  with a video I enjoy watching over and over.  This animal   knows what counts in life.   He may be from the cat family but he and I see eye to eye on many things, although I don’t much like heat.     If you listen carefully you will hear that he too loves meat.  He also loves space – as do I or I wouldn’t be a dog living in Telluride, now would I?   I’d be in some cramped little apartment in Paris, eating foie gras.   And now off to find a buried bone….where did I leave that thing?  See ya later.

Flickr Tags: Telluride,dogs,Nick Park lion,meat

A Second Chance is Humane!

This post dedicated to all the animals sitting in shelters waiting for someone to come and take them home, and to the workers who care for them.

Dedicated in particular to the no-kill shelter in Ridgway, Colorado.  www.secondchancehumanesociety.org

Become a fan of Second Chance Humane Society on Facebook.

Hello all.  This is obviously a younger and very shorn me.  As you know I’m a rescue dog.  My seven months in a cage was a long time ago;  I hardly ever think of  those terrible times now that I have found my forever family. David brought me home where I bonded with my old pal, Boris, may she rest in peace.  She was one heck of a dog. Bouviers don’t usually live until 14 but she  had a wonderful adventure -filled  life with my family.   She hung around for two years, after it looked like she was done for,  just so she could teach me all the rules of the household. She was an experienced girl as she had moved with my family from northern Canada to the desert  of Arizona and then to the sweltering heat trap of Houston, Texas, with a short  stopover in Telluride.  I grieved for six months when she died, hardly eating, listless.  However, life goes on and here I am.  My nightmare is what could have happened to me if I hadn’t been taken in and loved again. The number one pick at the vet hospital where I was living would not have been me…I had heartworm, my fur was dull and I was pretty scrawny. 

Only my eyes  could communicate my hopes.    They  promised love forever and loyalty  if only my new  family would give me a place to lay my head, provide me with food and water,  and keep me safe from harm. Love was a bonus.  So far the deal has worked out.  I have great eyes obviously because  the deal came  with a  cool grandpa…75 in this photo and still going strong.

Anyway, enough about me.  This post is to tell you about the Second Chance Humane Society that runs out of Ridgway, Co.(www.secondchancehumanesociety.org) Very dedicated people work and volunteer for this organisation.  Since this is  a no-kill facility they are constantly dreaming  up ways to connect pets and people. Sad to say but there are a lot of “me” living in shelters  in dog runs.  Why? you ask.  We have an over abundance of homeless pets because many people feel it is cruel to spay or neuter them (don’t think they’ve thought this one through, do you?) Or, the one that frosts my socks is the ….well we have to move excuse.  However, I don’t know all the ins and outs of these family relocations  but I will say this, pets can  move too.

  If you looked into the eyes of these homeless animals for just one minute you would know that they only want a  family that will love them.  Mansions and riches are unimportant.  Here’s a promise, adopt a rescue dog or cat and you will be  rewarded  with more affection than you can handle.  In fact you might need to go out to dinner or a movie once in a while so as not to be licked and kissed to death!  Any pet who has been homeless is a pretty excited lover!

Sometimes you will find an animal for whom you feel a bond but then discover  he has had a really bad start in life. If you have enough strength to take this journey you will find yourself powerfully enriched.   My good friend, Michael McDaniel in Texas, (a veritable dog whisperer) explained to my owner  that abused pets are really terrified  so they put up a good front to keep anyone  from getting close and hurting them again.   A technique that can work, if you have the desire to take this hurting  pet home and help him/her heal, is to spend a lot of time on the floor with the animal.  When we are hurting and scared and you tower above us  it is frightening; we know you have easy access with your hands or boots to lash out. That would scare me if I thought it could happen at any second.  You don’t need to do anything, you can sit on the floor quietly and calmly and use your laptop ,  read a book but just be down low where he can see you are not a danger.   Another good trick is to feed this scared little guy  all of his food straight from your hand.  Do it over and over and over again until this little buddy can trust you would never harm him.  You may never have a pet that is scar free but you will have gone a long way to liberating his heart and letting him begin to trust again.  You will never regret this time in your life.  That initial bond you felt will be so tight that no one could ever get between the love you have  for this recovering pet  and the love she  has for you.       

Second Chance came to Telluride this weekend.  I made my family take me over to meet them.  It was an exciting day.  Food was  everywhere;  Jodie was donating ice cream to help support a good cause. Dogs were being microchipped for a very reasonable fee.  This is preventative action  in case the worst should happen and a pet  is separated from their family.    (I have a chip because I spent my first few months running away..I don’t know where I was going but I had a strong urge to  get there.) If I had been successful in my flight,  anyone could have taken me to a vet to check for  a chip and then I would have been RE-united with my pack. When you adopt,  please do this.  It is not very expensive, usually under $50.00.  You will sleep better at night knowing your dog/cat  is tagged and safe.

On Saturday some nice dogs from Second Chance were out and about looking for  new-and- forever homes.   Of course I prefer to dwell on my own species but there are also many  cats looking for someone to love.  I hear they can be pleasant to have around especially when they purr and make you feel  extra special; don’t know much about that stuff.  But I know some of you are cat lovers so go check them out! 

I had a great chat with Otis.  For a moment there it crossed my mind that he was coming home with us but taking a pet on the spur of the moment is  a bad idea.   It pays  to be thoughtful about whether or not a new animal should be added to the household.  Spur of the moment adoption can lead to spur of the moment abandonment! Trust me on this one --  NOT GOOD.  

Otis is  3 years old and doesn’t mind wearing his orange vest that lets you know he wants to be adopted.  (Hey wait a minute I want an orange vest for hunting season, maybe I should borrow his….no better not, people might think I’m looking for a home and  my life is good.)   You can tell looking at him that he’d be a good protector of a family but still pretty chill.  Bet he can run rings around me  hiking.   

Boss  was a bit more rambunctious because he was very enamored of the guy who was walking him around to show off his stellar dog qualities.  Cutie though, eh? Who knew dogs came in extra long varieties.  Pretty sure he’d make a great dance partner if anyone is looking for one of those.  He just wants a home to call his own every night. Is that too much to ask?

Don’t forget there are many ways you can help  a shelter besides adopting.  They can always use people to help out with their events – especially here in Telluride.  All of the employees were really nice as were the volunteers helping out on Saturday.  No one is more appreciative of an extra pair of hands than people who are working their teeth off for a cause.  It takes over their lives and they can burn out.   This is where your heart and hands CAN make a difference. Perhaps you have time to do some rewarding dog walking.  Maybe you can’t adopt right now, but you could foster.  There are procedures that need to be followed before that happens but it would be a great way to find out if you  can handle a pet in your busy life.  Perhaps you could donate some food to the shelter periodically to help them cover costs.  Creative thinking is the name of the game.

I leave you with this one thought.  Don’t go to the shelter looking to adopt the CUTE one….WE ARE ALL CUTE. We are soft and fuzzy and have deep dark  eyes, adorable long tails, wildly swishing stubs, and cute tongues that lick.  If you enter Second Chance with the goal of adopting  the cutest pet you can find, you will be taking  all  of them home and that could make life a bit difficult.  If you live near Telluride call 970-626-2273 for directions to  the one in Ridgway.  Humane Societies are all around us in Canada and the U.S.  Everyone there will be happy to help you save an animal’s life and find it a forever home.   Unfortunately, until you come and take us to your place we are not going anywhere.  Let’s meet for some dog food and a belly rub and see what happens.

Guess what?  You won’t believe it.  We got a phone call to tell us that Boss—the long lean  dancer above found a new home. (and I’ve got the photos to prove it!)  He’s got a couple dogs in his pack and a whack of kids to hang out with.  How perfect is that.

If you are in the mood for a new dog, go check out Otis.  See if you and he would get along.  He’s been with the shelter people a long time; they would love for him to find his own home where he can lay his head each night and feel safe.   He is a great guy.  You heard it here first.

Don’t forget to become a fan on Facebook  with   Second Chance Humane Society.  Who doesn’t want to be in the loop?   I have cousins in Canada who joined….about 40 husky cousins live in that household and they are big believers in no-kill shelters.  Way to go my mushing  cousins! 

Doesn’t the photo of Boss with his new family  make you feel warm and fuzzy all over.  Hey wait a minute!   I am warm and fuzzy all over!   See ya later.

Flickr Tags: Telluride,Dogs,Second Chance Humane Society

Do Your Ears Hang Low?

No need to comment!  Definitely not my best angle.   Not my prettiest side.   I have to ask, does my ass look big? Yeah, thought so!  Oh well, the size of my posterior is not the point of my post so we’ll just let that worry go. Besides I’m sure it is  just  my winter coat thickening because there is no way more exercise can be added to my daily routine.    If I have to eat a little more pumpkin to slim down my physique so be it.

One look at this photo and I had an  epiphany.  I DO LOOK LIKE  A BEAR CUB.  If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times.  Sometimes people pick up their small dogs when they see me coming along a trail.  They chuckle and say…. ha  ha, just thought your little doggie there was a bear cub.  Yes, we walk our bears  in Telluride.  But really, amputate the  tail and they’re right--I’m a dead ringer for a baby bear.  Hiking just became a problem;  it’s hunting season. Just one glance at that  photo and  that old camp song started running though my head….do your ears hang low, can you swing them to and fro?

The equivalent for you would be humming that little ditty  when  suddenly  you see a mirror.  You scream, oh my God, my ears do hang low and Holy Cow I could tie them in a bow!  Well that is what happened when I saw that picture of myself.  I knew right then and there I need a vest, a bright orange (please don’t shoot me)  vest!  It could be a question of life or death. 

My good friend, Cowboy, wears one.  He lived in  Telluride  for years  and you would often  see him running along the River Trail  with a bright orange chest.  I thought he looked  interesting  (that would be kind talk for downright weird) but now it’s not seeming quite so silly.  His latest vest looks more reddish pink.  Guess he got tired of the road construction  look.

Since I’m a bit worried about this bear/hunting scenario, I dropped Cowboy a line to find out why he wears a vest every day of the year and how he felt about it.  He got back to me immediately and I thought it would be good  to share his note and photos with you. 

I am extremely clever with a specialty in camouflage. As you can see from the photos, especially the one on the beach, I can become practically invisible in nature. I have used this skill often to test my human companions. It gives me great pleasure to, say, stand under a bush quietly a few feet from them while they search frantically and call my name over and over and over and over again. It never gets old.

Thus the red vest. I am resigned to wearing it whenever I go outdoors. Some might call it embarrassing. I consider it a badge of honor; a recognition of my superior abilities in the field.

Look  what I get for protection.  Don’t they even love me?  I feel betrayed.  Sending me out in this makes me look like a stump in the forest with a bear head poking out from behind.  What on earth good is this?  Sure, I won’t get rained on but I’ll get shot! Ending up as a “dog skin” rug is not something on my bucket list.

Worrying about hunters is taking a toll on me.  My neck is killing me tonight.  During our morning  hike up to the river crossing for Silver Lake  my head constantly bobbed up and down while  on the lookout for hunters. How do I know where they are hiding?  How do I know what they  are thinking when they see a gorgeous furry 50 pound critter taking a drink  from a stream.  They might be thinking  stew!

One thing I’m really good at though is being bear aware.   I may be mistaken for a bear but I won’t get eaten by a bear. Every single poster Telluride puts up  about those  omnivores….I read.  Garbage pails are locked.  Foodstuffs are stowed.  No bird food hanging around my  patio.  I do my part.  What I don’t understand is why I’m responsible for scaring off bears with my teensy tiny little yellow bear bell.  I’ve heard that story  about  bear poop being  full of pepper spray and chewed up bear bells but I don’t think my owner has.  She doesn’t get out much.

Just one last thing?  Does my ass look big? 

See ya later.

 

.

Never plan, never never plan.

Keeping a blog requires planning.  I publish one,  breathe a sigh of relief and suddenly it’s  back to the drawing  board…what to talk about next?  It has been so  rewarding to see your  comments that  it makes me want to come up with a humdinger of a hook to keep you reading….although let’s face it there is nothing more interesting than yours truly.    Knowing someone in Hong Kong, or Indonesia  or Libya is reading about me, (yes, I can see you on my map)  well it  makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, although I prefer staying sleek to fuzzy.   (ha, says my owner, more likely makes the damn dog feel self important!)

Anyway, I had a big plan for this post.   It involved MEAT. That’s right MEAT.  However, that plan  has had to be scuttled for a few days until I can get out and do some interviewing.  Lying  on my soccer ball dog bed I came up with a fabulous idea.  Tales needed to be told  about the  hikes I’ve had up to Silver Lake where the fish swim along the shoreline.   It was a good idea but all my pictures of Silver Lake are gone. Cyberspace? Who knows.  The  blog was beginning to take shape  in my head and I was ready to let my creativity have free reign.  But with no pictures plans had to change.  So this week saw  two ideas and two plan changes.  From now on there will be no planning.  Once the computer is turned on it will be paws  full steam ahead….until I deliver.

Since we can’t go up to the top of Bridal Veil Falls and turn right to Silver Lake, I think we will go up and turn left and head to Ajax Peak.  I have actually hiked up Ajax several times  and even  walked  the ridge line at the top so the humans could scribble  their names in a  little booklet. This  proves they made it to the end.   My owner can get to the top but she can’t walk the ridgeline to get her name in the book – too bad.  I refuse to sign for her. Obviously everything is simpler for me, I simply mark my territory.

Just getting to Bridal Veil, where we like our hike to begin, is an adventure. The best mode of transport  is going by  truck because I get to ride in the back. Benj stole our Subaru  and ran off to hang out with  College, as I told you in another posting.  Friends have to  take us up in their vehicles now and  that has its benefits. Hiking gear rolls  around, everything smells like camping, and  my pal  is often  there (not as often  now  as he’s getting  older.)  Everyone is happy  except my owner who is in the front seat gripping the door handle and praying extra hard that no one will back  off the cliff, or fall over the edge. She has not lost control of her bladder yet but I know  this is one bet easily won.  Patience is a virtue.    She gets  totally freaked out and usually her friend, Jeanne, says, “Kathryn, this is not my first rodeo.”  This always confuses me because I think we’re going hiking then to a rodeo then hiking.  By the way I’m pretty sure Zack stole my red bear bell on this hike because I had it on in the car and it disappeared. It matched my collar and my leash; now I have to wear a yellow one which isn’t the same thing at all.  I bet he buried it in his yard 

You need to  know I do not fib…here I am  with my red bear bell which I absolutely loved.    Of course not every photo is from one hike…I’ve done Ajax a lot of times now and I like to show you the best photos, so allow me a little literary license, eh guys?  It is only fair.

  We are headed  to the top of the peak on the left hand side, Ajax Peak, almost 13,000’ up.  (3,960 metres) This photo makes me laugh because I took it during  Telluride’s Nothing Festival when lots of naked people rode their bikes up and down Main Street. That is a story for another time and place.  If you have really good  eyes  you will see a water fall in this photo  (1/3 of the way over directly in line with roofs on the right hand side of the photo)…that is Ingram Falls and  we walk up and over that and continue on to the Peak.  I told you this is hiking.  It is not for the faint of heart or the “I have to get back in an hour” hiker.  First you have to get up to the top of Bridal Veil Falls from the mine parking lot.  This  mile or two long  drive takes you  to the house ( upper left hand corner).  Right about now is when my owner is panicking and making God all sorts of crazy promises.   The first time we climbed Ajax Peak we parked at the mine and it took an extra  hour to get to the house at the top of Bridal Veil. We only did that once!  Most tourists only make it to the pretty view at the bottom of these  falls  as that is enough altitude for them for one day.  On a hot day this water and mist is appreciated.    On a cold day….not so much.  From the house the hike begins and it is  a long haul  but well worth it as the views of town down below  are great.   We always go early in the morning so as to be off the mountain by about 1:30 p.m. in case stormy weather arrives.   We spend a reasonable amount of time checking the sky.  I may only be a dog but I don’t like lightning up there either.  One trip  a mine dog joined us all the way up the mountain.  He was fun. 

I had to do this so you can get a sense of how high up we are as we look DOWN on Tomboy Road which leads to Tomboy Mine…on the OTHER side of the peak. So, to drive this point  home!  at the peak we can look over the other side….try that for vertigo!    Before we get  here though we need  to cross Ingram Falls and walk up and over Black Bear Pass – one of the most dangerous passes (to drive)  in all of Colorado.  Our family never  has and  never will come over this pass in a vehicle, although we have met many people, including friends, who enjoy this strange pass time.  We met an eight year old girl who drove a four wheeler over it this year.  This seemed a bit extreme.

    

The picture of the pass just doesn’t make it look deadly. But as they drive down over this slippery stair case of rock, drivers  then  have to make a 90 degree turn around a corner on a cliff.  

I like to insinuate myself into  group situations.  I got a lot of petting  here.  Plus, this photo shows you I now wear a yellow bear bell!  The little girl on the right is EIGHT!  Obviously this was mentioned further up but EIGHT….what are they thinking?

You can see people, slowly picking their way up the switchbacks so  they can say they made it to the top of Ajax Peak.  The next photo will give you a sense of the vastness of the hillside we are climbing.  It feels like it goes on forever. Obviously we are above tree line now.

Once we get to the top we have a snack.  Peanut M & M’s seem to be very popular up here.  I always have a little bit of kibble brought along because my energy  lags.   We drink some water, we check the sky for clouds, we rest about ten minutes  and then we start down.  Yes, we find it fun.  

Here’s a nice view of town I took when the Perretti’s visited from Texas. This was a day we couldn’t go too high…tons and tons of snow to traverse and it was June. We still had fun though.  Gosh I  take good photos for a dog.  I just don’t’ get enough credit around here for my abilities.

Because it absolutely drives my owner crazy, I like  to sit on the edge of a cliff to give her heart a bit of a jumpstart!  Works every time. 

See ya later.