Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Trying to Avoid the Stink

That's one goal of those early dawn walks with Border collies.

The walks give me an opportunity to greet the sunrise and plan the day -- and they give the dogs a chance to sprint, to hunt, to sniff, to roll in the grass, to just be dogs.

We have our routines. Early in the walks, I scan the fields, looking for a raccoon or rabbit trying to steal a few more minutes of nighttime. I don't want the dogs giving chase.

Caeli surveys the fields, hoping to find something to chase before I stop her.

Tag watches Caeli, waiting to give chase.

Mickey races to the pond, looking for geese making a stopover visit.

As the walk goes on, the dogs run less and sniff more.

I look for four paws in the air for just a little too long. That usually means a dog is rolling in stink.

After circling the pond and nearing a wooded patch, I always put Caeli on leash. For that's when she likes to bathe in stink.

We never made it that far this morning.

For as we circled the pond, I saw a dark object in the grass about 10 yards from the dogs.

"Lie down," I told Caeli.

"Come here," I told Tag.

Sensing an opportunity for affection, Mickey sidled next to me.

As I snapped leashes on all three, the dark object moved.

As the stinky black and white kitty ambled toward the pine trees, I realized how close I came to a black-and-white dog meets black-and-white skunk encounter.

I forego the asparagus-picking part of the walk.

Avoiding the stink trumps fresh asparagus on any morning.

3 comments:

  1. This is a repeat: I love reading your blog.

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  2. Thanks! I'm still playing catch-up on spring chores, so blogging has taken a backseat, but I'm hoping that changes in the coming weeks.

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  3. Aren't dogs custom-made?! I love how they each have rhythms and patterns we get to know and how that helps us with their behavior. Every time my dog has messed up I have to blame us because we KNEW they were prone to that action and weren't proactive. Is Mickey the dog we met in your yard? S/he sounds like our Brooks (part black lab, part border collie). ANY excuse for affection!

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