Grueling Hike, Lovely Weather

Bella chasing Amber to the pond.

Yesterday was the first nice day in eons—sunny and warm. My friend, Shari, and I decided to go hiking. Shari hikes a lot and knows many wonderful places, so I never question where we're going. After this hike, I might be more conscientious of where we're heading! We were particularly lucky with the weather as we'd planned this hike several weeks ago. The weekends up to this one have had awful weather. Today is typical—it's been raining off and on since this morning.

Shari had done this hike many years ago and remembered it as being tough, but beautiful. We both agreed there were beautiful parts (like this meadow for the dogs to romp in), but very steep and hard—too strenuous for us to want to do it again. There was lots of standing water on the trail which meant mud—lots of mud. The trail was uneven, with irregular, slippery roots and large rocks of high-stepping proportions. Many times we had to hold on to roots to make it up the trail. My friend was kind enough to lend me one of her trekking poles to help with stability. With all the stream crossings on slippery boulders, they came in very handy.

Many small rivulets followed or crossed our trail and occasionally there were even some small ponds, so the dogs had a great time. Plenty to drink and plenty of water to play in. Amber is not a swimmer, but loves bobbing for sunken sticks. Bella enjoyed everything, so she was in and out of the water, trying to get Amber to engage. Amber is almost 8 years old, so although interested for a minute or two, she wasn't really willing to play. The picture is not so much game of chase as it is Bella running after her buddy.

The only really level area of any size was this gorgeous meadow. The meadow had a bank of very small huckleberry bushes that had changed color, so with the sun shining behind them, it was spectacular. Better yet, there were ripe, sweet berries!

And of course like any dog, Bella probably did a 1/4 to a 1/3 more miles than our seven because of all the back-and-forthing on the trail. In the meadow, she met another young dog whose owner was kind enough to wait (and pick berries with us) while the dogs played.

Bella has not moved much today and seems very content to nap through this rainy day.

Leash Logic

If you have a dog, you have a leash. I have many leashes, some I've purchased or been given, some I've found. Some of the leashes I own I never use because the fabric is uncomfortably sharp on the edges. Literally. I have cut my fingers on two of them. Another, a long line someone made for me, is made from a very stiff fabric that does not lay well in my hand. It was great for Bella though. As a puppy, she chewed right through it.

There are leather leashes, retractable leashes, leashes made of chain, from nylon, from soy, even from recycled climbers' rope. Do you want a color or a pattern? What length? Do you want a matching collar? When it gets right down to it, buying a leash is no easy matter; the choices are too plentiful. But perhaps the question to be asked is for what purpose are you using the leash?

Personally I hate retractable leashes. I learned a lot about leashes with Lucy, my lovely, but aggressive pooch. Knowing how to heel and short lines were a must for Lucy. Most of the people walking their dog on retractables, let their dog wander leaving the owner oblivious. I can't tell you how many people I've seen talking on cell phones or chatting with friends while ignoring their dog 30 feet in front of them—or approaching my aggressive old hound. When I'd shout, "My dog is aggressive. Please don't let you dog approach," one woman responded, "That's okay. My dog is friendly." What was she not getting? I have recently conceded that using a retractable in a controlled setting when working on distance training is understandable, but other than that, I have little nice to say about them.

I bought my first leather leash 30 years ago and it has lasted through two dogs and is now being enjoyed by Bella. It started its life as a six-foot line, but over the years, wear and tear, and puppy teeth have shortened it. It's a little over four feet now, but Bella had her way with it as a youngster, so I'll be bringing it back to the shoe repair shop to be shortened again—the latest incarnation will be a three foot leash—which brings me to the purpose of this post. Length.

If you've gone through dog training, the ultimate goal of any owner is to have your dog walk placidly at your side. As a dog owner, you know just how difficult this is to do. (Reality dictates that in some circumstances you want a longer line so your dog can walk in front of you. Hiking is an example; rarely is a trail wide enough for the dog to march along your side. Of course, many people let their dogs off-leash hiking, but that isn't always wise. Ever known a dog to chase a chipmunk—or a deer?)

When you shop for a leash, however, what length do you find? Six foot. Why would you need six feet when you want your dog to heal? If you are an urban walker, a six-foot leash is at least two-feet too long. So you can imagine my delight when I went into a local shop the other day and found a plethora of four-foot lines. Who was the genius who found them and brought them in? I have shopped the big chain dog stores for years and have never seen a four-foot leash there. So hip hip hooray to the local, independent small store who was savvy enough to purchase this length! A six-foot line I can use hiking, but for daily walks, a four-foot leash is much less to hold and makes much more sense.

Leash Update: The shoe repair man said the old leather leash should be retired. A sad day. However I found a killer new one made from leftover climbing rope. The brand is Krebs Recycle which is a little misleading as they state it isn't recycled, but upcycled. None-the-less, the leash is great. It's soft (no deceptively sharp edges), pliant (can comfortably and easily make it shorter by looping it) and four feet long! Additionally, the handle is very comfortable in my smaller hand. Yahoo Krebs!

Diet Changes

When I first brought Bella home, I fed her some type (I don't remember the brand) of puppy food. Fairly early into her acquisition, I took her to my vet for a checkup and asked what she recommended for food. Two things came out of that question.

1. My vet felt for Bella's make-up (1/2 Lab, 1/2 Australian Shepherd), she needed Large Puppy-type kibbles to ensure proper growth.
2. When asked what she fed her dogs, she said she periodically changed their diet in order that they received a variety of nutrition via the different nutritional mixes.

This made great sense to me as it follows the logic of how we should eat. Also, our previous dog, Lucy, was such a finicky eater that I had to vary her diet or she wouldn't eat. As long as I carefully introduce Bella to a new kibble (to avoid stomach upset), she receives variety for interest as well as nutritional benefit. I have also chosen to give her a grain free diet. At present, she rotates through the Taste of the Wild kibbles (bison, salmon, poultry), but I may in the future change to a different brand.

Recently I came across corroboration to this way of thinking in the website Fully Vetted. If you choose to read this vet's opinion, you can start with Part 1 on the subject, although Part 3 really gets the meat of the subject!

With all the marketing for healthy pet foods, with all the variety of pet foods, I still find it amusing that when your pup is sick, it is still recommended to give them low-fat ground meat and rice. I do believe this was Lucy's favorite meal. Bella, bless her little non-finicky stomach, delights in anything!

A Mini Vacation

We no sooner returned from our last trip, (having cleaned ourselves, laundry and van), before turning around and setting out again. Each fall we do an bicycling trip with two other couples. Normally we go later in September, but extenuating circumstances required a Labor Day excursion.

We visited one of our favorite stomping grounds: central Oregon. The mountain biking was par excellence! Smooth, wonderful, just-technical-enough-to-be-exciting trails. Bella, of course, was ecstatic. Not only did she get to camp again, but with her paw improved—run again. By the end of the week, however, a bit of a limp reappeared, so we limited her to hiking. She wasn't quiet as keen on that, but to be in the woods was enough to assuage her need for speed with my husband.

The days were cool—mid 60s—and the nights cold—down to freezing. This makes for a frisky puppy! Lucky Bella! She had four extra people to throw sticks, her ball, and scratch her favorite spots. My husband worked with her on barking. She doesn't do this with anyone but him, but when he stops riding (to wait for me) and then starts up, her excitement is exhibited in obnoxious barking. He finally got her down to a few woofs versus a several minute chorus.

The posted picture is blurry, I know, but still I love it.