Back to the Teanaway

Ball? Did someone say "ball?"

We decided to try the Teanaway region again—this time with my husband's sister, her husband and their 16-year old son...and of course their dog—Bella's half-sister, Molly. What a difference six weeks makes on weather. HOT. BUGGY. DRY. We're such heat wimps, but really, 90+ degrees is just not healthy for anyone!

It was a wonderful weekend despite the biting flies and enervating heat. Molly is an Australian Shepherd, so the heat was particularly hard for her. Plus her pads are pink and blister easily. It only took one day for her to be relegated to "camp time" versus being able to accompany us. We took turns staying with her to keep her company.

We tried to accomplish all of our hiking and biking activities early, but when it's a group of people, time schedules don't always sync up. Our last hike was case in point, we left too late and the heat was brutal. Luckily there was a stream at the end of the trail. We could all cool our feet (dogs included) and soak our heads!

One of Bella's most favorite people is our nephew and he didn't fail her. He was a constant source of ball and stick tossing. I had made a request going into the weekend that we should not aid and abet by giving in to her constant demand, but no sooner had we made camp, then Bella was into the brush and came back with a tennis ball. Finally we tired of playing, so I placed the ball on the van's roof gutter. Not five minutes later, Bella comes back with another ball! Huh? After that one was removed, she went off and came back with a hard ball. Where does she find this stuff?!?

After all balls were removed, she went back into the brush (or which there was a lot) and dragged out part of a deer spine with ribs attached. Enough! We hung that in a tree and gave her back a ball. Co-dependency rules!

Flashback

Dora-Nellie-Bella, 5 weeks old.

I ran across this picture of Bella at about 5 weeks old. She was called "Dora" at the point by her first family. They renamed her "Nellie." She was so pudgy and cute; her coat had a lot more white in it. Her eyes were hazel then, though now they are light brown.

At that point I was fascinated by her coat, but more interested in another pup, an all black little girl called "Tweety" who was a bit spunkier than my girl.

It wasn't until I brought my husband to see the pups that Bella chose us...or more specifically, my husband. When he sat on the grass to observe, all five puppies jumped all over him, but only Bella settled in. I told him to move to see what she would do, so he got up and moved about 20 feet away. Bella got up, moved over to his side, and flopped back down  to sleep. Who could say no to a pup who says, "Your my family!"?

Car Travel Safety

Mountain biking outside of McCall, Idaho in '05.

Several years ago, my husband and I were mountain biking outside McCall, Idaho. The trails were gorgeous, the weather superb and the three of us (my husband, myself and our dog, Lucy) were having a wonderful ride until we met up with a young couple and their three legged border collie. They were also enjoying the area, but when we learned why the dog was missing one leg, my mood changed. Their dog fell out of the back of their pickup truck and was hit. Luckily the dog survived, but I am continuously flabbergasted when I see dogs unrestrained in cars, let alone loose in the back of a truck. What are these people thinking? Obviously not about their dog!

I used to own a Honda Civic hatchback (great little car) and initially kept my dog in the way back. At some point I had the awful thought of what might become of her if I was rear-ended. She then road in the back seat in a harness/leash/seat belt contraption.

Since then, all of our dogs have worn a harness attached to a short 18" leash. The seat belt passes through the handle and then into its buckle. I have looked at other harness mechanisms and at this point lean towards Ruff Rider's seat belt as I like the design, padding and chest criss-cross. It's not very expensive and has received lots of lauds yet suffers the same drawback as my present system. If the dog can step on the buckle, they can release the belt. Bella seems quite adept at this even though the buckle to hard to reach.

Periodically I revisit this issue to see if anything better has come along. Part of my recent research was because of an article in the May issue of Bark Magazine regarding traveling with your favorite four-legged friends. The article doesn't critique belts though and I wish it did. Recently I've seen several references to the downside of crating your dog in the car. Each time they refer to a German study. Here are some short videos from About.com that are horrifying even though they are testing with dummies (human and canine).

After looking at the video and the Ruff Rider harness...and then at my homemade, jerry-rigged setup, I think I'll be purchasing a real doggie car harness!

Bella's seat belt from in front and from behind.

Do Our Dogs Love Us?

Do dogs love us? I have started this post numerous times and continue to save it as a draft. Why? It just seems a bigger question than I can cognitively handle combining what I feel at a gut level and what I'm willing to accept intellectually. And really, my pup and I share lots of things, but not a common language, so I can’t just out and out ask her, “Do you love me?”

This question is one I periodically have with my family of non-scientific dog fanatics. We all agree that we think so as the dogs behavior is similar to our own with those we love. Coinciding with a family visit, a friend sent me this article, (What Pets Think of Us, by Steve Dale, USA Weekend) on whether dogs actually "love" us and it made me ponder whether Bella really loves me? Having been inculcated with the "don't anthropomorphize" school of thought, I am hesitant to say "love", but I will emphatically say she is definitely bonded with me and because she's my pup and I'm me, I'll say (under my breath) she loves me too.

Then there is this post, When You Are Generous, Your Dog Is Watching You, by Con Slobodchikoff regarding canine generosity and this one, Why Dog Trainers Will Have to Change Their Ways, by Kate Kellaway with The Observer on John Bradshaw's studies regarding letting a dog "win" when you play with him.....so is it the old "do unto others..." with dogs also?

I've grown up with dogs and each had a distinct personality. Some were quite attached to us and stuck with us when it might not have been "fun" for them, contrary to Bradshaw’s point of view when the dogs weren’t always on the “winning” end of the equation (though I realize he isn’t intimating they always have to win). The dogs were our compatriots through and through. They went where we went. They were aware when one of us was sick and stayed by that person's side. So does that mean they loved us?

Of the three dogs I've had as an adult, two have exhibited that behavior: Suzy, our first dog, and now, Bella. It's not that I think Lucy wasn't attached to us, but she was such a re-actor. In retrospect, although we gave her a good home and good care, I think she needed someone else who was more knowledgeable in dealing with a dog who acted so impulsively. I never felt that she "loved" for us, as much as she "needed" us.

Bella, on the other hand, is very attached to us without being needy. She is quite sure of herself and her relationship to her world. She can be put in a myriad of situations and does quite well assessing her place. She is incredibly attuned to our moods and health. And though she enjoys everyone’s company, she is most definitely attached to my husband and me.

But is that love? Am I happy with saying she is “merely” bonded? I am, but what do you think about this? Do you feel your pup loves you?

UPDATE: I just picked up John Bradshaw's book, Dog Sense, from the library. Chapter 6 is "Does Your Dog Love You." I'll report back when I've read it!

Where Has Your Pup Been?

A friend and I were shooting the breeze the other night, luxuriating in the fact that summer has finally hit the Pacific Northwest. It's been too long since we've had one—two years as a matter of fact—and we were making the most of it! It was one of those fantastic evenings where the air is the perfect temperature and so is the wine.

Our conversation covered the map: cooking, politics, kids, politics, dogs, politics, and then, since we were covering the conversational map, maps. I hauled out an old road atlas and we gazed at different states we'd visited and reminisced about our travels together. From there we wandered on to which dogs we had on which trips. Well, Bella had about enough of our talking about those dogs. She wanted to participate! So here are the states Bella has mountain biked, hiked and walked through in her short 27 months of life.

Bella's (orange) journey through the West.

Not bad for a whipper-snapper, eh? Where has your pup been?