Another Bella and Tarra

For those of you familiar with the story of the incredible friendship between a stray dog, Bella, and Asian elephant named Tarra, here is the final chapter in their friendship. How sad; what good friends they were. Poor Tarra. I'm sure her heart is heavy.

Back from Utah

Bella happily running WITHOUT her booties.

What a great trip! The weather began beautifully enough—low 70s during the day and sunny. Nights were in the 40s; stars amazing. For rides, I put Bella into some Ruff Wear booties and though she wasn't happy about it, she managed. The slickrock in that area is like sand paper and I knew, even if our ride was short, her paws would be raw. Two of them were lost by the end of the third day. Bum deal—and expensive.

She did do a run/ride on an old jeep, 4-wheel drive road that was a combination of rock and dirt. Her paws were okay at the end of that, but her muscles were sore from four days of running. Luckily, with a day of rest, she was ready to go again and I was able to locate a shop in town that carried the booties and get another pair. We won't be losing those again even if I have to staple them to her!

The last third of the trip, the weather turned cold. Days were no more than 50 degrees and nights in the low 20s. Sleeping for all of us was fitful and it took a while in the morning to warm up and be functional. We did a lot of hiking during this period in an area called Cedar Mesa. Incredible Anasazi ruins and petroglyphs everywhere. Not all trails allowed dogs, so we stuck to those that did.

Locals warned us that the coyotes could be quite opportunistic, so we were watchful when we let Bellie roam. Luckily, by nature, she stays close to the van and stakes out only a small perimeter. During the time we were gone, we only heard one coyote chorus, but it was thrilling. Just as the night sky began to lighten, several coyotes began yipping and howling. They sounded joyous and almost next to our van! Had they run into buddies they hadn't seen for a while or had they just completed a terrific hunt?

For Bella, the thrill was to be with us 24/7, off leash, in an environment of delicious new smells. I do think she's happy to be back home where meals come on time and the bed is cushy and warm. But a leash? Nope. She'd rather be back in Utah!

FOOTNOTE: I mentioned in my last post all the dog paraphernalia I was packing for her. Guess what I forgot? A brush! We were in dusty, dusty locations and she became a "Pigpen" with clouds of dust rising off her with each pat on her side. Bathing her was one of our priorities on return so she's now a clean machine!

What's in your dog bag?

We're frantically trying to pack for our trip so that we can leave bright and shiny tomorrow. Like anyone who is responsible for others, packing becomes more elaborate when one packs for more than oneself! I usually pack Bella first while I'm calm and collected, as the closer we get to leaving, the tension of time-schedules-gone-awry amps up and I'm afraid I might leave something important for her.

What, you might be asking, do I pack for my dog?

• Food
• Treats
• Chews
• Bowls
• Chuck-It
• Dog bag

...and what's in her dog bag?

• Towel
• Extra leash
• Extra collar
• Poop bags
• Kong
• Tooth brush/doggie tooth paste
• Dog Booties
• Doggie back pack
• 2 water bottles
• Collapsible water bowl
• Blinking light for her collar
• 4 chuck-it balls (in case one gets lost in the tundra)
• Nail trimmer (2...not sure why)
• Doggie Shampoo
• First aid kit (better than ours)

What's in the first aid kit? That will have to wait until another time...

Sitting Cozy

Sitting cozy.

Quick camping trip to enjoy the autumn color. Fall is definitely in the air. Days are comfortably warm; evenings are nippy. Even Bella was chilly. Nothing like a 60 pound cuddler crawling into your lap!

Photographs

If I could adopt and care well for a zillion dogs, I would. But rules are rules and the rule in this household, set by The Husband, is only one. That's okay...for now.

If I was a photographer, this blog would be filled with thousands of pictures of my Bella-girl in action. But as you have witnessed, I am not a photographer and only on occasion am I granted a singularly acceptable shot. (Perhaps part of the issue is I rarely have the camera with me!)

So to combine my love of dogs and my appreciation of photography, I look at several sites of people who are able to take gorgeous photographs of dogs (cats, horses...and even people!). Even better, many of them give back as members of HeARTs Speak by donating their time and talents to help for the betterment of animal welfare. Each artist has a unique angle. See for yourself.

• Julie Austin Photography 
• Sarah Beth Photography All of her stuff is wonderful, but I particularly like her "Joy" sessions where she photographs very old hounds whose time is just around the bend.
• Furr Butts Photography This is similar to the one above in that she has very heartfelt shots of "old souls."
• Leesia Teh Photography 
• Erin Vey Photography 
• Nizhoni Pet Photography This one seems to be on hiatus, but I still love the shots and the "Saving Grace Project."

Is there an animal photography site you appreciate? Let me know.