Woke up to yet another five, six inches of snow.
This is the most mid winter snow we’ve seen around here in years.
In the upper 40 it’s near two feet thick, with drifts getting deeper.
Taking Maddy out into the out-back is a trip, going off our trails ( that we’re having to constantly “re-break”)
she’s got to lunge and land chest deep then lung again.
But, she likes it. Well, not that she doesn’t look for and take advantage of shallower snow.
I’ve gone from kicking snow to genuine post-holing past my knee’s even and thinking it’s time for snow-shoes,
though I don’t have any, and don’t like walking in them anyways, so it’s just a funny thought.
Rabbit tracks everywhere, and their even having a tough time getting around,
but it’s an advantage for them, not Maddy.
That little imp has become quite the hunter, at first the neighbor laughed at her.
“She’ll never catch a rabbit” my old-timer neighbor assured us - then she did and we caulked it off to luck and a slow or already injured rabbit.
Then a couple weeks later she caught another, followed by yet another, three rabbit kills that we know of.
Fact is, we got a genuine K9 huntress on our hands and she’s had unlimited opportunities to learn her craft.
I tend to let her take the lead once were away from the buildings, so I’ve had a front row seat to watching her on the prowl.
Been fascinated and has helped compensate for all the writing time I’ve been losing on her account.
The walks do give me more mediation time, and I do love it out there,
so I’m still hoping in the long run that I won’t have to sacrifice the one for the other.
In some ways it’s been frustrating, but what makes her frustrating are also reflections of my own personality and what I let her get away with.
She loves the outdoors more than indoors, she doesn’t like being told what to do, and demands a lot of space.
I’m not her master, I’m her companion At Her Pleasure.
At home she’s constantly bugging me for yet another walk, and she definitely likes my company,
but the moment something else catches her interest I’m nothing and she’s gone.
I have almost no voice “command” unless I let loose a blood curdling primal STOP damit - that’s gotten her to freeze a couple times.
When I do get to her, I make a point of being very friendly so as not to reinforce the fear that scream instills.
But I hate doing that, and know that it would lose it’s effectiveness in a hurry if I tried doing it regularly.
So she just runs off like an imp, a couple futile “Maddy stop” “Maddy heal”
and then I say to hell with it and eventually she finds me again, on her terms and not mine.
When we were kids, our parents would take us “coaching” (sounds great in the German) -
basically the good old fashioned Sunday Drive that’s probably out of fashion these days.
In any event, I can distinctly remember the huge let-down I’d get when the car did it’s turn around to head back home.
Thank god at 13 we took a drive out of mid-town Chicago, a drive that never did turn around to go back - I loved it!
Landing in the middle of the SanFrancisco peninsula wonderland, and a whole new life opening up was icing on the cake.
I know I’ve got to get a handle on that - work the treats better - get some trainer out here to train me and her now that we’ve got a good routine going.
(if at times frustrating for me - or should I say for my expectations.)
Being under two, she’s still got a lot of the pup in her.
I hope she slows down, before she has a chance to get herself into serious trouble.
Funniest part, and likewise what’s most frustrating and frightening is how similar our personalities are.
Don’t tread on me and give me my space and freedom to roam is her motto as much as mine.
So I understand it’s the very things I allow, if not encourage, that’s creating the most worrying situations.
But, I don’t want her on the leash all the time… but I want her to obey… but I don’t want to regiment her… but, but, but…
Some of you familiar with my dog story might be wondering about the ‘bear’ next door.
Well, Mishka the Newfoundland pup next door and Maddy have become bosom buddies.
When Maddy comes home, coat full of goobers and disheveled, we know where she’s been.
Unfortunately, Mishka (Russian for little bear - very appropriate) the year old pup at about 120 lbs and growing
has too much mass and momentum and has injured himself, nearly pulling a muscle/tendon off it’s bone.
At first they were going to operate, but on further consideration,
it was decided he’s so young that allowing his body to repair the damage would be better than cutting and sowing.
But, that means a winter of NO rough-housing.
That means we need to keep the dogs apart - both are very pissed and consider us awful cold hearted owners for keeping them apart.
I never did find Maddy in that holiday picture you posted.
I never did find Maddy in that holiday picture you posted.Yeah, that's the problem with her. Then right when you give up on her, she'll come tearing up from behind you. :coolsmirk:
I never did find Maddy in that holiday picture you posted.Here you go.