Bite-y dogs and KVR Trail Challenge

 Charlie and I at the Trail marker for Big Valley Trail head on Big Valley Road.

Courtesy of Bill L.

My hiking pal...Mr. Bill texted me with a weather report for this coming week. He asked if we could find a time on Monday for our weekly hike since the rest of the week would definitely not be good for adventures.

So I made arrangements to grocery-get at 7AM, handled hubby's virtual doctor appointment, set up his lunch and off we went.

It was a point to point hike. I parked at the Bridge 10 lot and he parked his truck on the gravel road access to Big Valley. We saw two ladies with a little dog on a leash ahead of us. From April 15th through July 15th all dogs have to be leashed otherwise there is no leash requirement. Charlie was wearing his electric collar as usual and I carried his leash.

Here's Bill inspecting some of the clean up on the trail after this winter's straight winds.

In the summer, this trail is heavily shaded by oaks, maples, and pines. We were able to see some incredible rock formations along the way. I didn't get photos of them. 

Remember the little dog? Well, the ladies let him off leash and when I saw them coming I reached down to hook up Charlie. Next thing I know there was a blur of the little wire haired terrier running right up to Charlie. They sniffed and immediately the other dog bit Charlie.

Charlie squealed bloody murder and the little shit tried to bite Charlie's butt as he scooted between my legs.

Mr. Bill pushed the little shit away with his boot while I scooped Charlie up. I didn't get bit, but the dog kept jumping on me trying to get at Charlie.

The two ladies walked up and one said as she passed us: "He likes humans but he really dislikes other dogs." She kept walking and the dog left with them.

Mr. Bill and I looked at each other: Dumbstruck.

So quick. I never saw it coming. So much for my pepper spray idea, right?

Really? Not even a 'Sorry, is your dog alright?' 

Charlie recovered quickly, obviously not very distressed and probably none the worse for wear. We humans were much more upset.

We enjoyed the amazing scenery and the rock formations that are generally hidden by leaves and underbrush. Both of us discussed climbing up to explore the rock shelters, but we had a time frame to adhere to. Bill had to be home when his grands get off the school bus and I have my own schedule to keep.

And you know it...guess who joined us?

He enjoys Squatching along just like anyone else!

Nearing the end of the trail.

We parted our ways and I set Charlie in his crate. He turned around 3 times and then fell promptly asleep.

Trail section #49 can be marked off. Onward!
Here's to no more bite-y dogs. I'll just pick him up if I spot another dog.

Most other dog owners are super polite and ask if it is okay for their dog to approach yours. I won't let one bad dog owner ruin it for us.

The World Stops when Charlie gets sick

 

Oh Charlie .... Charlie!

I knew something was 'off' with him when I put out his food and he looked at it ... then at me ... and walked away. That IS not Charlie. He is a food driven dog. So much so that if he hears a plastic bag rattle or the lid to his dog food can, he comes on the swift trot to observe and to hopefully eat.

He loves dog treats and gets mini ones on the trail when he comes to my call. So I knew this was not normal. He sat on the porch when I did chores and didn't follow me. He was begging to get back inside the house.

Later, I took him for a long walk and he did his regular business, then ate grass and tossed up. He seemed better after that yet still ignored his food. He took a drink and moments later that came up too. 

Oh Charlie.

As I was talking to Rich about it, he kept putting a paw on my leg. He wanted only to lay in my lap. I will admit. I am a softy when it comes to my pets. Even Rich leaned over and asked Charlie, "Hey buddy, what's wrong?" For Rich to show concern is a big deal as he likes to claim that he doesn't care about house dogs and that he is a tough old guy.

Huh. Not so. 
More barf of clear foamy stuff and I could hear his stomach gurgling. Rich blamed it on the treat he'd gotten. Actually I think while I had him in the woods with me yesterday, he had busied himself with digging hard under rotten logs. He kept grabbing things with his mouth and shaking them. Something in the woods more than likely didn't agree with him.

I took a syringe without a needle and gave him some water. He took that then got up and took another drink.

I had plans for the day. Run to the butcher/meat place and get a month's supply of meat, get some more dog food and gasoline for the mower and later diesel for the skid steer. 

I'd taken inventory of our household items and planned on making October a NO stores/ no outside contact month. I had a local supplier for eggs and a plan for milk. My stock was just about complete.

But the World Stops Turning When a Pet Gets Ill. 

Yes. I spent the whole day holding Charlie in my lap and listening to his stomach gurgle, checking his gums, and watching over him. 

About 4pm a light switched on in his eyes and he bounded off the couch and ate his breakfast. He then went on to annoy Rich with his tennis ball.

I swear

You could hear us both sigh with relief.

Whoever said a Dog is Just a Dog? Or a pet is just a pet?

Not in my house.

All is well again.

Backpack for Charlie???

8/26 Sunrise with 

smoke and haze

high in the atmosphere.

Hot Summer Sunrise.

Hot, HOT!

I'm looking for a doggy backpack for this fall. I intend on taking some nice long hikes and he is such good company. I found a backpack that when not being used as a pet transport can be used as a regular backpack with shoulder stays, a sternum and waist strap. I'm pretty sure I can use it as they advertise and wear it in front until he is more comfortable and I can wear it on my back?

After all. What is 12 extra pounds right?

Charlie does very well on hikes, however he has one severely bowed leg and a foot that is sort of a bit angled funny. Sure it is the result of cross breeding and we are pretty sure that eventually it will be a problem. That said, his little imperfections are nothing but a delight to us.

I've been looking for a way to safely take him bicycling with me and a way to carry him effectively when he gets tired. He is an amazing little trooper and I've wracked my brains on how to take him along in the winter when I snow shoe.

I've been thinking about a sling to carry him or a little bike pull along stroller type thing. Those work fine for most people, but Charlie and I like the rough trails so a pack seems to be reasonable. When Charlie isn't with me, I can use it for my gear.

I almost never hike without a backpack as it carries extra water and important items like a space blanket, emergency poncho, lighter, a firestick in case I have to make an emergency campfire, and a small first aid kit.

Charlie can handle about 2 hours of steady hiking on rough trails before he asks for a rest. I usually carry him then for a while. He is really quite the little tough guy. 

I thought of a front carrier but I the reviews on this pack said I could switch it around to front to help get the dog used to it.

So...

Well...

I ordered it.

So watch for reviews and how Charlie and I get along with a backpack. The super nice thing about this is that it has a very sturdy waterproof bottom that would fit my camera gear nicely. I have a padded insert for putting camera 'stuff' inside a regular backpack.

Stay tuned....

Charlie takes the Dahl Subaru Dealership by Storm

When I made the appointment on line for an oil change and tire rotation for the car at Dahl Subaru, there was a note saying that they had a mini dog park for those owners who wished to bring their canine friends with them to the service center.

I thought it would be a good trip for Charlie to try out. It was a busy city area and there would be plenty of people to see. The drive would be a bit longer than he was used to and I'd see if he had indeed gotten over his car sickness issues.

Well here is proof positive that Charlie does like car rides now. He makes sure that I am going in the proper direction from the safety of his home made car seat. He can peer out the windows but not jump out as he is held in by his harness. When he tires of watching the road, he curls up and either keeps an eye on me, or naps.

When we got to the dealership, Jason walked up to take my name and melted when he saw Charlie.
"I love him! Look at those little legs!"

I signed the paperwork to authorize the work on the vehicle and then Jason walked me to the 'dog park' or mini playground they had built attached to the dealership. Jason offered to get some fresh water for Charlie. I told him we carried his little bowl and water in my back pack.

On the way through the showroom we were stopped several times so people could meet Charlie. A couple that were inspecting a CrossTrek stopped me to show me photos of the brown daschund, and to pet Charlie of course.

Alex who has sold us two Subaru's came out to visit for a bit. He pulled out his smartphone and showed me photos of his daughter with their part daschund dog!

Another fellow stopped after parking some new vehicles and visited Charlie through the fence. A lady pushed her baby carriage up to the fence so her daughter could see Charlie.

One of the secretaries came out.
"Can I get your dog some fresh water?"
"Can I pet your dog?"

Charlie was totally engrossed by all the other dog smells. But each human deserved his personal greeting.

When the Jason from Service came back to tell me the vehicle was done, he opened the door and Charlie ran to him.

I told Jason to watch it, Charlie would slip around him and go visit everyone in the showroom and offices if he let him through.

Jason and the secretary shrugged and said, "They would love that!"
I put Charlie on his leash and he began his perp walk to the service area.

Along the way other salespeople and managers all stepped out to say hello to Charlie.
And Charlie? He just walked along as if he owned the place.

As I paid for the service at the desk, another customer walked up and asked if he could pet Charlie.

We walked to the car and Charlie looked up at me as if to say.
"Why are we leaving? There were so many nice humans in there! Let's go back!"

Charlie slept most of the way home.

I think the vote is finally in. Charlie is good for longer car rides and behaves well in strange places.

He is a keeper.
~~~~~~~~
Last note. I continue to go to this dealership because of their outstanding customer service and their employees.

Last year I'd take my husband's truck to a dealership close to home and the difference is glaring. I will never return to the one close to home for anything.

Mini dogs

I've always loved BIG dogs. Nike was a cross between a Belgian Shephard and a Golden Retriever. Missy was a Samoyed/Lab. Nice and big.

I raised a litter of orphan hound dogs in our tiny kitchen of our tiny house and they did move outside and left our place to become working dogs. This was over 20 years ago.

However I yearned for a house dog after meeting Rich.
He found a tiny terrier mix dog and we had Xena. And she was a warrior. She was a Fiest Terrier and was very aggressive.

She only lived for 4 yrs. In the end it was her aggressive hunting and attitude that did her in.
I mourned her. She had been tough as nails and had more attitude than most any dog I'd ever known.

Sometimes she'd take off and come back exhausted.


Morris.
Well no explaining there. 14 years of an incredible friendship.
And he had a great job.

He helped train any hound dog puppies that came to our farm.

Dixie who was 'trained' by Morris has helped train Charlie.

And today it was Charlie's turn to help out with a puppy!

Meet Basil.
Our neighbor's new puppy. A Bichon Frise and Shih Tzu mix!

Not such a great photo, but you can see that Basil will be taller than Charlie, however...
Charlie is a tough little guy and ...

paid Basil no mind when she tried to 'lead' him.

Mini dogs.

Are we having fun yet?

I am.

Training Collar ~ by Charlie

Well the Bossy Lady got upset twice when I went running off into the underbrush and disappeared. The old guy just grumped at me and growled when I was out in the yard and didn't listen to his calls.

So the old grumpy guy said the Bossy Lady should do better training. Bossy Lady said she needed a training collar like the one she used on Dixie to keep Dixie from chasing deer.

Yup. I chased deer one morning too. I lost sight of them, but could smell them! I ran off into the fog and caused Her to have Heart Failure because the grass swallowed me up.

So I got this pretty little funky collar to go with my camo collar. It is loose on me and not snug. I don't mind it at all because I am a tough guy. And She says I look like a Big Dog wearing it.

Imagine my confusion when I trotted off into the woods on one of our morning walks and She called and called. I ignored her. After all, MY daddy is a mini doxxie and dachshunds were bred for hunting. I'm just following my heritage and nose. What can I say?
She called.
Nope I didn't want to go back.
Something beeped and beeped.
She called.
I spun around confused.
She called.
I sat down and thought about the beeps.
Then my neck vibrated.
Okay, that scared the crap out of me and I ran to Her.
She smiled and loved me all up.

"Oh Charlie! You are such a good boy!" I like it when she does that. I get all wiggly and goofy.

She and the old grumpy guy [he isn't really grumpy] are taking me on short walks after breakfast now. The old guy is doing it because he says She nags him to walk, but he wants to walk and get stronger.
I get to go and show off my skills.

Don't get me wrong. I still get to chase squirrels and birds...and run and sniff around. But now I pay attention when I am called and I get the "Charlie, you are such a good boy! A lot which is better than the Bad Boy Charlie!" or the sound of Her having a Heart Failure.

I am a very quick learner.
Old Grumpy Guy says I am stubborn just like Her.
She says I am stubborn just like the Old Grumpy Guy.

I don't care, just as long as we take nice walks. 

Puppy Piles and Love

I've kept in touch with Charlie's Human Mom.

I found out that there was another litter of puppies due on July 28th or somewhere there abouts.
I used messenger and told Judy that I'd love to come and take photos of the puppies.



I brought Charlie's home made car seat to show Judy.
And...this happened...

I think they liked it!
This is Scooter on the bottom and Sophie on the top. Pekingese dogs. Adorable and very friendly.

Sophie's pups were playing puppy pile in the yard.

Only a stone cold heart wouldn't melt with this scene.

I brought a basket and put a pillow and a blanket in it. They loved it.
See the pup with the green collar? SHE picked me. Well so did the one with the blue collar.

I saw this look through the lens and my heart melted into little puddle of mush.

Thankfully, Sophie walked by and the puppies saw the moving snack bar.

And Sophie took care of them.

After snacking the pups were ready for a nap of sorts.
I put them back in the basket they climbed over one another and ...

...fell into puppy slumber land in mixed up little piles.

Sophie climbed into my lap while I sat on the grass and gave me loving snuffles.

I stayed for a while after putting the camera away and talked with Judy. What a great gal.
We enjoyed visiting with each other.

And...yet, I still wanted to go grab the one with the green collar. She just.
Well.
I know Rich would have a fit.
But.
Sigh.

I mean...

Goodness...

Charlie

So what has Charlie been up to lately?

Well he has been busy but I've been careful because of the high heat and humidity. 

He comes with me in the evening and some mornings to help me do the chores. Well, he thinks he is helping, but he mainly just follows me.

My husband thinks Charlie is bull headed and won't come when called. And that is sometimes true especially if he can hear the neighbor kids or the golf cart that the parents have. I explained to Rich that all the children and Lauren come down on the golf cart to visit Charlie and take him for walks when we are at VA appointments.

Charlie adores the neighbors and absolutely loves the kids. They in turn love him back as he is not big nor is he intimidating.

Charlie still watches for birds to chase willy nilly through the yard. He enjoys sitting on the porch and overseeing his kingdom from his 7" perspective. He watches cattle, birds, mules, the sky and turns to listen to noises from afar.

He has learned that the porch fan is great for blowing away bothersome bugs and gnats.

Taking a snooze with someone on the couch while they are reading is also a popular 'sport' of his.

He prefers children to snuggle with like this. Occasionally I do lay down and read and he will come and stand on the couch and stare at me until he finally decides I'm worthy of his company.

He understands electric fences now too. Last week he touched a bottom wire and since then he refuses to walk by that particular spot.

He supervises me while I move the yard pony from one place to another for spot grazing around old equipment. He wants to become friends with Little Richard. But I think the size difference puts him off.

He will dart in to grab a fresh pile of pony manure and take a big bite. I think he does that just to make me screech "NO NO NO, ICK ICKY ICKY!"
I swear he smiles at me.

He likes bugs. He likes toads.

He loves to wake Rich up in the morning by laying on the bed next to him. I set him on the bed and the two of them go through a morning ritual of sorts.

Charlie sometimes prefers to just lay back down and snooze.

He has a new funny and odd habit. He loves to go behind the couch where I have the clothes rack and the baby gate stored. Sometimes he just lays there and other times I think he plays games back there....

I need to figure out how to get him to grab the dust bunnies and do some cleaning back there too.

Charlie remains a sweet tempered dog with a huge heart.

He loves slippers and flip flops. He doesn't really harm them anymore, he just likes to carry them around and rearrange them.

Charlie ... the charmer.

Challenges with Charlie

I have such a hard time with Charlie. He is so mild mannered and sweet.

He wants to hike with me at all times. That is no problem because I like his company and the little bells jingling on his collar. But the field grass and the forest undergrowth is getting tall!

Soon I won't be able to find Charlie! He is 7 inches tall at the shoulder. He has grown in length to perhaps 12 inches?

There are many groomed hiking trails at parks I can visit. I've also been looking for an over the shoulder bag to carry him in when he gets tired. So far I've just resorted to carrying him tucked under an arm.  I'm going to try out a canvas bag on our next walk. I've looked at many of the 'dog' bags on different sites and am not sure what may be comfortable for him and me.

We won't be doing Marathon Hiking together, but nice 3 to 4 mile hikes may be in order. A hike around Jersey Valley or Sidie Hollow would work out nicely.

I think our local deep woods hiking may have to be put on hold unless we stick mostly to the creek bottom. I used to fear losing Morris too in deep summer as the undergrowth got thick.
I don't worry about Dixie, she is easy to spot with her bright collar and generally never goes more than 30 feet from me. She also runs like a maniac to me if I just cluck or whistle.
Charlie tends to ignore me if something is more interesting. But perhaps doing groomed trails will help with that. Once he learns the routine he will stick closer?

He entertains us always. Yesterday I opened the inner door so he could look outside. He played with the Lime Green Hedgehog toy and when I turned around I saw this....

Too darned cute.

In the morning he has a routine. I use a gate to keep him confined to the kitchen until about 7:30 or so. When the clock hits that minute, he is at the gate waiting to go wake up Rich and get his morning pet and cuddle.

I think some mornings he'd just lay down and sleep next to Rich.

The car rides are getting better. Charlie does so much better if he is held while being transported. If he goes in his crate and isn't held, he gets sick.
However, I've been taking him on short rides with his tiny bed on the car seat and a leash/harness contraption so that he can look around but not crawl into my lap while I am driving.

I think I will devise a 'booster' seat of some kind so he can be busy looking out the windows.

We are getting there. Charlie is amazing. Last night Rich wanted to watch some stuff on Netflix and Charlie settled in between us on the loveseat. I glanced over and noticed that Charlie was on his side with Rich's hand slowly petting him over and over.
There was such a great look of contentment on both human and dog faces that I couldn't help but smile inside and out.

Morris never liked petting much. Charlie loves being touched.

After all, what is not to love about this face?