Hanging out at the San Miguel River in Telluride...
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Saturday, February 28, 2015
At Will Rogers Park
"Walking up to Inspiration Point in Will Rogers State Park is about the biggest thing I do, except for summers at Trout Lake and stopping by Dinosaur Tracks near Tuba City on the way.
Here I am with Stormy, getting a drink after our walk.
Haven't tasted any cats lately either."
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
A Ridgeback Time Lapse
Thanks to Marie for finding this time-lapse photo sequence of a Rhodesian ridgeback from puppyhood to age three.
http://www.incrediblethings.com/pets/sweet-time-lapse-puppy-growing-dog/
Fun! This dog looks so much like Na'ilah!
http://www.incrediblethings.com/pets/sweet-time-lapse-puppy-growing-dog/
Fun! This dog looks so much like Na'ilah!
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Dog Pound
It cost me $46 to bail Na'ilah out of the pound today.
We're having our chimney demolished and a new one built; the gated fence to the backyard was attached to the chimney but now one side swings crazily without an anchor.
It was too tempting for Na'ilah.
When someone walked a handsome German shepherd past the house, Na'ilah climbed through the gap and followed them to the end of the street.
My neighbor Eric didn't recognize her as our dog.
The owner of the shepherd didn't want Na'ilah to continue following him and perhaps get hit by a car, so he took charge. She had no licence or dog tag on, so he took her to the local animal shelter.
She was so sweet about being taken that he told the desk clerk, "If no one claims her, I'll adopt her."
Why did she have no tags on?
I'd removed her Santa Monica ID when I took her to Colorado. I just had my name and Colorado phone number on her, but she managed to lose that collar/harness and the ID with it. It probably got snagged on a tree somewhere.
On our return her, I forgot to put her local ID back on. That cost me $46--but at least she wasn't injured or permanently lost.
We're having our chimney demolished and a new one built; the gated fence to the backyard was attached to the chimney but now one side swings crazily without an anchor.
It was too tempting for Na'ilah.
When someone walked a handsome German shepherd past the house, Na'ilah climbed through the gap and followed them to the end of the street.
My neighbor Eric didn't recognize her as our dog.
The owner of the shepherd didn't want Na'ilah to continue following him and perhaps get hit by a car, so he took charge. She had no licence or dog tag on, so he took her to the local animal shelter.
She was so sweet about being taken that he told the desk clerk, "If no one claims her, I'll adopt her."
Why did she have no tags on?
I'd removed her Santa Monica ID when I took her to Colorado. I just had my name and Colorado phone number on her, but she managed to lose that collar/harness and the ID with it. It probably got snagged on a tree somewhere.
On our return her, I forgot to put her local ID back on. That cost me $46--but at least she wasn't injured or permanently lost.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Starry Night
It's midnight as we reach the turn off for Dinosaur Tracks.
I'm sorry to arrive here so late--I'd been hoping to be here in late afternoon and to talk with the people who recognized Na'ilah as the stray they'd seen last August.
Nevertheless, I do want to stop. Where better to see the stars than this deserted spot far from any lights?
I let the dogs out of the car on leashes and turn off my flashlight.
The Milky Way jumps out at me, streaking across the sky south to north from Scorpio to Cassiopeia's Chair.
Na'ilah pulls me forward toward the empty shelters where the Navajos sell jewelry and other handicrafts. She sniffs eagerly.
I stumble in the dark on the bare rock rutted with dinosaur tracks and pull her back: "No, Na'ilah! Stay!"
We pause, absorbing the silence and sheer beauty of the skies.
When I open the back of the car again, Stormy runs to jump in. She doesn't see why we had to stop in this dark and lonely place.
Na'ilah, however, won't jump in. She keeps pulling at the leash and staring off into the distance.
She has assumed her vigil pose: sniffing, looking, listening for prey or danger.
Usually she jumps into the car obediently as soon as I say, "Let's go!" She knows a treat will follow.
But now she won't jump in. She has spent a week or more here alone at night. It's familiar to her--a place of freedom and excitement. Maybe she's forgotten about the empty stomach that was also a part of this experience.
Repeatedly I tell her "Come, Na'ilah! Let's go!"
Finally she leaps in and we get back on Hwy. 160, soon to reach Hwy. 89 and drive south toward Flagstaff.
I'm sorry to arrive here so late--I'd been hoping to be here in late afternoon and to talk with the people who recognized Na'ilah as the stray they'd seen last August.
Nevertheless, I do want to stop. Where better to see the stars than this deserted spot far from any lights?
I let the dogs out of the car on leashes and turn off my flashlight.
The Milky Way jumps out at me, streaking across the sky south to north from Scorpio to Cassiopeia's Chair.
Na'ilah pulls me forward toward the empty shelters where the Navajos sell jewelry and other handicrafts. She sniffs eagerly.
I stumble in the dark on the bare rock rutted with dinosaur tracks and pull her back: "No, Na'ilah! Stay!"
We pause, absorbing the silence and sheer beauty of the skies.
When I open the back of the car again, Stormy runs to jump in. She doesn't see why we had to stop in this dark and lonely place.
Na'ilah, however, won't jump in. She keeps pulling at the leash and staring off into the distance.
She has assumed her vigil pose: sniffing, looking, listening for prey or danger.
Usually she jumps into the car obediently as soon as I say, "Let's go!" She knows a treat will follow.
But now she won't jump in. She has spent a week or more here alone at night. It's familiar to her--a place of freedom and excitement. Maybe she's forgotten about the empty stomach that was also a part of this experience.
Repeatedly I tell her "Come, Na'ilah! Let's go!"
Finally she leaps in and we get back on Hwy. 160, soon to reach Hwy. 89 and drive south toward Flagstaff.
Na'ilah Sees Her Cousin
We're driving back to Los Angeles after three weeks in Colorado.
After leaving the gas station at Towaoc on the Ute Mountain Ute reservation, we drive almost four hours straight and stop in Tuba City for dinner--Stormy and Na'ilah's dinner, that is. I'm snacking on banana nut bread and peanuts.
At the gas station, there's a skinny stray dog whose color is exactly the reddish brown of Na'ilah.
When I open the can of dog food, add some kibble, and serve it up to Stormy and Na'ilah, the stray comes running up.
Na'ilah starts a ferocious barking I've never heard before from her. She's usually a very quiet dog--the only time this summer I heard a woof out of her was when she saw a porcupine scramble up a tree.
As the stray retreats, I try to calm Na'ilah down. Clearly she's experienced at defending food from other dogs, perhaps even specifically at gas stations.
After she's done eating, I fill up her dish with the remaining half can of dog food and some more kibble. I carry it out of sight of my dogs and serve it up to this waif.
Afterward as I'm reloading things at the back of my car, the dog comes back and Na'ilah sniffs her with interest, wagging her tail.
This dog looks so much like Na'ilah, and we're near the place where I picked her up last August.
They're both bay color with a white bib. This dog is smaller and has the white feet of a boxer, but her head is more like a pit bull.
Are they cousins? Second cousins? Except for the square face of a pit bull, she looks like the other dog that was with Na'ilah last August. Does Na'ilah recognize her?
This dog is not completely skin and bones the way Na'ilah was when I found her. In fact, she seems to be making a pretty good living. She leaves us and approaches another driver, who is giving her something like a chunk of bread or maybe half a hamburger.
(I confess, the thought crossed my mind: should I take this dog home? But she's in town and may have an owner.)
As I start to drive off, a Navajo man approaches my car window and asks for money. Yes, he's mumbling and has alcohol on his breath; it's been a few years since I was panhandled by a guy like this on the rez.
I take the coward's way out and hand him a bill. Like the dog, he seems to be doing pretty well at this gas station.
Na'ilah, Stormy, and I drive on toward Dinosaur Tracks.
After leaving the gas station at Towaoc on the Ute Mountain Ute reservation, we drive almost four hours straight and stop in Tuba City for dinner--Stormy and Na'ilah's dinner, that is. I'm snacking on banana nut bread and peanuts.
At the gas station, there's a skinny stray dog whose color is exactly the reddish brown of Na'ilah.
When I open the can of dog food, add some kibble, and serve it up to Stormy and Na'ilah, the stray comes running up.
Na'ilah starts a ferocious barking I've never heard before from her. She's usually a very quiet dog--the only time this summer I heard a woof out of her was when she saw a porcupine scramble up a tree.
As the stray retreats, I try to calm Na'ilah down. Clearly she's experienced at defending food from other dogs, perhaps even specifically at gas stations.
After she's done eating, I fill up her dish with the remaining half can of dog food and some more kibble. I carry it out of sight of my dogs and serve it up to this waif.
Afterward as I'm reloading things at the back of my car, the dog comes back and Na'ilah sniffs her with interest, wagging her tail.
This dog looks so much like Na'ilah, and we're near the place where I picked her up last August.
They're both bay color with a white bib. This dog is smaller and has the white feet of a boxer, but her head is more like a pit bull.
Are they cousins? Second cousins? Except for the square face of a pit bull, she looks like the other dog that was with Na'ilah last August. Does Na'ilah recognize her?
This dog is not completely skin and bones the way Na'ilah was when I found her. In fact, she seems to be making a pretty good living. She leaves us and approaches another driver, who is giving her something like a chunk of bread or maybe half a hamburger.
(I confess, the thought crossed my mind: should I take this dog home? But she's in town and may have an owner.)
As I start to drive off, a Navajo man approaches my car window and asks for money. Yes, he's mumbling and has alcohol on his breath; it's been a few years since I was panhandled by a guy like this on the rez.
I take the coward's way out and hand him a bill. Like the dog, he seems to be doing pretty well at this gas station.
Na'ilah, Stormy, and I drive on toward Dinosaur Tracks.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
One Crazy Week
Sorry to have been out of touch for a full week! Bloggers are supposed to post at least daily, but I've been too tired to get to the computer.
May 21 -- We reached Needles safely. Na'ilah turns out to be a good traveler for road trips (even when she's not emaciated and terrified, as she was last August 25).
May 22 -- As we passed through Flagstaff, I pulled over to take a photo of the smoke plume from the forest fire between here and Sedona. It just took a few seconds to snap a couple of photos from the driver's seat window, but suddenly I heard a thrashing noise and realized Na'ilah had taken the opportunity to jump out another open window and chase off, probably after seeing a deer.
After getting her back in the car, we drove on to Dinosaur Tracks, where I had picked up Na'ilah as a skin-and-bones stray. Two Navajo women selling jewelry there recognized her and gave her a warm welcome. We spent the night in Tsegi.
May 23 -- We drove back to Dinosaur Tracks to visit again, then on to Colorado, arriving at 10 pm. Snow on the ground but dogs were well behaved.
May 24 -- At 7 am I took the dogs out on leashes to relieve themselves. But Na'ilah took off after a snowshoe rabbit. I managed to keep the leash in my hand and not lose her, but she pulled me a ways before I sat down in the snow in mud with my foot against a rock to stop her. We all three sat there and watched the rabbit hop off across the snow.
At 9:30 am I allowed the dogs to be off-leash while I unloaded the car and got ready to drive into Telluride. I recalled them successfully a couple of times with jerkey treats. But then I saw Na'ilah way off cross the meadow near a neighbor's house. I called her, and she turned her head, looking at me.
"Obedience or marmot?" she must have been thinking. She then ambled down the hill toward the river, out of my view.
Stormy and I spent the next hour looking for her as I called out her name. Finally we spotted her and all got in the car to go to Telluride and get the program for the Mountainfilm Festival.
May 25 -- It snowed 4-5 inches, but the dogs were well-behaved.
May 26 -- We took a hike to the foot of Bridal Veil Falls. Dogs were leashed all the way, or Na'ilah would never have been seen again. She pulled me up the mountain, actually. Snow banks by the side of the road and animals under rocks were the main attraction.
May 27 -- I learned that I need to drive back to Los Angeles for a blood test. I have breast cancer stage 1. (See my blog on it -- http://www.doingthecancerdance.blogspot.com/ ) The dogs spent most of the day on the front deck with the ramp to the driveway blocked by a children's plastic gate and a deck chair, but Na'ilah escaped a couple of times. I chased after her and put her in the house for a while each time.
May 28 -- My neighbor told me that there are a lot of porcupines around our area this year. He's shot three so far, but they keep coming back. I thank my lucky stars that Na'ilah didn't stick her nose into one yet. I got out the stake and long wire to hook her on a 30-foot leash.
I walked the dogs by the lake before starting the drive to California. Some Canadian geese followed us as we walked around the water's edge. Na'ilah walked forty feet away and watched them sweetly--until they suddenly flapped their wings and lifted off from the water. At that point she tore the leash out of my hand, bounded toward the water, and plunged in.
We left Trout Lake at 2 pm and visited Na'ilah's friends at Dinosaur Tracks again before driving on to Flagstaff.
May 29 -- The dogs patiently sit in the car while I catch up on my blog. Then we will drive on toward Los Angeles with no more adventures--please! However, we will turn around and drive back on May 30 and 31 after my blood test.
May 21 -- We reached Needles safely. Na'ilah turns out to be a good traveler for road trips (even when she's not emaciated and terrified, as she was last August 25).
May 22 -- As we passed through Flagstaff, I pulled over to take a photo of the smoke plume from the forest fire between here and Sedona. It just took a few seconds to snap a couple of photos from the driver's seat window, but suddenly I heard a thrashing noise and realized Na'ilah had taken the opportunity to jump out another open window and chase off, probably after seeing a deer.
After getting her back in the car, we drove on to Dinosaur Tracks, where I had picked up Na'ilah as a skin-and-bones stray. Two Navajo women selling jewelry there recognized her and gave her a warm welcome. We spent the night in Tsegi.
May 23 -- We drove back to Dinosaur Tracks to visit again, then on to Colorado, arriving at 10 pm. Snow on the ground but dogs were well behaved.
May 24 -- At 7 am I took the dogs out on leashes to relieve themselves. But Na'ilah took off after a snowshoe rabbit. I managed to keep the leash in my hand and not lose her, but she pulled me a ways before I sat down in the snow in mud with my foot against a rock to stop her. We all three sat there and watched the rabbit hop off across the snow.
At 9:30 am I allowed the dogs to be off-leash while I unloaded the car and got ready to drive into Telluride. I recalled them successfully a couple of times with jerkey treats. But then I saw Na'ilah way off cross the meadow near a neighbor's house. I called her, and she turned her head, looking at me.
"Obedience or marmot?" she must have been thinking. She then ambled down the hill toward the river, out of my view.
Stormy and I spent the next hour looking for her as I called out her name. Finally we spotted her and all got in the car to go to Telluride and get the program for the Mountainfilm Festival.
May 25 -- It snowed 4-5 inches, but the dogs were well-behaved.
May 26 -- We took a hike to the foot of Bridal Veil Falls. Dogs were leashed all the way, or Na'ilah would never have been seen again. She pulled me up the mountain, actually. Snow banks by the side of the road and animals under rocks were the main attraction.
May 27 -- I learned that I need to drive back to Los Angeles for a blood test. I have breast cancer stage 1. (See my blog on it -- http://www.doingthecancerdance.blogspot.com/ ) The dogs spent most of the day on the front deck with the ramp to the driveway blocked by a children's plastic gate and a deck chair, but Na'ilah escaped a couple of times. I chased after her and put her in the house for a while each time.
May 28 -- My neighbor told me that there are a lot of porcupines around our area this year. He's shot three so far, but they keep coming back. I thank my lucky stars that Na'ilah didn't stick her nose into one yet. I got out the stake and long wire to hook her on a 30-foot leash.
I walked the dogs by the lake before starting the drive to California. Some Canadian geese followed us as we walked around the water's edge. Na'ilah walked forty feet away and watched them sweetly--until they suddenly flapped their wings and lifted off from the water. At that point she tore the leash out of my hand, bounded toward the water, and plunged in.
We left Trout Lake at 2 pm and visited Na'ilah's friends at Dinosaur Tracks again before driving on to Flagstaff.
May 29 -- The dogs patiently sit in the car while I catch up on my blog. Then we will drive on toward Los Angeles with no more adventures--please! However, we will turn around and drive back on May 30 and 31 after my blood test.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)