Saturday, October 29, 2011

Fall snow

Snow today. Record early storm, I think. Maya loved it. She's seen it before but I don't think she remembered. No photos. Well, none with Maya. She really didn't seem to mind it as long as she could tear around the yard, but she kept losing the white tennis ball. So, I tossed a half deflated red soccer ball and she went crazy. When I tried to get her to go in she refused to go and I had to kick the ball around a few more times with my hands and feet freezing in the wet, heavy slush. Plus we had to stay near the house because branches, still laden with autumn leaves, were falling every few minutes. After a few more kicks of the ball, Maya decided to go in ... on her terms.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Clashing spirits

An example of clashing restless spirits today. Maya and I met up with our neighbor with the rotweillers tonight and I let Maya free to run and play, but things got very rough with one of the rots. Maya was running like crazy and coming back to them brushing by them with lightning speed and the bigger, older rot got angry. Maybe he was upset because he was on his leash and couldn't run free.But his owners said it was Maya's instinct to run that way but the rots' instinct to herd and control. Ah ...the restless spirit issue we discussed in my dog training class.

I had to grab Maya, who hunkered down in fear when the big rot aggressively pinned her to the ground, and I put her back on her leash. The wet weather might be making them all a little cranky.

Below are some of the photos I couldn't upload the other night. Maya the water dog:





Maya needs to be off leash, and she's been such a good dog about coming back to me. Still going to dog training and I think we will for a good while. She's too smart a dog to ignore training her. Plus I met a guy one day with a German short-haired pointer who does field trials with his dog. Maybe I'll try that with Maya.


Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Sun and water

Wow, three months without updating this blog and so much has happened with Maya.

She discovered water this summer, first at one "dog park" with open trails where I was taking her for a bit in the summer and then at the "Wilderness." It's really not wilderness but that's what it's called and it's a great place to walk Maya, or better let her run loose, and there's a great stream that she owns now! No more the water-shy puppy.

I've been trying to upload photos but for some reason am not getting the right pop-up menu when I click on the 'insert image' icon. And it is late. I'll try again tomorrow ... or soon.

Also discovered another great place to let Maya run: a mountain down past the preserve with the lake where I used to take Maya when I started this blog. Looking for a place to let her run free I took her on the trails through the swamp and explored the trail leaving the preserve. I came to a road and found another park where mostly mountain bikers go. Occasionally I meet another dog owner. The trails there not only go up the mountain but go to the reservoir. Unfortunately, the path to the reservoir crosses state land where hunting is permitted. That starts this week. Maya loves it there, though she also likes the wilderness and I'll probably go to the wilderness more often during hunting season, which goes to the end of the year. No point in risking someone mistakenly entering the park with a gun. Maya's white hide could easily be mistaken for the rear end of a white tail deer.