Wilderness Wednesday

Woodland Watchdog Wednesday

Trail Walkin' Wednesday

Park Ranger Pooch

Bein's that next weekend is Memorial Day weekend, many two leggers will be flockin' to the local state parks for picnicin', swimmin' and hikin'. I took it upon myself to make sure my favorite park - Cowan's Gap, was ready to take on the masses.

As we pulled into the parkin' lot early yesterday mornin', I announced to everyone within earshot and then some that I was on duty and inspection was about to begin.

Paddle boats ....

....are lookin' good to go. ✔

Rescue equipment and safety signs are in place; such as this "Swim at your own risk" sign - because not all 2 leggers are as good at swimmin' as I am. ✔

Courtesy signs had been placed throughout the park askin' for guests to pick up after their pooch ~ 'cuz nobody wants to step in dawgie-doo-do, myself included. ✔

I left no stone or leaf unturned to make sure the trail was in good shape....

....and the water fountains are in workin' order. ✔

Halfway around the lake, I ran into another ranger. We quickly compared notes and then moved on. No time for play today.

Last but not least, I did a quality assurance check-up with guests as they finished their meal and offered to assist with leftovers clean-up. ✔ and double ✔ ✔

Speakin' of ✔'s, check this out - Grandma Hoover decided to make an appearance! She's gettin' up in years but I think she's still quite a looker. Can you see the family resemblance?

Bein' the feisty old dawg that she is, she let my superiors know how she felt about me havin' to work so hard, especially on a Sunday.

It's no wonder I act the way I do - attitude seems to run in the family.

Well, I hope you at least were able to get out and enjoy the weekend and didn't spend all your time workin'. Let's just keep our paws crossed that this work week doesn't take it's good ol' time checkin' outta town.

Chester ;0=)

Wide Open Spaces Wednesday

Monday Mountain Memories

HAPPY MONDAY!!!

Oh yeah, you heard me right. I know the weekend's over and we gotta go back to work, but at least I got some good memories to think about from yesterday. My PUs took me to the local mountain range for some sniffin', runnin' and splashin'.

Once I spot my mountains, I start to whine and ask:
"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

It's not often you'll get a shot from this angle....

....'most of the time this is the only part of me you see.

WHOAAAHHHHH! I soon found out that my brakes
weren't workin' as well as I thought when comin' down a steep hill.

When we came across a nice little place for a hunter to sit,

Dad went up the ladder to check it out. Not to be outdone,

I decided I needed to check it out too.

I could see for miles and miles but not a hoggeh in sight.

Enough of that - I had to get my nose back down to the ground.

All that runnin' made me hot and thirsty. Good thing we came across this nice mountain stream where I could cool off and do some snorkelin' and some splashin'.

 

Then it felt good to relax, catch some rays,

and chew on a good rock

before headin' home.

This is the view from the road on top of the mountain.
Lotsa big farms with lotsa big fields that
probably need my own particular brand of attention.

We just happened to see this comin' down the street.
I watched 'em closely to make sure they weren't headed in our direction.
I was kinda tired and I woulda hated to have to bark
my fool head off at those big four leggers.

I hope you got some good weekend memories
to getchya through the work week too!
Chester ;0=)

Warnin' Wednesday

Weekend Warrior

The weekend started out uneventful but turned out to be chock full of "Firsts". Some were good, some not so much. Let me explain:

Right before bedtime on Saturday night, I had my first encounter with a new stranger in the neighborhood and I decided to be sociable. I found out that he had a offensive air about him and I quickly returned home.

I guess his foulness rubbed off on me because Dad insisted that I spend the night in my kennel. This was my first ever camp out! The fun quickly wore off because it was not nearly as nice as my big boy bed inside, but I didn't think it would be wise to complain. I crawled into my doghouse with my blankies and didn't voice my displeasure even once durin' the night.

Sunday brought my first ever mornin' bath. Apparently I didn't get as close to that stranger as my PUs originally thought but a bath was still necessary so that I could experience our first 2010 breakfast in the mountains. I arrived smellin' all fresh and I was lookin' fine in my Big Brown suit, even if I do say so myself.

Water + mountains = FUN 

Supervisin' the cooks is hard work but it does put me

in a great position to get first crack at fresh fallin' samples.

If I had refused to take that early mornin' bath, not only would I have missed breakfast but I would have also missed my first swim of the season.

Unfortunately, the spring sun has not warmed the water to it's summer temperatures yet and it gave me my first ever case of limber tail. This is one first I coulda done without. Thank goodness that Mom had heard of this before otherwise she mighta freaked when she saw the odd angle at which I held my tail when makin' a deposit in the yard. 


I was so tired but I the pain kept gettin' worse and I couldn't get comfy. Mom then opened a bottle she had bought awhile ago for emergencies and gave me my first ever baby aspirin. That helped a lot and I was finally able to relax and go to sleep. In most cases, dawgs who experience this condition will recover but there is a small percentage where the tail is affected permanently. All prayers gratefully accepted that I get my wag back. 

Monday's here and I see that your tail isn't flyin' so high today either.

My prognosis is that it will keep gettin' better each day and by Friday

your tail will be waggin' again too!

Chester ;0=)

Take a Hike

That's exactly what me and my PUs decided to do on Saturday when the sun began to shine and the thermometer topped off at over 50 degrees by early afternoon. We headed to one of our favorite local spots in the mountain called Cowans Gap. As Dad pulled into the parkin' lot I took note that the lake had a magical quality to it but I was too busy barkin' instructions on how to park to think much about it. I'll get back to the lake later.

Once out of the truck, we headed toward the other side of the lake. It was lookin' better and better all the time. This is the trail we found back in September and I was allowed to run free and untethered to a cumbersome 2 legger. My heart began to beat faster and my nostrils began to flare in anticipation of the impendin' freedom. As I saw Dad pull my electronic bling out of his pocket I very obediently sat while he slipped it onto my neck. I really don't mind this bling because rarely do my PUs need to push the attention getter button anymore because I have gained their trust in the return department. It's only for what they consider to be emergencies like eatin' wild poo or rollin' in aromatic dead carcasses. As much as I love to do that, I will forego those small pleasures just for the opportunity to run hither and yon to my heart's content.

Now this part is specifically aimed at you 2 leggers. Runnin', smellin' and investigatin' is what every dog should get the chance to do frequently. As much as I like the pleasantries of a comfortable abode, the chance to run freely the way my ancestors did creates brain activity and stimulation like no other enterprise I know. Let me show you the results of a recent scientific study:

Red line shows brain activity while on a normal walk tethered to a 2 legger.

Brain is engaged and interested but not what it is capable of.

In comparison, the brown line shows a dog unleashed.

I don't think I need to point out the difference between the two.

Still don't get it? I know, that was a little technical so maybe this will make it easier to understand. This is my wheaten colored Scottie friend, Rory B. Frock.
This first picture shows a typical day for Rory.

This picture shows a recent trip to a beach where he was
released on his own recognizance.

Now if you can't see the importance of allowin' your canine
to stretch his legs by the smile on Rory's face,

I'm done with you and you probably shouldn't have a dog anyway.

Now that I've hopefully shown you the importance of free range canines, I'll show you some pics from my outing. I've taken too much of your time already so I'll keep the rest of the narrative short.

Trail blazin'

Decidin' if I should wade in slowly or do a cannonball.

Come on in Mom, this stream is so cool'!!!

I didn't know what this was but I quickly

lost interest when it didn't show any sign of life.

Dad said it was a possum. R.I.P little possum.

As we continued on our merry way,

I learned that possums are experts at playin' dead.
I will remember that next time little possum.

A couple of deer lookin' for their evenin' meal.

Now I see why the lake looked magical. It was a huge ice cube.

If I didn't have to be back on this leash I woulda showed

you a double or triple axel. Maybe next time.

Mom and I bein' a couple of Ice Posers.
I was afraid the ice cube was gonna melt 'cuz I was lookin' so hot.

I am so glad my PUs both agree that I need to get out

and stretch my long, brown legs on a regular basis.

I can't imagine why when all I wanna do is sleep when I get home.

Well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Monday is here and it's time for all you 2 leggers to stop

free rangin' and get tethered to your jobs.

Not to worry though, us dawgs will hold down the fort at home.

Chester ;0=)