On Tuesday, for the first time in four years, I put on my snowshoes and went for a "walk" in the woods with Retired Mountain Man. There was some question whether either one of us could do it without falling down at some point, but we decided to meet the challenge. I wasn't sure I could even remember how to strap them on.
The snow conditions are what I would call "just okay". There's at least a foot of very hard frozen snow in most places and in some it's more like 18"-20". It means that one stays on top of the snow, but even with the cleats/claws on the bottom of the shoes, sometimes it's icy enough to slip and slide.
It was also a very noisy walk.
With these conditions no wildlife would stay within 200 yards of us. The best snow for this kind of walk is when there's some soft snow on top of the frozen stuff. It means you have almost a silent walk through the woods and sometimes you get to see deer or elk and other wildlife up close because they don't hear you.
CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH! We sounded like a herd of elephants, but it was a way to get out there in January.
We followed our trail through the woods and it was quite obvious that the deer and elk, and possibly a moose, had the same idea. There were tracks everywhere.They had packed down a trail all the way around from our house, through the woods to our neighbor's house.
It was like walking on frozen concrete with a bunch of holes bored through it.
As for the falling down part, we both managed to stay upright although there were some close calls. Usually, it's the dog stepping on the back of one of your shoes that causes you to be off balance, but that was not the problem. There's nothing like stepping on top of one of your own shoes. It will stop you right in your tracks.
During our walk, Willie saw a deer and took off after him. After waiting some time for him to come back we became concerned that he was lost or that something had happened to him. Since it was almost dark Jon decided that he needed to go look for him so he put his snowshoes back on and took a flashlight and a walkie-talkie with him.
I really didn't think that searching for him was going to work. If Willie was that close and wanted to respond to our call, he would hear us. He was off on a chase and ignoring us.
In the meantime I phoned a couple of our neighbors to let them know that we were looking for Willie and that paid off. About ten minutes later our next-door neighbor, Ann, called to tell us that her daughter, Suzanne, saw Willie at our other neighbor's house as she was driving up to the county road. There are always lots of deer in that location and evidently it had become a big attraction for Willie.
Too much tempation for a puppy and a new problem for mom and dad solve.
When I stepped outside I could hear someone else calling my dog and it was Suzanne. In about two minutes Willie showed up on our porch.
In the meantime, Retired Mountain Man was still far out into the woods, on his snowshoes, in the dark, looking for the dog. He had actually dropped down off the bench, which was quite a distance from our house.
Unbelievable. Now I was more worried about him than the dog.
Yes, he fell down and yes, he had a really fun time trying to get back up with the shoes on. He's more agile than I am so he managed to do it on his own. I would still be out there...
Mr. Willie came into the house and immediately went to his "place" with what I would call a "hangdog" look on his face. He had definitely worn himself out running, but he also knew that it was something that he wasn't supposed to do. He was sent from there to his crate for a major time-out.
This has really turned into a very long Willie Report.
I had intended to post this Wednesday, but ran out of time since Willie had an appointment with the vet and also a training session scheduled.
When we check in at the vet, the first thing they want is the dog's weight, but trying to get Willie to step on the scale while there's a new person there for him to see was just too much to ask. It was his usual behavior of over-excitement, jumping and rolling over, with his tail wagging in overtime mode. He knocked my bag of treats out of my hand and they spilled all over the scale and the floor. Oh boy! It was puppy chaos!
We finally did get a weight - 37 pounds. Holy cow! Maybe he's going to be the size of a cow? What is happening?
The vet, Dr. Talitha Neher, was one of Jon's students in 8th grade physical science. I told her that we had gone from a border collie who was the laziest one on the planet to the exact opposite with Willie. Her reply was that it couldn't be worse than trying to control a classroom full of eighth grade students. (She wasn't in the lobby when we came in)
She and her assistant were really good with Willie and after a couple of minutes managed to calm him down into a sit so that they could give him his last vaccinations for this year. Their trick is spreading peanut butter on the concrete floor. The dog licks it up and calms down.
Then we moved on to Willie's final training session - at least for the next couple of months.
We worked on "leave it" and "in your place" along with "sit, down and stay" commands. The goals for the next couple of months are to reinforce everything and continue with socializing.
We left the clinic and made a stop in the parking lot near Petco. This time we got out of the car and spent some time just watching people and cars go by.
This morning Willie still thinks he's a lap dog and he spent some time on my lap. All 37 pounds of him. When I am in my recliner there is not enough room for him, so he stretches out and rests his head on my end table.
I don't know about you, but I am longing for the days when our yards are not covered in snow and the driveways not covered in ice.
I am positive that the next time I drive to town, they will have primroses for sale. Maybe tulips? Daffodils?
This morning we have marvelous sunshine. Willie and I will go to the post office to see "the people" and work on more training.
To pass the time I am re-watching a movie, Places in the Heart, starring Sally Fields. When I saw it was on the TV schedule, I recorded it and I don't know if it's available via streaming, but it's worth watching again. Small town, Great Depression, Texas, a woman and mother left on her own. I love little Possum.
52 days until spring.
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