First Snow at Kerncliffe Park

Snow, finally! Only just a bit, and only up on the mountain in Burlington so far. I went for a walk with the Will and Emma, my sister, Lori and her Springer, Jazz. I think the dogs felt like they were in heaven with the snow in the air and on the ground. What a treat! We went to Kerncliffe Park, where the Bruce Trail winds along the side of the escarpment in north Burlington. It's one of our favorite places to let the dogs run off leash, which they love. Here's just a few shots from the day.

Waiting for Lori and Jazz to arrive

Jazz on the trail

Lori and Jazz take a break

Back at Simsbury Farms

Will at the first tee at Simsbury Farms, waiting for Emma to run and play with him

Time to run in the open spaces

Tug-of-war with the frisbee, a favorite pastime.

Will

Emma

Finally, the golf season is at an end (or almost). There is still no snow in Connecticut, but the ground is frozen and the golfers have disappeared from the Simsbury Farms Golf Course. We have been waiting for this day! This is the first week we've been able to go back for our walk around the course, and we are loving it! It's so open, and wonderful to have the space to ourselves, or mostly. There are periodically other dog walkers from the area, and the sounds of the paddle tennis players in the courts alongside the course, but it's wide open for the dogs to run and chase the frisbee.

It is hunting season in Connecticut right now, and we've been trying to avoid the woods at Tulmeadow Farm where we usually enjoy our twice daily walks. They are really out hunting, with either their bow and arrows or their rifles. We usually put the orange vests on the dogs, in hopes that will bring attention to them, but we've been 'scolded' by a hunter for letting the dogs run loose in the woods, because they scare the deer away. I had a long chat with one of the hunters, asking him when are they likely to be in the woods, so we knew when to avoid. He told me they are there mainly a couple of hours after dawn, and a couple hours before sunset, so we tried to walk in the middle of the day. Well, last time I did that, there was a hunter in the woods, and it was 1 pm in the afternoon! So we decided to avoid it altogether during the week. We are free to walk there Sunday, since that is a day that they don't hunt. I guess they take that biblical idea of the 'day of rest' seriously.

Last Sunday, we took advantage of the freedom from gunfire, and took the chainsaw into the woods to clear the trail a bit. On October 30, there was a wicked freak snowstorm in Connecticut, which dumped 13 inches of heavy, wet snow in our area. It fell on the large oaks and other trees, that still were bearing leaves, and it was too much for the trees to handle. The devastation and damage to the tall oaks was unbelievable. Power was out for more than a week, tree crews were here cutting dangerous limbs, and it took Jim and I about 10 days to cut and clear all the fallen branches from out property alone. We had planned to help the Land Trust to clear the trail so it's walkable again, and this was the first chance we had to do that. We can now pass through the trail, and stick to the path. There are still lots of broken limbs dangling from tall tree tops, but we can't get to them to cut them down. Even on our own property, we are hiring someone to do that, since they need to climb the 100 foot tall trees to get to the limbs. The devastation was the worst sight that I've ever seen in terms of damage from a winter storm. It took the FEMA funded trucks about 3 weeks to go through the town just picking up the branches and tree debris from curbside. It's clear now, ready for a real winter snow storm!

So needless to say, we are very happy that the golf course is available now, since hunting season goes until the end of December and we know they won't be on the golf course!

Self esteem dog bowl

Trip to Stowe VT

What a great place to visit in the summer! I know, it's really a ski place, and you can really tell by all the ski shops, mountains in the distance, names of the hotels and inns (like Stoweflake Inn, where we stayed) but it is also a great place to visit in the summer. Jim had to go for a day and asked me if I wanted to tag along. We've often talked about doing this, but I don't always have the time available to take him up on it. And it isn't always convenient for him either, depending on what he's doing. Anyway, we found a kennel in Stowe that was available, so we booked Will and Emma in there for their mini vacation, and we went on to the Inn for ours (or mine, really).

It is really a dog friendly place to be. As one woman told me, everyone living there has at least one dog! And the trails prove it. We were told about a couple of places that we really loved and so did Will and Emma. The Quiet Path was the first place we took them to, and it is accessed right in town, behind the little white church with the big steeple. It seems like there is one of these in every little Vermont town! Always white, always with a big white steeple, and always right in the center of town! A real landmark. We picked the dogs up from the kennel when Jim finished work the one day, and took them for a nice meandering walk on the Quiet Path that follows the West Branch River. We met a few other dog owners, all with their dogs off leash. That's the beauty of the Quiet Path, it's for dogs and their owners, and it's to give a chance to get off leash without bothering other walkers who don't care to walk their dogs that way. How wonderful! Why doesn't every town think like that?

The views were so beautiful, mountains in the background, a river to one side, and farmland stretched out along beside us. And the sky was so blue! It's reminded me of 'Big Sky' country in Montana, it was that blue. Must have something to do with the mountains. Or the clean air, or something good and wholesome.

Joggers use the Rec Path

A nice view of the mountain

Will and Emma play in the river

Walk on the Quiet Path

Walk in Tulmeadow Farm pasture

Almost every day (and sometimes twice a day) we take the puppies for a walk in the woods and through the adjacent pasture that backs up to Tulmeadow Farms in our little town of West Simsbury. This is a series of trails that we can access just down the street from our house. These trails through the woods have been there for eons, according to our neighbors who are long term residents in the area. To us, they are a fairly recent discovery, and the puppies are happy we found them! The trails meander in many different directions through the woods, and we have now explored almost all the them, but our favorite daily walk takes us winding through the woods to a bit of a clearing, which is really a tractor road. Then, a right turn and a short jaunt takes us to an open meadow which then looks towards the series of small hills that make up a pretty view of the Farmington River valley. We have hills with descriptive names, like Sugar Loaf Mountain, Hedge Hog Hill and the Barn Door Hills in the distance. It is quite scenic and presents a pretty walk to us, whether it's in the morning dew or the early evening light.

Will and Emma know the way now, and love every step. I especially like coming out of the woods to see the first view of the hills, and one of these days I'll take my camera at just the right time to catch the perfect sunset. I'm waiting for the fall color of the trees to come, and I hope to catch it all with the sun setting over the hills. I'll be sure to post that when it happens. Autumn color seems a little late this year, but we are starting to get some vibrant oranges in the sugar maples, and reds of other trees, but mainly we are treated to the yellows of early autumn. I'm not wishing the time away, but just noting that the color is off to a late start.

Here's just a few photos of the puppies enjoying the clover meadow and hills in the distance.

Will lollygags in the clover

Emma is always watching for something to move, while Will watches her

Emma, still on the lookout

They both check on something interesting

The clover meadow, Sugar Loaf Mountain and Hedge Hog Hill in the distance

Clover pasture

Will hides in the grasses

Emma heads back on the trail through the woods

Just another note about the trail. The farmer that owns the property has an annual Halloween wagon ride through the woods and has been setting up over the last few weeks. We walk past a few of the little vignettes that are being created in the woods and each day we never know what we'll see. The 'tour' of the haunted forest starts at the Flamig Farm, which is at the end of one of the trails through the woods. They sell tickets to fill a hay wagon and pull it past all of the scary scenes in the dark woods. We are having fun watching the set-up and don't want to spoil the surprise, but here's a peek at one of the little vignettes of a what will be a haunted graveyard, nestled in the woods.

The haunted graveyard in progress

Cajun, the old man

All gather around the karst opening

Beautiful wild flowers, beautiful day

Pals forever!

Jim and Aaron follow the trail & the dogs

Trail walk at Eramosa Karst in Hamilton, Ontario

This is a pretty trail that just opened up in the fall of 2008 and we've made good use of it since my son, Aaron, discovered it. It's a pretty level walk through a wooded area and then across a nice meadow which changes entirely with each season. Right now, there are lovely wildflowers blooming all over, reminding me of the meadows and hills that Monet used for inspiration for planting his own gardens in France. Pretty colors in perfect combinations created by nature. Blues and yellows, blues and whites with pink clover, blue with the deep almost fuscia pink of tiny wildflowers... very pretty.

The puppies weren't looking at the flowers as I was, but were enjoying a bit of freedom as we can let them run free on trails like these. We've just started to feel comfortable enough with their recall that we are allowing them a bit of freedom on our walks, depending where we are. This trail was the first one that we let them free, so it's a joy for them and also for us. They run a few feet ahead, but turn and come back on their own or when we call. It's quite nice that they are getting older and more responsible!

Check out the details of the Conservation Area at these websites:

http://www.foundation.conservationhamilton.ca/about/conserv_areas/eramosakarst.asp

http://www.conservationhamilton.ca/parks/visit/eramosa.asp

(this one tells you what a karst is!)

Mother's Day at Elizabeth Park, West Hartford
Me, Will and Emma by the lilac garden

No roses yet!

A little girl treats the puppies!

Will just hanging out!

Emma's wondering where all the robins are...

We decided to take the puppies to Elizabeth Park, the Victorian style park in West Hartford for a little fun and socialization. They had a fun time meeting and watching people, wandering through the lilacs and the rose garden that will be in full bloom before we know it. Emma saw lots of her favorite robins to 'herd', which made for a bit of a challenge. There was lots of fun and frivolity with people out to enjoy the fine weather and mother's day festivities. A pretty day it was.

Update on colonoscopy day

This proved to be a bit of a challenge. The test itself went as scheduled, with no real adverse results. But if you’ve ever had one of these tests, you will know that it’s not the test itself that’s the issue, (as long as you have a general anesthetic, that is), but the preparation the day before that leaves you reeling. You really know what it’s like to feel cleaned out inside after that! This time, the prep included mixing a stool softener with 64 oz of lemon-lime Gatorade (or G, as it is now known). And after drinking all of that, I don’t think I will ever take another drink of G again! I wasn’t sure which end it was going to come out of! Just horrendous.

But the issue is really how did we make it with the pups after we got home. First of all, I should say that the staff at this GI clinic couldn’t get me awake and dressed and off of their stretcher fast enough. One minute I hear them calling my name, the next thing I know, they are telling me to get dressed and out of there and that I am good to go. Well, even Jim knew that I wasn’t awake enough to go, but took me out anyway (given no real choice in the matter). I felt gassy and crampy, as they warned me I would, and just wanted to get home to lie down with easy access to the bathroom.

It was about 10:30 a.m. when we got home, and the pups had been in their crates since about 6:30 a.m. They were ready for action, but I was ready for rest, and Jim was ready for work. He decided to stay home with me til noon or so, but announced he had a conference call at 11:00 a.m. Well, this meant that instead of rest, I had puppy duty. I tried to sit quietly in the living room with the pups, and all I remember is that I had to wipe up 2 or even 3 pees. I had taken them out a couple of times, too, but I think Will just wanted to get my attention, and pee it was. The pee machine is back in action. He hasn’t been too bad, but this morning he was out to get me. I think they know when you are stressed, and it stressed them too. I was almost glad when Jim had lunch and went to the office, so I could put the puppies in their crates again and get some much needed rest. By about mid-afternoon, after some lunch, some quiet time and finally a coffee, I felt human again and ready to take on the challenge of two puppies.

Walking the Farmington River trail

We are finally done our house confinement after the puppy surgeries! It’s back to daily walking for them and for us (or at least me). But it’s also back to stage 1, I think, on learning good manners on the leash. Seems like they’ve forgotten everything they learned about walking nicely without pulling. Or maybe it’s just that everything is new to them again. New smells, new leaves blowing in the wind, new sounds, new everything.

In my passion to try all things new (it’s me too, I guess) we took a short drive to Collinsville to walk along the Farmington River trail. We had never been there to walk or ride our bikes, although it has been on our list of places to visit. It’s a great trail for the wet spring (although we are definitely not there yet!). There are paved walking trails all along, wide enough for bikes and walkers as well. It’s a nicely wooded trail, following alongside the Farmington River, which moves quite quickly at times. It’s a place that kayakers like to put in and we could see why they would like that part of the river. Nice rapids, but nice smooth flowing river at times. We walked a little over a half mile this time, since Will and Emma are still recovering from the surgery, and we didn’t want to push it. Also, there were lots of icy patches along the trail and it wasn’t all that easy to walk safely. We were slipping all over, and had to go wide to pass at times. It was a good first outing for all of us.

Walk on the beach at Hammanassett State Park

Happy pups after a walk at the beach

Winter walk on the beach

Another weekend, another new adventure for the puppies! Today was just a beautiful, sunny winter day, so we took the drive to the shore to take a nice walk along the beach. It’s just over an hour drive from our house in the Hartford area to the shore, and it was the perfect day to do it. We discovered that a lot of other people thought the same thing. The parking lot at Hammanassett Beach was surprisingly full for a mid-February day. Cabin-fever has hit a lot of New Englanders, I think.

Will watching waves!

Will and Emma took to the sand and just loved it. Walking on the sand is much softer on the feet, and they were excited to sniff all the sea leaves and shells and sand that they came across. The water was not of much interest at first, but then when the tide seemed to bring the waves up just a little higher, Will took more notice and wanted to bite the waves as they rolled in. It reminded us of how Tobie loved to run along and ‘herd’ the waves as they rolled on shore. Even when there was nothing more than a ripple, she would watch and wait until the water moved. One of her favorite things to do was to run along the shore, back and forth, chasing the waves.

The puppies got to meet lots of new dogs and new people. They really are friendly puppies, and most people who have dogs don’t mind meeting new puppies, or letting their dogs meet and greet (which means sniffing out each other!) It was fun for them, they met all sizes of dogs from the littlest fluffy dog to the biggest Bernese Mountain dog and lots in between. Nothing seemed to phase them.

Old Farms snowman

Puppy socialization

According to Dr. Ian Dunbar, a puppy training researcher and innovator, puppies should be introduced to at least 100 people before they are 3 months old. Well, that has passed already, but we are trying to make sure the pups meet new people as often as we can. They are actually quite friendly, and enjoy meeting new men, women and children. They do not seem to be afraid with new people, and quite like meeting new dogs as well. At the puppy class, they see about eight or ten puppies and people each week, and while they sometimes like to just observe the other pups, they don’t seem to be afraid of them.

Today we took another nice walk at Old Farms Golf Course. We all love the openness of the area, and the freedom to meander across the snow-covered links. It won’t quite be the same when the snow melts, as it soon will, but for now we are enjoying every walk we can get. We met a snow-shoeing couple with a big Golden retriever named Ted today. Will and Emma were pretty excited to meet the people, and love to get a pet. Emma, as usual, jumps up to bump the face and we really have to work hard on keeping her from doing that. We have her sit before she gets attention, but it’s hard to tell new people to ignore such a cute puppy until she sits still. Will is better at settling down, but he is not perfect either. Anyway, they were happy to meet the big Golden, but much more interested in the people, I think. Even men don’t seem to bother them as often is the case. The first week we had them they met lots of men and children, so I think that really helped to socialize them. Also, their parents are quite friendly dogs, so they are naturally sociable. We were careful to evaluate that when we selected the pups, since we have had the experience with a not-so-sociable dog.

Will and Emma exploring at Stratton Brook Park

The world through puppy eyes

The pups are fourteen weeks old and we celebrated with their first big trip to Stratton Brook Park. Only about a mile away, this is the closest state park to us, with trails, with a lake, a fishing pond, and a pretty red covered bridge that fits right into New England. This is where we often walked with Tobie, our first border collie, since we could walk from our house along a trail through the woods and down the town road to get there. This is a 20 minute walk just to get there, so we drove today. The puppies are still too young for a walk that long and we wanted them to enjoy the scenery at the park. It was a beautiful sunny day, cold and crisp, but the trail through the woods was totally covered with ice-covered snow and is too difficult to manoeuvre this time of year, especially with tender paws.

We walked the long trail from the road to the covered bridge and the lake. Everything was new to Will and Emma. They were enthralled with the brook rambling alongside the trail. The potpourri of new smells were exciting, and they even met a new young dog named Ginger. Walking was easier on the trail where it was packed down, but the icy snow was strong enough to hold their weight. If we didn’t have a good hold on their leashes, they easily could have slipped into the creek. We were careful, though - no pupsicles for us!

There was a small flock of Canada Geese on the fishing pond for the pups to watch. This is their first exposure to the geese. The breeder where Will and Emma are from trains her border collies as geese dogs, to flush the geese from golf courses, parks and private properties. There seems to be quite a need for these goose dogs.

Playtime at puppy class


Emma meets Frank, a chocolate Lab puppy

Last night was Puppy Class #3, and it went considerably better than last week. Will and Emma both did well on most of the things they were to do. They both respond really well to their names now, even though we are to continue practicing this every day so there is no doubt about it. It’s all tied to the recall command. You have to be sure they not only know their name but respond to it each and every time you use it. The key is to not use it in anger or as a reprimand, which is very, very difficult!

They were also both good with the sit-stay and down-stay, even when distracted by Karen, the teacher. However, when it came to walking a straight line beside us, well, this was a different story. Will did not want to walk, look at me or pay any attention to me whatsoever. All he wanted to do was look around the room and watch what the other puppies were doing. It was all I could do to get him to the end of the 10 foot line of cones without dragging him. Emma was better, but not too much better. Most of the pups were about the same, until we got to Otis, the blond labradoodle. We were all impressed with Otis, the blond labradoodle, and his mom, Gina. She had him prancing right along beside her the whole way, with her confident and encouraging voice calling out ‘Walk with me’ the whole way. She didn’t even really need to coax with a treat, but did hold it in her left hand down by her side to attract the usually shy and fluffy Otis. They were so good they really deserved applause!

Needless to say, we will be practicing walking properly this week, and using the command ‘walk with me’, which sounds a lot better than ‘let’s go’. It’s worth a try!

Going for a Walk

We have added a walk to our daily routine now that the pups are old enough. Since they are still getting used to the whole idea of a walk, I am taking them one at a time around the neighbourhood. Will gets to go first, at least so far, since he is the one that I need to take out for 'duties' most often. On that note, Emma is pretty well house trained now, but Will still has a long way to go. Maybe one day he'll just 'get it' but for now, it's necessary to take him out every hour and a half or so. It's always a surprise if I get home after running errands and his pen is dry. One day they will both be trained, but we're not sure how long it will take.

They both absolutely love the walk, even after only a couple so far. Will loves to look and sniff at everything and Emma is so alert to every little noise in the air. Today the sirens rang to call the firemen to the fire station and she was fascinated with all the noise, but not scared. She was so excited to be walking that she wanted to rush ahead, and pulled too much on the leash. We had to do the 'red light, green light' training and after about 8 attempts, she began to walk with the leash loose. And today she walked nicely without pulling at the leash the whole way. She does learn quickly.

Will doesn't seem to pull like Emma. He is just so enthralled with everything that he sees and hears. Yesterday, Will and I walked down to the end of the street where there are two little dogs that bark to warn us not to come too close. Tobie always just ignored them when they were out. But Will was startled and didn't know what was happening. He just wanted to get away! I don't think he's used to the sound of dogs barking other than his own and Emma's!