Yes, responsible dog guardians exist

Yesterday afternoon, K and I went "exploring" together. We went to an area that is mostly north-facing so we found only small shafts of sunlight filtering through the snow-bound forest. K's exuberance was infectious.

We were searching for animal signs to learn which species move through this area in the winter. In some parts of the forest, the wind had whipped the snow off the ground and to some faraway place.

In other areas, the wind had piled the snow knee-deep. K porpoised through that deep snow while wearing a snow beard.

She loves wriggling on wind-packed snow. I think that its crust scratches her back in a way that makes her euphoric.

We found lots of cool tracks in the snow showing us which animals use this area despite it being the coldest and snowiest place I've visited this winter. The elk herd had bedded down in the forest, leaving melted out ovals of snow and lots of scat. It looked like about 50 elk had slept close together. We saw almost no deer sign, and absolutely no coyote, mountain lion, or bobcat sign. Many small animals, including rabbits and squirrels had left tracks - it must be a safe place for those small animals with few predators lurking in the shadows.

Near the end of our hike, I spotted a fat and heavily furred rabbit and called K to me so she wouldn't bother him. She ignored him and bounded to me. Her three-toed paw is very obvious in this photo.

She stood calmly by my side while I took photos of the cute lagomorph. At first, he pinned his ears against his body, trying to be invisible.

Then, he began to realize that we weren't a threat and his ears perked up a little as he gave us a querulous look.

Finally, as we started to walk away, he looked gregarious. I imagine that he has a long, cold, and lonely winter in his rocky and snowy home. We were probably his first visitors in months. What a cute little guy!

This morning, I found a barrage of emails in my inbox concerning a nearby city's open space regulations. A vocal group wants dogs banned from as many parts of the land as possible. They lump all dog owners into the 'evil and irresponsible' category, a tendency that makes me sad and angry. I'm not attempting to claim that every dog owner is a saint - but it's also not true that every dog owner is irresponsible or that every dog is out of control. But, this group is so vocal that dogs are losing the right to walk on many trails in the city's open space.

My blood pressure dropped a few notches as I pedaled with K by my side to see the sun rise on our quiet and empty national forest land high above the city. I've noticed that the sun is cresting the eastern hills more to the north since the winter solstice. The best viewing spot has moved... substantially. Yes, springtime will occur again this year.

K stood atop a boulder near me surveying the land at sunrise. I think that she smelled the elk herd who grazed in a meadow below us. No, she did not chase them.

Her chocolate fur blazed almost red against the clear blue sky in the light of the rising sun.

If the rules and regulations from the nearest city ever reach our outpost, I'm moving. I simply couldn't live without my dogs on the trails with me. I should emphasize that I take my responsibility as their guardian extremely seriously. I work hard to train my dogs to be decent citizens who won't harass wildlife. And, when I think that we're in a situation where they might not be able to control themselves, I leash them. I know that I'm not the only one who is so careful. Why is every debate so polarized as "us versus them" these days?

Of course, it's a different world up here in the mountains than down in the city. K and I didn't see a single person or dog during our hike yesterday afternoon or our bike ride this morning. I like it that way.

We did see signs that our wildlife had been active overnight. Somehow, this deer with a broken antler managed to awaken R in the middle of the night and send him into a frenzy of barking. Are deer really loud enough to wake up a dog through closed windows?