Autumn: dog stories and wildlife photos

The days are getting shorter and colder. The snow is flying up high. The towering peak on our horizon is now a glimmering white ghost. I always get a little sad at this time of year. The melancholy is more intense this year because our summer was dominated by the loss of K.

The biggest advantage to the changing seasons is that I get to see my pups in the sunrise light more often. I have to admit that, in any light, photographing a chocolate lab is easier than a black lab. Thus, Shyla is rapidly learning to be my cover girl!

I am finding that one of the hardest things about socializing Shyla is directing other people's behavior toward her. Some people just will NOT be deterred from meeting her but I have to stand strong so that fear of new people doesn't become an ingrained habit. Right now, I let Shyla meet adults who have dogs with them. That usually goes very well, with few fear signs from Shyla. She needs to have lots of those good experiences before we move onto other kinds of people.

I've learned to say "no" to most other people who want to pet her in public. In cases where people simply won't listen to me, my trainer has taught me some strategies. I've trained Shyla to know a "find it!" cue, which means that I am dropping treats on the ground, and she should look for them. This activity can distract her while I try to convince the person that Shyla isn't ready for head-on meetings yet. Later, when Shyla is more comfortable with people, we'll use a "target" cue, where I'll ask the person to put out their hand, and Shyla will poke it with her nose. I'll give her a reward, and then I'll ask her to do it again. It's another way of distracting Shyla from the probing eyes of new people. It's the eyes on her that seem to scare Shyla, which makes sense since direct eye contact is very impolite among dogs.

With the changing of the seasons, my trail cameras are seeing some traffic. Bears are known to go through a phase of vigorous tree marking before they go to their dens. It's likely that pregnant sows are choosing dens now and marking trees as they survey the real estate. I captured this very healthy looking bear marking a tree one evening.

Almost a day later, another bear sniffed the same tree... probably sampling the scent from the recent tree-marking.

Then, the bear turned around and gave the tree a thorough marking.

I am hoping so fervently that one of these bears chooses the den where I have a trail camera installed, pointed at the entrance. I check it very rarely, and I absolutely never go near it at this time of year. So, we'll have to wait until January to find out if any of these bears chose it! Each year, 7-8 bears check out the den. They go in it and are invisible inside the den for a few minutes. For the past two falls, none of them have chosen it but a family with 2 yearling cubs used it before that.

I've also continued to follow what I believe to be a female bobcat who has a kitten in the area. I have surmised that she has a kitten hidden based on the fact that she has been carrying her prey a long way after she kills it. I think that she's taking it to the kitten but I haven't seen the kitten yet. She also keeps marking the base of bear trees. I've seen some of this behavior from bobcats each year but never as frequently as this year.

Last, but not least, hunting season is getting underway. It's only archery season now so the dogs and I are not bedecked in hunter orange yet. Fortunately, the one neighbor who used to allow hunters access to our trail network sold his land, and the new owners are controlling access carefully. All of us regular users of the trails are hoping that this means that we have a less stressful autumn. There's something about coming across a person with a bow or a rifle while you're walking your dog within a short distance of your house that can freak you out! I once found a hunter within 100 yards of our house, hiding behind a bush. He said that he didn't know that our house was nearby. Most hunters are far more responsible than that one, erring on the side of the safety of trail users... but I am still wary, being careful to keep all of us safe, during hunting season.

There are deer around, and they've lost the velvet from their antlers.

And there are elk around. Moreover, if a deer or elk hunter happens across a bear, he or she can kill the bear. So, I keep a vow of silence about where these animals are! A good hunter can probably figure it out.

It's also elk rutting season so I'm hoping that we hear a bugle or two floating through our forest. That is the quintessential autumn sound in the Rockies.