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Saturday, January 18, 2014

A Gift

Today felt like a gift. It was a perfect winter day, hovering slightly above freezing with bluebird skies, a warm sun, and no wind. Because I expected to be in great pain and in a medically-induced haze this weekend, I appreciated the day even more.
Shyla and I saw the sun rise and played in its warm rays.
We both reveled in the day. The weather here has been intense recently, with almost daily high winds and awful snow conditions for hiking or biking. So the beauty of today seemed even more precious. I'm so glad that I had the chance to enjoy it!
Shyla and I explored in the forest a bit around sunrise. The glitter of the snow on the pine needles at sunrise makes the forest floor look like a field of sparkling jewels.
Our partnership is starting to feel so natural. Shyla seems to read my mind, knowing what I'm about to do and moving with me. I honestly never dreamed that I'd have a partnership with a dog like this again, after K died. I must say, however, that I think that my bond with K helped make me ready for Shyla.

I'm even learning to "read" Shyla's more subtle signals. Today, we were playing on the side of a small ridge, and Shyla very carefully sniffed some animal tracks in the snow. They were huge tracks with a long stride but the wind had destroyed all the details that might have helped me identify them. However, Shyla seemed scared when she sniffed them, with her ears pinned back against her head, like she's done in the past when we've found mountain lion tracks. So, I decided to check some trail cameras later because, based on Shyla's behavior, I was guessing that they were lion tracks.

It turned out that my girl was giving me the right signals. At least one lion and maybe two have gone through our neck of the woods in recent days and multiple cameras captured their images. I'll share those photos tomorrow.

But the point of the story is how connected Shyla and I are becoming - so that I can even read subtle signals from her. It feels like a miracle to me, especially after those early days together when she was so fearful that she rarely even looked directly into my eyes. Now she does it all the time...
I'm honored to have earned her trust.

27 comments:

  1. MOments like those (when we feel the link between us and our friend) are priceless. AS I read your post I remembered those moments with Bert. I learn from him every day and we grow closer with every sunrise. I love how you can put those thoughts into words

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  2. Hi Y'all,

    We are so happy that God blessed you with this wonderful day and that you were able to enjoy it with Shyla. What a wonderful bond y'all have now. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

    Y'all come by now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

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  3. this whole post warmed my heart. for your gift of the day and your bond with shyla.

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  4. Your relationship with Shyla is just beautiful.

    So happy you got to enjoy your day together!

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  5. You earned her trust by working so hard and believing in her. Could she speak, I'm sure she would say, "Thank you for giving me a life."

    Glad you had such a good day. You definitely deserve it. As I look at some health and other problems fellow bloggers are having, I also look differently at each new day and don't take even one for granted.

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  6. Words that make us all feel so very thankful, grateful and so happy for you both, trust, happiness, time together, a bond made to be. Love that sparkly photo so much. Greetings from Jean.

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  7. We think Shyla is the miracle dog for sure. Yes,, she reads you like a book!
    love
    tweedles

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  8. It is so awesome that you can read her signs. Looking forward to the mountain lions.

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  9. I'm so glad you had a wonderful day. When you know something is looming, you appreciate the days that much more.

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  10. OMD, those pics are just FABulous! You always seem to capture both Shyla's intensity and joy. I'm so glad you guys got to have such a great day! And so happy that you guys are so in sync! I likes sniffin' doggie tracks and possom tracks. We have had a few coyotes in the area, butts I haven't sniffed them out yet. The mountain lions are more near the hills than where we are, so no sightings of any of them...yet. With this dry weather, there is no telling how close they will get in the comin' months...
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  11. Maybe Shyla can become an actual field biologist dog and you can get another phd ;) such a good girl-and such a wonderful partnership!

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  12. The gift of trust is such an amazing act of belief and love that you sometimes wonder what you ever did to deserve it. But it fills your heart to bursting and you know that there is nothing that you would ever do to betray the wonder of that miracle.

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  13. You two definitely have a special connection. I'm glad you had such a special day.

    Cindy

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  14. That second to last photo is stunning! The bokeh and backlighting are to die for.
    Nola

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  15. The growth of the love and bond between you two is a beautiful thing.
    Blessings,
    Goose

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  16. I felt certain from the very beginning that this would be you and Shyla together. To have watched it happen is a blessing for us all.

    Jo

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  17. This post is a "Seeing Beautiful" post! The love you two share shines through in your words and photos. So glad you two had this gorgeous day together!

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  18. It makes us so happy to hear that you and Shyla are such special friends, KB. Your photos are just beautiful!

    Love ya lots♥
    Mitch and Molly

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  19. Oh yes, that connection goes all the way to both hearts!

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  20. Hi KB

    I "won" your gift cards in the auction for Tweedles. I am going to have to work out shipping with you as I am in Canada. Drop me a line at leeandphodATbellDOTnet. (Note, I am away next week and will have limited access to my email)/

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  21. Let us echo the above comment: A wonderful gift, indeed!

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  22. What a BRILLIANT day!

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

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  23. Enjoy your respite. I like the way the sun burnishes Shyla's coat.

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  24. What a heartwarming post

    Stop on by for a visit
    Kari
    http://dogisgodinreverse.com/

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  25. Yup. I love it when the connection is so strong that the communication is easy and obvious to each other. I think K's gift was to give you that ability for Shyla and many more. Sometimes it takes a dog to give us that gift. Sometimes I see people with their dogs and there is very little if any connection at all. It makes me so sad. It really is a gift.

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  26. Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is great blog. A great read. Judi Bola Online Sbobet Casino Agen Ibcbet

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