Shyla on Saturday

Do you recognize the trick that Shyla is doing despite the photographic distortion?

Here is the next step.

Happy Shyla Saturday.

Is Brownie the bear cub a bully?

The wrestling and playing by the bear cubs continued on and on. In this video, Brownie bit Blackie on the back as they relaxed in the water.

Then Brownie reared up as Blackie also rose.

Brownie used her greater strength and size to pounce on Blackie.

To be honest, I'm feeling just a little sorry for Blackie - I think that Brownie is a bit of a bully. Now I understand why Blackie is staying so close to Mom a lot of the time. I hope that mom defends him and that he gets a lot to eat and catches up to Brownie in size.

Check out the short video.

Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful for the natural beauty that I live in.

Just outside my door, a short walk takes me to places that awe me. I feel so thankful to have found a place that feeds my soul.

Wordless Wednesday

More Fun and Games with the Coyote Puppy Litter

Finding a coyote den has been so much fun. I could watch them play for days on end. I have one more video of them playing. This has been the only time that I've seen a parent present who wasn't being very authoritative but seemed a little playful.


I don't know how long they will continue to stay in this spot. It will be fun to learn by watching them!

The Hachi Chronicle

In spite of the odd lifestyle of separating Hachi from the Duo in the house, we feel that we must be sure that all three dogs have happy lives. They need time to snuggle with us, be petted, and run around happily.

R gets the running time every morning with the Runner and Hachi. Both dogs are off-leash together, and they happily run together. R is beyond the age where he wants to play chase like Shyla and Hachi do. But he has lots and lots of fun. I'm not there on their morning runs - so there are no photos of it!

Hachi starts getting excited about his evening romp with Shyla hours ahead of time. Any movement toward the door or me putting on my camera strap leads to crazed barking.

As soon as we unclip the leashes, the games begin.

Seeing them so exuberant is truly a highlight of our day.

Our happiness is for both of them. Shyla has a friend with whom she cuts loose in play. Hachi is her first friend like that. R has never been into this type of play. Hachi also has a friend with whom he shows nothing but affection. They run so hard and are so joyful.

Often, the Runner, R, and I just stand and watch as these two make circles around us.

This is a wonderful part of having Hachi join our pack.

Black Dog Sunday

Our Black Dog isn't afraid of many things in life but one is flies and bees. You may be wondering how he looks so happy in the midst of a sea of wildflowers if he's afraid of the flying bugs that live among them.

I don't know the answer to that question. When I ask him if he wants to go to the meadow, he barks ecstatically. And he seems happy while we're there. So, I guess that having lots of fun can outweigh his fear of bugs.

If only everyone's fears could be washed away so easily!

Happy Black Dog Sunday!

Shyla on Saturday

Shyla and I spent many hours atop Hug Hill this summer. Believe it or not, we were not just playing.

A very aggressive noxious weed had completely covered Hug Hill at the start of the summer. It's called "cheat grass", and it's a problem throughout the Western US.

Every day, Shyla would lie in the shade covering my back as I pulled some cheat grass. I put it into bags that my neighbors hauled out of the forest and to a disposal site. For now, Hug Hill is almost completely clear of cheat grass. It feels good to see what we accomplished.

Shyla and I can now return to our "play all the time" ethic atop Hug Hill. I'm sure that we'll have to repeat these efforts for a couple of years but that's okay with me. If I love a place, I'm willing to work to keep it beautiful.

No, the Cubs are not Dancing

The bear family is staying in a fairly small area where my cams see them regularly.

Brownie is now a lot bigger than Blackie. Brownie also plays very aggressively. Whether s/he is leaping out of trees onto Blackie or hitting Blackie in the face, I find myself incredulous that this is the same cub as the very timid Brownie who we first saw in May.

This is a really fun video of the two cubs playing. Be sure to notice the first scene in which Brownie ambushes Blackie, and then the scenes where the pair are like a pair of boxers.

Thankful Thursday

Thankfulness is not coming easily to me this summer. It's such a tough time.

But, I am thankful for how our pups can make me smile. Hachi is getting better at snarfing!

Tossing a few treats to him in the flowers can lift my heart.

Wordless Wednesday

Male mountain lion crosses paths with kittens

Late one afternoon, a male mountain lion began walking along a ridge from west to east.

It took him about 2 hours to cover a mile. That is very slow walking for a big animal.

Then, I checked another cam on that ridge that usually does not feature lions. It showed a mother mountain lion and 2 kittens walking the same ridge *at the same time as the male was walking in the opposite direction*. These were younger kittens than in the family who we've followed recently. Their early life spots are more visible than the spots on the other kittens.

Here was the first kitten just ahead of mom.

The second kitten was lagging behind mom. Here he was when he caught up.

They almost certainly came close to the male. Believe it or not, male mountain lions kill kittens - even their own. So, this was a scary scenario. When the male appeared after his path had crossed with the family, I didn't see any sign that he'd hurt them. No blood was visible. Moreover, Shyla didn't indicate to me that there was a dead animal anywhere along that ridge. So, perhaps it turned out okay. Here he was as he reached the end of the ridge.

I compiled the video clips of the male cat and the family into one video which I hope that you enjoy!

The Hachi Chronicle

Every evening, Hachi and Shyla play together off leash during our hike.

Hachi loves to be chased by Shyla.

Much to our surprise, Shyla gets pretty rough when she catches him. She sometimes "tackles" him. They both fall into the grass in a tumble of legs. I always hold my breath, afraid that Hachi will get mad. But he never has.

They get up and happily chase each other again. We smile. We feel so happy that these two enjoy playing together.

Black Dog Sunday

Look at our happy R! He's so happy that he makes us all smile along with him!

Everyone needs an R in their lives. He lives with unabashed joy!

Happy Black Dog Sunday!

Shyla on Saturday

Shyla wants nothing more than to make the people around her smile. I think that's why she and I have so much fun doing photography together. If I ask her to sprint, she sprints as fast as she can - every single time.

That's how Shyla lives - trying to make everyone smile. We love her.

Nature Friday - More Cub Water Fun

Mama bear went for a swim by herself in deep water but, very soon, her cubs had splashed toward her.

They swam a circle together before heading toward shore.

I compiled a video of mom's and the cubs' water fun from one recent weekend day. You'll see that the black cub is still hanging close to mom while the brown cub is off exploring. Moreover, the brown cub is now bigger than the black one. It's been an interest role change.

Thankful Thursday

For most of the summer, I had breakfast with the Flycatchers. Like every summer, they had a nest under the deck. Due to our very late spring (remember the snow in June!), they were late with starting their family. Their first nest failed. I think that a predator got their eggs.

They started a second one very very late, with 3 eggs on July 5. They persevered, and three little Flycatchers fledged on August 5.

Here was the father, on one of the last days that the babies were in the nest. He snatched a fly out of the air and sat on a perch next to our deck. He wouldn't take it under the deck to the babies until I pretended that I wasn't looking. Then, he fed them.

Without fanfare early on August 5, the three babies took their first flights. I can hear the family in the forest around our house calling to each other. It makes me smile to know that they've had a fruitful summer.

Soon, they will fly south. Safe travels, my friends.

I am so thankful for these birds that captivate me with their determination every summer.

Wordless Wednesday

Coyote Pup Siblings Who Play and Play

Some people hate coyotes. I am not among them. Coyotes are closely related to wolves and even to our dogs. They somehow have flourished despite the extreme efforts by humans to exterminate them.

I choose to celebrate the fact that we have a den nearby.

And to revel in seeing the pups' love for each other.

If you want some smiles today, check out the video of them playing. I think that it's the best footage of the coyote pups yet.

The Hachi Chronicle

We are feeling the dog Prozac kicking in as Hachi is acting much more mellow around non-family members. He also has recently been able to recover when surprised by strangers outdoors. He lets us lead him further away, and then he plays our engage/disengage game. That involves looking at the person, then disengaging to look at us, and finally a treat. The fact that he can play that game after being surprised is a big step forward.

We did have one bad moment this week. Hachi was coming in the door from being outside. R appeared nearby, and Hachi behaved aggressively, snarling at R. That was a truly discouraging moment. That's the part of Hachi that we most want to change. We work on it almost every single day with games where R appears and Hachi gets treats to help Hachi associate R with good things.

The weirdest part is that R is one of the easiest dogs on Earth to get along with. Yet, he is the only one who Hachi seems to have simple aggression toward. It could be a male-male territorial thing. All that we can do is hope that the Prozac will eventually help with that aggression. Apparently, the dose can be increased yet again in the fall.

On the fun side of life, Hachi did his first mountain bike ride up to Hug Hill with me. He was nervous up there, frequently glancing over his shoulder. I got one good image of him, and then we played a bit to help him feel better.

I think that the Hug Hill mountain vista suits him well. Do you agree?

That's the chronicle for this week. Some good, and some not so good - just like life.

Black Dog Sunday

Our Black Dog, even as a senior citizen, has a happy crazy energy that stems from his absolute love of life. He's a puppy at heart, even now.

Happy Black Dog Sunday!

Sweet Shyla on Saturday

Every single morning, my alarm goes off at 6AM. The reason is that Shyla has epilepsy, as many of you probably remember. She gets five pills every day, spread out throughout the day, to control her seizures. The first one is at 6AM.  I shuffle to her pill box, grab the pink football shaped pill, and give it to her.

Then comes the nice part. I almost never stay out of bed because Shyla loves to snuggle. She moves next to me, puts her head on my shoulder, and lets out a contented sigh. Who could possibly get out of bed with Shyla softly resting her head on you? She is so sweet.

The snuggling is a good part of Shyla's pill regime. Another good part is she has averaged only one seizure per year since starting the medications. That's not just good - it's great.

What a sweet girl.

Lots of play between the bear cubs

Blackie and Brownie, the cubs, played lots and lots in the water over the past week. They both seem to love it like their mom does.

Brownie continued her rise in confidence which bordered on rebelliousness and bullying on this day. Brownie went in the water to join her mom, and her mom gave her some soft bites that appeared to be trying to correct Brownie.

Brownie responded by again trying to bite her mom. Look at Brownie's hand on her mom - it looks a lot like a human hand.

When mom decided to walk away, Brownie took a flying leap at her brother.

And then they both stood to spar. Brownie is now bigger and almost launched Blackie out of the water, thereby ending the play.

I am a worry-wart, particularly about aggression in animals given my recent life experience. However, despite that, I'll admit that I started to wonder how normal Brownie's behavior is. I'll try to find out, and I'll let you know if I do.

You can watch the video that I compiled of their play here.

Thankful Thursday

No matter what happened during a day, I am so grateful to come home to this world where gems like Columbines bloom next to our trails.

In a nearby meadow, these flowers make me grateful.

And, no matter what, our pups make me smile.

It is good to stop and think about what I am grateful for, especially in the tougher times in life.

Thanks to Brian for hosting the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

Wordless Wednesday

Coyote pups play with utter enthusiasm

My trail cam is still outside the coyote den. Enjoy some more footage of the pups playing and a brief appearance by a parent.

You can watch it here or at Youtube.

The Hachi Chronicle

Another boring week, and that's a good thing.

I had a lot of time with Hachi outdoors. I am struck, again and again, at how hard he tries when I ask him to "come" or any other cue. Because he tries so hard, he can look very serious.

He can also look zany!

I can feel him softening still more toward people who aren't me or the Runner. He seems to want to interact with them. A friend dropped by who he hadn't seen in a while and he showered her with kisses. He greeted another friend on the trails with great enthusiasm. I am getting the feeling that he will someday get over the worst of his stranger fear. He is moving in that direction, one person at a time.

In terms of his interactions with R, he didn't have any closeup ones inside the house this week. He did go for off-leash runs with R and the Runner every morning, and they got along well outdoors. I keep reminding myself that slow and steady is what might eventually win in terms of Hachi's attitude toward R. So, we do our behavior modification exercises with Hachi and R every day, and I try not to ponder whether I have a clue about what the future holds.

Life is full of twists and turns. I don't know when it will happen but I predict that I will temporarily be forced to post less frequently in the near future. Please bear with me when that happens. Also, please forgive me for having trouble visiting all of the blogs that I want to visit. Life isn't easy right now.

Black Dog Sunday

It is the summer of endless wildflowers. It's been so special to be able to go rejoice in the summer beauty with our Black Dog.

R loves going to the meadow so much that he sings (or hums) as he runs along side my bike. I've even wondered if the sound helps him navigate around obstacles. Perhaps he hears it echoing off of trees and boulders that are alongside the trails, and thus is a little like a bat using sonar to weave his way through the forest. In any case, I love R's joyful soundtrack to life.

Happy Black Dog Sunday!

Shyla Saturday

Shyla is still growing in confidence. Many of you remember how down-trodden she was when I first met her. She was terrified of everything. Now, look at her!

Just the other day, we were out for a bike ride on a weekend day and saw a few strangers. I knew that running into strangers was a possibility on a sunny weekend day but I really wanted to see the wild Columbines.

As we came around one curve in the trail, we saw a family was just ahead of us on the trail coming toward us. Usually, if I see strangers from afar, I discreetly turn around because it can be too hard to coach Shyla through passing a group on a narrow trail.

Turning around wasn't an option without being very rude in this case because the people were so close. So, as Shyla hid in the forest, I stopped and explained that my dog was fearful and might not be able to pass them easily. I was preparing them to watch me encourage and cajole Shyla to get her past them. 

The family was SO nice, offering to disappear off of the side of the trail if Shyla needed them to do that. I guess that Shyla sensed how kind they were because she suddenly emerged from hiding and walked toward me and the family. Then, she truly surprised me when she chose to meet each member of the family one by one. They petted her so gently and sweetly, and Shyla seemed to truly enjoy meeting them.

I smiled for the rest of the ride. I love when Shyla surprises me with her courage!