Photos and text copyright Romping and Rolling in the Rockies 2009-2017.

All photographs and text within this blog are copyrighted.

You may not copy or repost any photos or text without specific permission from the author of this blog. When in doubt, please ask.

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Shyla Saturday

I love my early mornings with Shyla. No one else is stirring yet, except for the moose and the elk and bobcats and the lions and... Well, no other humans are stirring.

It's very cold at this time of year when the sun rises so late. But the light is otherworldly.

Shyla is always on the lookout for creatures sneaking up from behind me. One time, her only signal that four moose had appeared behind me was that her eyes opened very wide. That's not that unusual so I didn't bother to look behind me at first. When I finally looked, they were close! We beat a hasty retreat behind some boulders. I've learned to always check when Shyla's eyes are very wide!

The one time that Shyla seems to let down her guard is when she's running. Then, every fiber of her being is focused on sprinting through the snow. She accelerates so hard that snow flies behind her.

Due to Shyla's continued jumpiness, we've decided to have Shyla evaluated by our behavioral vet, just to see if there's something that might take that last bit of hyper-vigilance away.
We'll think hard about whether to try any meds for her because she is generally pretty happy these days. One motivation is that Shyla's tendency to startle easily around the house or in the LabMobile raises Hachi's anxiety a lot.

Shyla has come so far. I wonder if we can help her relax that last little bit. Time will tell.

Happy Shyla Saturday.

20 comments:

  1. we know when something is different because Bigs ears stand straight up and his head points toward whatever it is... glad you had Shyla to warn you...

    ReplyDelete
  2. We love seeing you having fun on your early morning outings, Shyla!
    Our Airedale rescue friend, Rusty, posted a pic on fb of Shyla in her silly winter hat, which we love so much. She didn't credit the photo so we did. We tried to "share" it with you but fb wouldn't allow us to.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hari OM
    So much love and devotion... YAM xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. So Bloody Precious - And What A Way To Start The Day - Thanx For Being You

    Team Human

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's good to know that Shyla is always looking out for you. She looks beautiful in the morning light.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That alertness is a part of who Shyla really is, and thank goodness she shows when the moose or elk are so close. Love her in the snow.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely photos! Good on her to let you know when there is something else around.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Another thing to ask your vet is about eyes or early dementia. I have had both in dogs and when the eyes start to go bad or the early dementia sets in (and sometimes those early dementia signs are missed as we just see them as aging), my dogs would startle easier. If they cannot see clearly out of their eyes (I have had dogs with pannus and cataracts) then they are easily startled. Something to consider.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great suggestion - so great that we've already had our vet check out Shyla's eyes. She has an iridial mole on one eye but it's not affecting her vision. She definitely doesn't have dementia - she is sharp as a tack. The startle behavior is something that she's had for her entire life. It's been part of the package of fear that she has always had. It seems to be the last to go away. Many aspects of her fear are gone... but not the hyper-vigilance.

      Delete
  9. The colours in those photos...sunlight on Shyla are just beautiful. We think early morning is the best time of day, too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. We always love seeing beautiful Shyla enjoy her romps in the rockies!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Shyla is such a special girl, and you two are so in tune with each other! ♥
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

    ReplyDelete
  12. Shyla have I told you lately you are a sun Goddess and your Mom's Guardian Angel.
    I love your photos and Mom's words
    Hugs Cecilia

    ReplyDelete
  13. This may be the final push to get Shyla over the last of it. I know if anyone can help her get through it, you can.

    ReplyDelete
  14. We hope you find an answer and Shyla can keep her runner's zen going all the time.

    ReplyDelete
  15. You are lookin' mighty gorgeous today my furiend! I am dreamin' of the white stuffs (that will never come btw :( ) and lots of snow zoomies ~ til then I will live vicariously through you! I am hyper vigilant too...butts that's probably cause I'm a terrierist...BOL!!!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

    ReplyDelete
  16. Elsa has displayed some jumpiness lately and I've been dosing her with Rescue Remedy. It seems to help a bit though because she spent so many years in the puppy mill, I suspect she's probably hardwired to be somewhat skittish forever. *sigh*

    ReplyDelete
  17. So much love for our girl Shyla
    love you all

    ReplyDelete
  18. It'll be interesting to hear what you decide. You've brought Shyla such a long, long way!

    Cheers,
    Chris from Boise

    ReplyDelete

If you are a Blogger registered user, you can skip the step asking you to verify that you are not a spammer. For posts older than 5 days, I have comment moderation turned on.

Thanks for your comments!!!!!