Nature and Feline Friday: Mountain lions, bobcats, and dogs all share a scent post

A scent post was started by mountain lions at least a decade ago. Over time, the spot became less secluded with hikers and bikers turning a tiny path into a bigger one. Over time, mountain lions have visited less frequently, and dogs have been the most common visitors. But, wildlife still marks the spot too, with feisty bobcats marking it most often.

Watch the dogs - they show strong interest in the spot. If you're curious about where wildlife mark in your forest, keep a close eye on your dogs. They will show you!

Check out mountain lions, bobcats, and dogs all in the same spot in this video.

Thankful Thursday

Yet again, I am grateful for the happiness of our pups. Their happiness makes us humans smile with gratitude.

 

At Lab Valley, we have a long driveway that is plowed. It is a great place for us to walk and the pups to play when the snow all around it is deep. You can see how tall the wall of snow is along the driveway when they sprint along the driveway.

Sprints like that one often end in some playing. I love Hachi's body language when he plays. I think that playing with Shyla makes him happier than almost anything.

 And sometimes, they even dance together.

The unbridled enthusiasm of our dogs for play is one of our great joys in life. We thank our lucky stars that these two get along so well. We humans walk along "supervising" and smile ear-to-ear.

Wordless Wednesday - A Sunset to Remember

Full Moon over the Mountains

It was the morning that I thought that the setting moon over the Divide would be most pretty. That meant an early alarm clock. As I hopped out of bed, I could hear the wind buffeting the house, and I wondered what it was going to be like up at our viewpoint with a direct view of the Continental Divide. When I read that the gusts were over 60 mph, I knew that we'd be lucky if we could avoid being blown away but I steeled myself to head out into it anyway. Soon, Shyla and I set out in the dusky light for the snowshoe hike to our photographic spot.

When we arrived at our exposed spot, I had to very carefully set up the tripod while always keeping one hand on it so it wouldn't blow away. Then, I got out my camera and attached it to the tripod. After the camera was attached, I spent the whole time leaning on the tripod to keep it from becoming airborne. 

Even in that terrible wind, my sweet Shyla had my back, lying just behind me.

We watched the alpenglow warm up and the moon sink to the Divide. It was gorgeous. I love seeing it even when it is cold and very windy.

After most full moon photoshoots, I hang around to watch the sky for a while after the moon disappears. Not today. I packed up my tripod, and then I noticed the scowl that Shyla was giving me. The wind was coming from behind her, and you can see the fur on the top of her head standing up due to the wind. She did not look pleased.

Thank you, Shyla, for watching my back despite those winds. You are the best.

The Hachi Chronicle

Hachi has had a peaceful week. It's springtime in the Rockies so he's been playing in snow a lot.

Unlike our pure Labs, Hachi isn't always crazy about snow. However, if he has his sister to play with, he usually forgets that snow is cold and makes his poor shaved belly cold (it was shaved for an ultrasound when he was sick).

One really nice note of progress for him is that he seems to be reacting less strongly to strangers who surprise him by driving down our Lab Valley driveway or by appearing in the distance. He still barks but it's not quite so strongly. Also, he's recovering from it faster than before. When workers arrive at Lab Valley, they disappear into the house. Hachi seems to forget about them very rapidly. That is a good thing!

For any of you who have reactive dogs like Hachi, you might enjoy a podcast called "The Bitey End of the Dog". The host (Michael Shikashio) interviews experts on helping reactive dogs and their owners. I am learning a lot and also discovering just how common our journey is. One of the experts focuses on the human end of the relationship - talking about the long process of accepting that your dog won't be cured instantly and how to cope with the various phases of that acceptance. It was helpful to me.

All in all, it was a good week for Hachi!

Black Dog Sunday

No one in the world taught me to appreciate each day, no matter what the weather, more than our Black Dog. On this day, the snow was up to his chin. He tilted his head as he examined whether I might have a treat in my mitten. Surprise - I did!

That snow brought us amazing flowers in the summer and sweet moments of happiness as he and I shared the wildflower beauty.

His sunny outlook on life taught me so much and still brings me joy.

Happy Black Dog Sunday.

Shyla Saturday

We arrived at Lab Valley for the weekend, and the chaos is almost unbearable. There is construction equipment littered throughout the house, and some rooms are completely filled with it. There is fine dust on every surface. I am wearing an N95 mask inside the house to avoid an asthma attack. Thank goodness that we love the land or we would have turned around and headed back to the old house in seconds.

The good news is that they are making great progress. Phase 1 should last only a few more weeks. Then, we get a break before the next phase.

Regardless of what else is going on in our lives. Shyla is such a source of happiness for me. I love spending time in the forest with her. We play games, hike with wide eyes, and do photography.

She's the best friend that I could ever ask for.

Winter at a pee-mail spot

It's a spot in the forest that does not look special. It's a normal forest path but there's one spot along it where the pine needles often get rearranged by the paws/hooves of passing wildlife. I first noticed the spot due to mountain lion scrapes left there.

I previously showed you a fall installment of the activity there with lots of mountain lions marking the spot. As fall cooled into winter, other species dominated. First deer visited frequently, particularly during the rut. One deer was followed by a mountain lion.

Then, the red foxes (including the black-colored morph of the red fox) and the bobcats took over. Watch closely when the black-colored red fox meets the red-colored red fox. One of them had their tail straight up in the air which I've never seen before. Do you think that they were friends?

Whenever a bobcat comes on the screen, watch their tail. It always seems to me as if they cannot control their tail twitches. I love how expressive their tails are!

Check out the short video if you have time!

Thankful Thursday

Winter has decided to stay for a while. It has snowed almost every day for a couple of weeks. After one snowfall, I spotted a red-tailed hawk perched above Lab Valley. I first saw him at dawn, and he was still perched there three hours later. He looked like he'd had a cold and damp night. He was in a good spot for catching the rays of sun when the clouds briefly cleared.

While Shyla and I did a little fat bike ride that morning, we spotted a coyote who was walking on the the crust atop the snow. The only season when coyotes are easy to spot is winter because they stand out against the snow. On this morning, he was keeping his eye on me and Shyla.

One of the best parts about snow is how much the pups like playing in it. Shyla finally has all of her enthusiasm back for playing since being sick. She loves the snow.

After a winter of so little snow until recently, we are thankful that it is finally falling. Not only will it help spring to have more bountiful flowers but it also makes Shyla so happy!

Wordless Wednesday

A Project with Spring Overtones

It's technically spring now even though it's been snowing almost every night here. In the spirit of spring, this is a post about a bird that I saw last spring, a Western Tanager. These birds love pine trees, and it's really hard to get a good photo of them that isn't filled with dark twigs and other stuff. In this case, he flitted out of the pine canopy briefly, and I snapped a photo.

I used this photo in a course about using Photoshop for art work. The idea is that you use a photo that you took, and you use tools within Photoshop to give your subject a different background. It is not meant to trick people into thinking that your new background is real. Rather, it lets you use art to highlight your subject.

In this case, I wanted to make a background for the Tanager that reflected the deep green and textured background that the boughs of a pine tree create. I also wanted to use colors that complement the Tanager's colors. This is what I came up with.

I have no idea if it is "good" but I do know that I loved the process of creating it. I was totally engrossed in trying to use certain colors to complement the Tanager. It was such a relaxing project.

It will still be a couple of months before I see a Tanager this year but this one has made me smile through the recent snowstorms!

The Hachi Chronicle

Hachi is so filled with joy when we can return to Lab Valley. He can run off leash at full speed.

And, he can play with his sister. I love when I catch a moment of eye contact like this one.

I have to admit to some recent moments of discouragement with our efforts to help Hachi. Some of the training games seem to move forward more slowly than a slug. Yet, when we have our monthly meeting with his behaviorist, I can see that we've made tiny bits of progress. We hope that, by being consistent in doing our training games with him, a day will come when his trust blossoms so that many different fears fall by the wayside. I still believe that will happen someday - and our job is to keep "showing up" for his training to make it possible.

We love Hachi like crazy. There's a sweet heart inside his fearful outer shell.

Black Dog Sunday

Our Black Dog was an affectionate and sweet big brother to Hachi. He played with Hachi so gently and nicely in the early months of Hachi's life with us.

 

Our Black Dog was affectionate and reassuring to Hachi just like he'd been to Shyla when she was young. Despite how things evolved as Hachi matured, their friendship in those early months is a memory that we cherish.

Our Black Dog always had such a sweet disposition. He assumed the best in dogs and people. It made my heart swell as I watched him navigate the world projecting sweetness to everyone. He often went to a university campus with the Runner, and the students would flock to him wanting to pat him. That happened the most during exams so we often joked that R should be a therapy dog for students! As a mature dog, he had the perfect disposition for it.

Happy Black Dog Sunday!

Shyla Saturday

Shyla is the sweetest pup who I can imagine. Her heart is huge, forgiving anyone who upsets her almost instantly. She has forgiven Hachi many times, and I am so grateful for that. She is the perfect big sister to him.

I remember this day back around the winter solstice but somehow I forgot to post the photos back them. At dawn, we saw the sunrise lighting up the sky brilliantly, and we sprinted up to where we could see it better. Because she is my muse, Shyla hopped up on a boulder for some howling and photos.

After howling, she sniffed the wind, learning all about the happenings in the forest.

My gratitude for having Shyla in my life is endless. I am realizing that even more acutely as I am starting to see more signs of aging in her. The "tic toc" that I hear in the distance when my pups are seniors has reached my heart recently. I hope for many more years of wandering in our beautiful world with Shyla.