Shaver Lake Daytrip

So part of the fun of adding a new member to the household is introducing  them to all the mountain dog activities that they've probably never seen before. Astro, the 140lb chicken, is finally learning to like car rides (after numerous trips to in-n-out and to see his favorite uncle and anything else he likes to positively reinforce him.

So last week we ventured up to Shaver Lake to let the other two furkids swim and run around like wild beasts and to expose Astro to the idea that water isnt necessarily a terrifying thing...... Hakuna matata.


Last one in is a rotten egg!

 The nervous froth face as he watches the crazy dogs run straight in....

MINE.

'Baby' brother is confused. 

Ziggy goes for the long distance swim

You wouldn't think a 3-legged dog, 90lb dog would swim like a fish, but you'd be wrong.

What? Rosie may be part sealion. Hard to tell.

Who knows what's going on in that head. He did put his front feet in the water,
so we call it a win for his first lake day.

Till next time, mountain dog fans.

Astro, Greatest Dane and newest adoptee

So, although nothing will ever fill the hole that Sadie left in our family, we agreed to adopt Astro when we heard that his family was moving and couldn't take him with. I'm a sucker for a sob story involving large canines. Especially those suffering from BBDS (Big Black Dog Syndrome).

Astro is ~3.5 years old and has been a country dog his whole life so we are introducing him to a whole host of things that scare the crap out of him. Chickens, for instance. Also water, small spaces, loud noises, crowds, small dogs, cars, etc etc etc.... Luckily he's the mellowest dude around so he mostly takes it in stride and forgives me for putting him in all these situations. He doesn't appear to have seen a vet anytime in the recent past and he needs to gain a little weight, but all that is easily fixed and aside from a large suspicious lump under his chin that needed to be removed (thankfully non cancerous), he is getting all the TLC he can handle. We will make a mountain dog out of him yet....

November Snow!

Alright, so it was just a light dusting of powder and it's already gone by the time I get around to posting this, but still. It rocked. Hurry ski season!!

Potter Pass to the twins

Took the Zig up to do Potter last friday. The Kaiser wilderness was gorgeous, as usual, but there were a ridiculous number of people in the vicinity of upper twin (40+). Have no idea who let the secret out but between the horses and the crowds, Can't say I'd recommend this trip in summer anymore (at least, not as a 'getaway' trip). Still, the flowers were just starting to pop and the weather was perfect. I guess it all depends on what you are looking for...

The Dog Cam at Millerton

Been revisiting the attempt to make a "dog cam" for hiking/skiing/etc. Took the Zig up to pincushion to try a new hand-sewn version. Better, but still a long way to go.

stalking the rodents...

Snowshoe Dogs become Ski Dogs!

Alright, granted I'm still pretty bad at skiing (even 'snowplow' still seems difficult), but I have to say that it was quite satisfying being able to keep up with the pups for a change. We skied in from Swanson and took the logging road down (that snowplow maneuver came in reaaaally handy) to the lake. The descent seems way steeper when you are strapped on to a pair of x-country skis, and I only ate it twice on the way down (clinging to trees doesn't count, right?) When we hit the shoreline I changed out to my snowshoes, mostly because if I'd gone any farther, the odds of an impromptu swim increased dramatically. The skis attach nicely to the side of my pack and I tromped back up the hill with one very tired dog (Sadie) and one very ecstatic dog (the Zig). I hadn't previously considered the fact that, as my endurance increases, so does Ziggys. Thus, what used to wear him out quickly and efficiently is now a cakewalk and longer/more strenuous endeavors are now required. He's still worn out, but mostly because he ran up and down the 2 mile long hill about twenty times more than I did. I also blame him for one of my wipe outs on the way down...