It seems like I got a lot of negative feedback regarding my research on dog Breath. Sorry to offend some of you, it’s just that sometimes a little primary research is necessary to satisfy a curious mind.
We got up early again this morning and walked around the yard, Beeks and I that is. It is such a ritual that Beeks expects me to go out with him. He just waits for me to get my shoes and then he settles down and waits for me to get ready with my coffee. On those days when I am running late or for some reason, can’t go out for a walkabout, he hunkers down and distances himself from me. Today, however, all was good. The temperature when we went out was about 65, with a slight breeze. It was beautiful. I’m waiting for my lilies to bloom and also the delphinium and hollyhocks. They all have blooms that are just about ready to burst forward. I need some color other than blue or purple in the yard. My neighbor was commenting that she only had plants that bloomed white flowers. When I left to come home, I noticed that all we have are blue and purple. Don’t get me wrong, I love blue and purple, but a garden needs some color variety. I am hoping that some of the trumpet lilies will be red and the daylilies are golden so that will be some variation.
When I returned from work, I decided this would be a good day to take Beeks to the forest preserve. The preserve is located next to the prairie where I usually take him. In fact I park in the same parking lot but go across the road to where the forest preserve begins. I decided to change things up a bit for Beeks. The weather was warm, 83 degrees, and so I thought if we walked in the woods and flower gardens this would allow a change of scent and view for both of us. The gardens have lots of beautiful flowers right now and the waterfall is going strong. We perused through the gardens and then headed for the wooded paths. This turned out to be both exciting and frustrating. It was exciting because Beeks had not gone this way before and every step was full of anticipation and anxiety (see pictures above). As soon as we got to the woods, Beeker freaked out over a large fallen tree. He got into a curiously fearful crouch, not wanting to go forward. I had to lead him past the log. Then he regained his leadership role. The weeds and brush were taller than him and so he went forward cautiously. He smelled his way through, sometimes doubling back to see if he missed anything important. We proceeded this way for nearly a half mile. By then I had succumbed to the eternal blanket of mosquitoes. I also wondered if I was getting a good coating of poison ivy. My decision to wear shorts was probably not a great one. I wonder how lucky I will be? We made a loop of about a mile and by the time we returned to the car we were both exhausted and hot. We both had a great time exploring and it didn’t take our whole day. By the time we returned we had only been gone a little more than an hour. That’s the great thing about dogs. A little adventure goes a long way. They appreciate a little attention, and a little excitement. They need to have their brains stimulated and then they are ready to relax. Beeks quickly found a cool spot on the wood floor to cool down, and crash. Dogs are Great!
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