Dog heaven
We found a wonderful place to take the dog, just at the confluence of the Sandy and Columbia rivers. There are trails through meadows, brush, grasses, marsh, and riverbank. And depending on how high the ocean tide is (which pushes back on the Columbia), how much rain there’s been, and how much water has been released from the upsteam dams, there are river inlets and ponds to play in.
The area is open to horses, trail bicycles, dogs, people, and during certain months of the year (now), duck hunters. It’s a popular place, so I wouldn’t say that it’s a good place to field train your dog, but it is a wonderful place to hike and watch your dog romp and jump and run and
tumble. And because I live in a little city house in an urban neighborhood, a place like this is a treasure.
Today was beautiful in an autumn sort of way. Gold and red leaves on the trees, dramatic clouds, barely ruffled water reflecting everything, hide-and-seek sun, upper 50s, geese flying overhead.
I did have one minor moment of projected panic. Our first dog, a Malamute named Kayak, loved horses and cows. When she’d see a horse on the beach, she’d run after it as fast as caninely possible. She didn’t want to attack it, but she did want to do her happy dance around its feet. Didn’t make the horses, or their people, very happy.
So, when we came upon some horses today, I did wonder what Cooper would do. He looked at the horses and sniffed the air. I called his name and held up a bumper. He looked at me (good boy!), I threw the bumper in the opposite direction from the horse. Thank god... he chose the bumper. Left the horses totally alone.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
