Ember was napping in her crate at the time, but I figured, the conjunction of cool weather and extra people would make it worth waking her up for a brief ride down to join them.
When we got there, Carl rushed up to the fence, and it took some doing to keep Ember moving to the entrance, but as I've said before, she's getting better and better with self-control under distraction, and following Mom's cues to get what she wants most. We got there!
Erosion takes its toll. They are already slanted, at least some of them, and when they get wet from splashing, and multiple dogs are ignoring them and splashing across... not a safe passage for this particular little old lady.
I waited a while, not having sight of her OR the rest of the pack. Then I caught a glimpse of the two dogs through the trees. I could tell she'd crossed back over and found her pack, but here I was "lost in the woods".
The two photos helped us find one another after a bit.
The Mythical Son (as Google photos insists on calling him, because I have referred to him that way often enough... this is how AI works, people) and I sat down on a bench to watch the dogs play.
We proceeded after a while across the bridge to the agility course, where FGC made use of the tunnel and he and DIL played "hide and seek" with the dogs giving away everyone's hiding places, of course.
After the game of hide and seek started moving back toward the exit, I met a lovely "senior" white lab and her people. Her name is Helene and she's a retired guide dog, but her humans still care for her and were confident enough to bring her to the dog park. Now that's a "real job" for a dog... see, Ember? I tell Ember every time we go on a leash walk that it's her job to keep mom on the sidewalk and to keep me being a "good human".
My son was the last one to "hide" in the movable game, and he tricked FGC into following him all the way to the exit where son went to "hide" in the truck. Ember was a good girl and patiently let me hook her leash back on. As we were walking her toward my car... 🤯👀 I discovered my car keys were NOT in my pocket. A quick strategy session was held, considering how much room there was in the truck and how close my house is to the park. We left DIL at the dog park while two dogs, FGC, "Mythical" and I migrated back to my house to pick up my spare keys. Fortunately, there is a coded garage door opener, and the batteries were charged!
Ember went into her crate, they took me back to the dog park, and I started a cursory search for the lost keys. DIL had done a little searching while we were getting the spares, but I encouraged them to head on home. I mentioned what I was looking for to various dog handlers as I retraced particular places. Every time I did, three or four extra pairs of eyes helped me look. Sure enough, the second place I paused was close to where I picked up Ember's poo... there were the keys. Another dog walker had seen them and mentioned it. Whew! I texted the kids that it was a success and drove on home to let Ember out for her supper.
Glad I had other people along, although I'm confident that even had they not been there, the other dog folks would have helped me, and Ember and I would not be "stuck". Grateful for a lovely adventure.
Life is good. Keep Sparking!
Sounds like a really fun outing for 2 and 4 legged creatures! Nothing more fun than a kid, a dog, a park, a path, trees, and water! Ember is really becoming more mature and trustworthy, isn’t she….ALTHOUGH I’d have been anxious if I couldn’t see her! SO glad that you found your keys…made the day even better! Karen (Eissa7)
ReplyDelete18 months. I figure she's at the beginnings of maturity, maybe like about a 16 year old human. Trust her so far, but no farther. What state was it that was trying to give 16-year-olds the vote, and the 16-year-old kids said they didn't want to have that responsibility yet?
DeleteI am relieved to have found the keys, always a huge hassle if you have to replace something as vital as that. But not nearly as scary now as it was when I was in my 20's or 30's! Funny how surviving crises makes the following crises easier to navigate.
Like the old programmer joke: "did you ever get stuck in an infinite loop?" Answer: Yes. Rejoinder: "did you get out of it?" Answer: Yes. Rejoinder: "Then it wasn't an infinite loop, was it?"
Hope your week ahead is a good one!
That's quite an adventure for a Sunday. Lots of excitement and fun to start the week. It's great you were able to find your keys. Ember has come a long way with her listening/obeying skills. Training persistence has definitely paid off. Have a sparkling week. 💖💖
ReplyDeleteYes, that persistence does pay off. Inconsistency is death to training plans!
DeleteWow! Adventures, all right. Glad you found your keys! That is a terrible feeling!
ReplyDeleteAnd glad Ember found her pack when she wasn’t in your eyesight!
Alls well that ends well.
Like the infinite loop rejoinder.
Getting better w/the walker post op. So that’s progress! Almost ready to graduate to a cane. Woohoo.
Hugs
Barb
1cd
That semi-panic, check ALL the pockets, check the treat pouch / poo bag carrier to make sure they are not simply miss-filed, and then think back through every place where you put your hand in the key pocket to determine where you have to go check. But thank goodness, I still have the mental wherewithal to do just that... retrace my steps.
DeleteAll is well, it's ended well, and I let Ember have a pup cup on Sunday as a special treat. Still watching her weight, mind you, but she's around 85 pounds these days... floating a pound or two up or down... I pop her on the vet's scale at day care once a week to make sure, as that's very close to the dosage line for her flea-tick-heartworm treats.
Glad of your progress to the walker! That is super good news. And so it goes, one day after another, eh?
Hugs!
Phoenix1949
ReplyDeleteWhat fun!
The second photo transported me to my childhood where the 15-acres I grew up on had a few wooded acres that led to a creek that sometimes was wet and trickling and most times dry. I cherish the few arrowheads I picked up in that area and an awesome little rock cluster that has some fools gold in it along with multiple other colors. At an event sponsored at the University Geology Department, I took that cluster in for analysis (the long list of all it included has gone by the wayside). I was told that there was only one place it could have come from -- Colorado. My grandfather had spent some time in Colorado in about 1897-1904 (single, setting fenceposts for the unpopular barb wire, aka the devil's rope) and again around 1916 looking for a spot to homestead while his pregnant wife + their first 2 of 6 sons stayed with his relatives in North Carolina. I suspect he tossed it near the creek for me to find! Twenty-five years had passed between his death and the rock analysis.
Challenging times here. I thought I was getting a 5 or 6 month break until next preventative round of treatments so planned to play catch-up on way overdue medicalizing appointments. Up popped some 'atypical' cells, 'possibly cancer' (not 100% definitive; another round of tests in progress). Spouse having his heart's aortic valve replaced 8/21 (TAVR procedure - Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement). His cardio doc has been monitoring the condition for 5 or 6 years and it's time.
Things will play out as they should as both of us are in good hands -- physical and spiritual.
Onward: thru the Fog! (wish I could attached the bumper sticker image of this)
Susan in very, very, very hot & humid Texas.
The weather here this week seems to be mimicking yours... hot, humid, and stormy the past couple of nights. Several thousand folks lost power, including my two local sisters, for several hours.
DeleteI'm so sorry to hear of more scary medicalizing stuff for you and your spouse! It seems like when we get to "our age" more and more of us have that kind of struggle pop up. My next blog will detail my adventures at Urgent Care, where I was pronounced "medically interesting". A couple of words that make you laugh during stress, right? But really, given all the things that COULD be encountered, I'll take it as it's dealt, pray and hope and do what I can.
Keep on loving and sparking, and peering at the shapes in the fog!
Barb in also hot and humid Nebraska.