The trails were quiet. The air temperature hovered in the upper 30's, and probably scared some of our fellow thin-skinned hikers inside for the morning. The forest peaks were dusted in snow and I relaxed into a comfortable jog.
Kona wasn't as enthusiastic as she was yesterday on her long line, but she settled into her restricted roaming range. She was not about to stop for a photo, so now the world gets to see her rump shot:
All was well until we reached our high bench. Kona stuck her nose into the breeze, then turned on her heels to high tail it in the other direction. She wasn't in a panicked flight. Imagine a coyote slinking away after spotting a human. That's what she looked like.
She stayed nervous as we descended the trail. I heard a dumpster lid slam in the neighborhood below us, and wondered if Kona heard something that scared her. But she kept sticking her nose in the air as she slinked down the trail. I usually know, or at least have a good idea, about what scares Kona. This time, I didn't have a clue. I desperately wanted to get inside her nose to see what smell made her so worried.
When we made it to her favorite trail, she relaxed quite a bit, but still made several stops to sniff the air.
I was glad Kona's favorite trail was at the end of our run. Kona got to finish her morning with high frolics, and I got to soak up another inspiring sky. I never know what a morning with Kona will hold, but there's usually something good to be found. (Oh, Kona just asked me to add "and smelled" to the end of that sentence.) And there you have it.
8 comments:
Going on hikes with Kona sound like great fun!
Gorgeous photos.
I am glad most people are too wimpy to go out when the weather isn't perfect! Makes life much easier for me and my dogs!
More gorgeous sky photos!
you know Kona just always seems to live in the moment and soak up all life has to offer-all the smells, sights, sounds....what a wonderful gift
Don't you love those days where you find no one out? It makes walking a whole lot pleasant for Marge and I, I know that. I have hundreds of rump shots, BTW!
PS - sorry for sending tea up your nose with those dog v. kitty shots! Glad you got a kick out of them.
I feel the same way about wishing that I could smell what my dogs are reacting to! On the day that we found the bear den, K started acting worried about a mile away, and I'm not exaggerating. Once we were in front of the den, I smelled the bears too. It's a strong smell.
That's what I find so cool about canine SAR or nose work - learning to communicate with your dog about whatever they're smelling. BTW, after you wrote about your dog nose class, I asked my trainer if she'd ever considered holding a nose class. She said that she didn't feel qualified to charge anyone money for it, but if I could find some info about nose training, she'd do it with me for free (sort of like a test run to see if she wants to teach a class). Any suggestions about where to look for info?
Also, I'm glad to hear that someone else is checking out all the trees! It's amazing how many things we walk right by without noticing. My problem now is that I'm staring at the trees as I try to drive. Very dangerous!!!!
I forgot - I LOVE your sky shots!!! It's worth it to go out even on the non-ideal weather days, isn't it?
Well ... it's a good thing that Kona has such a cute butt, then.
Great clouds! And rump shots are all the rage with us and our dogs aren't they!
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