DogSlobber

 A couple of weekends ago, I was wrapping up a week-and-a-half dogsitting stint with one-year-old Charlie, a yellow labrador retriever.  Charlie belongs to our church pastor, who had gone on vacation.

So this particular weekend, I figured that Charlie could handle two hikes.  She had handled two the previous weekend, the 1.6 mile out-and-back Cliff Trail going to Cunningham Falls, and the one mile round trip hike to Thurmont Vista....all in the Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain Park.

This weekend, the two hikes would be the Chimney Rock and Wolf Rock loop, about 3.9 miles.....I figured we would at least do that.

We parked in the Catoctin Mountain Park overflow lot just across from the HQ and began the hike.  Crossing the road (Rt 77), we came to the fork where the sign pointed to the right and uphill toward Chimney Rock.  Charlie led the way on the adjustable leash, taking it to its limits.  We met quite a number of people on our way up to Chimney Rock, and not a few dogs too.

Chimney Rock was a good hike, and Charlie enjoyed the treats I had brought along, as well as drinks from the plastic water bottles.  And contrary to the prominently posted signs at Chimney Rock, we saw no timber rattlesnakes.

We continued our hike upwards to Wolf Rock and enjoyed meandering around on the rocks.  We even took a selfie.  Then it was time to continue onwards and we eventually made it back to the Catoctin Mountain Park Visitor Center parking lot.  From there were were SUPPOSED to follow the path back to the park HQ lot where we started, but somewhere along the way, we lost the trail and started to create our own.  With rattlesnakes in mind, I decided to play it cautious wherever I stepped.  At one point, I thought I heard a noise as we passed a ledge, and Charlie took a look in that direction, but didn't stop to investigate and neither did I.  Eventually, we made it back to the regular trail and to the car.

Then we went home nearby and had some lunch.  And I figured Charlie might want a second hike.  So, after lunch, we went back up to the park HQ lot, but this time, took the Cat Rock Overlook Trail, a 2.4-mile round trip hike.  It seemed like a lot longer going uphill, but we eventually made it, and found a group of hispanic families relaxing at the base of the rock overlook.  Charlie and I went up and had a look around, and then started back down.

As I was negotiating the rocks, I tripped and busted my shin on the rocks....so had to rest for a few minutes until the pain subsided.  Then we continued on our way down to where the families were still resting.  After a friendly adios, Charlie and I started on our way down the mountain, passing by a couple hiking toward the rock overlook.  A little later, we crossed the firebreak and re-entered the woods.

Charlie was leading ahead at the end of the adjustable leash when suddenly there was a VERY LOUD hissing and rattling noise and Charlie jumped to the right side of the trail.  That's when I saw the timber rattlesnake moving on the left side of the trail.

"OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!" I yelled.  And that's when I heard somebody downhill ask whether I had seen the snake.

The downhill friend came back up the trail and we compared notes about the snake, who remained coiled up by the uphill side of the trail.  Apparently the snake had moved.

"I'm gonna hang out here and wait for some folks uphill who are coming down soon, a large group.  I don't want them to be surprised and bitten by this snake."

"Good idea."

The friend was not about to try going uphill again, so left down the trail.  I made an attempt to take some pictures on my phone, but between having to hold the dog still and still shaking from the scare, all I could get were blurry pictures.

Eventually the hispanic families came down the trail and I said, "Cuidado!" (Caution!) and showed them the snake.  Then I carefully took the dog to the right (downhill) side of the trail and managed to pass the snake without getting bitten.  The snake was NOT happy and his 2-3 inch black rattle buzzed to show it.  Oh yeah, size....hmmm....at the moment where I took video, that snake was still very large in my mind, so when you watch the video, you'll hear me say something about a 4 or 5 foot or more snake.  He or she probably wasn't more than 2-3 feet long, but it was hard to tell.  Body thickness was somewhere between 2-3 inches at the thickest.  Green and yellow striping were the striking features.

At any rate, it was time to leave, so Charlie and I left the hispanic families to figure out how they were going to get past the snake, and we went downhill.  We warned people coming up the trail about the snake, including a pair of adult male twins.  Made it back to the parking lot...and eventually so did the hispanic families and the couple who had visited the rock overlook just after we left.

Needless to say, it was a scary experience.  I had never seen a rattlesnake in the wild before.  Now I go out carefully and walk around, as they (and copperheads) have been reported in our neighborhood.

Wonderful....

Here is one video I took: https://youtu.be/LNOdY1bMXfQ

Here is the other video I took: https://youtu.be/4vmBJwn5pgc

One of the most funny things I've seen lately is how Sandie, despite the icy snow, continues to want to retrieve anything that moves. I've thrown big chunks of ice, and she goes tearing after them, overshoots them and slides backwards on her rear end (or just a bit ago, went crashing through a bush), then regains her composure and heads after the piece of ice.

She's got good get up and go, even on icy snow, but her brakes leave something to be desired. Guess they just haven't designed anti-lock brakes for dogs yet...or have they?!!!

I never have liked hearing a dog bark over and over again, and with Sandie, that's no exception; however, I've learned from her that a dog just needs a lot of attention. It is not content to just go do things by itself; it's gotta have that human interaction. It's an absolute must. So while her bark drives me nuts, once I pay attention to her, she piles on the dog love. I frequently have a completely wet face to prove it!

I've never seen a dog so obsessed with retrieving objects. When we first got Sandie and read up on yellow labs (I think we did the reading first, but it just didn't sink in), we knew that they are working dogs, but didn't realize how much of that is part of their psyche.

Not only does Sandie demand that we throw the ball innumerable times per day, but she also wants that human contact. . .being in or near human beings. . .or other dogs.

Sandie and Roxie seem to be getting along better now and they can frequently be seen trooping/snooping around the back yard together.

Sandie....GO GET THE BALL!!!!

The other night, I traded animals. I let Sandie out, and inadvertently let a baby snake in the house. It wiggled underneath the welding unit I have placed by the back door. I managed to clear everything else away but the welding unit, got myself an old canning jar, and cautiously lifted the welding unit up on one edge.

The little snake sat there long enough for me to put the canning jar down over him/her. I got a piece of cardboard, slipped it under the jar, lifted the jar off the ground, and tipped it over.

Near as I can tell, that little snake may have been an Eastern Water Snake, based on it's patterns. . .but who knows. It could have been a variety of garter snake.

Ultimately, I took it up the hill and dropped it in the yard between my house and the neighbor's house.

We started off with the toys Sandie came with. I believe they were Tuff Balls that the former owners had gotten for her from Wal-Mart. I think there were some other supposedly chew-proof dog toys that she has since finished off.

We made a trip to PetSmart and bought a whole bunch of different kinds of "dog-proof" chew toys. Two of them have survived: a large rubber ball and a large plastic ball that you can insert kibble into. Well, I think they survived, I haven't seen them since Sandie has found her under-the-porch cool location where she spends most of her day.

Wal-Mart's sporting goods section has a container of three tennis balls for 99 cents and we've managed to make those last awhile by making sure Sandie doesn't have them for too long.

The good news is that maybe in a year or two (two more after that?), Sandie won't be so rambunctious and maybe that will include less compulsive chewing on stuff.

Dream on. . .

"Just remember, punk. If you were in China, you'd be hanging in a store window waiting for somebody to buy you for lunch or dinner!" That's what I say to our yip-yapping dog Roxie when she gets on my nerves.

The next best thing is when I let Sandie out (when Roxie is already outside) and I tell her, "Go get your lunch."

Roxie holds her own against the monstrous Sandie, somehow fending her off with an ear piercing yip and probably not a few sharp bites with her teeth.

Recently, a yellow labrador retriever named Sandie became a part of our household. This means liberal face-washings (hence the name of this blog), repeated retrievals of various dog objects, and a fair amount of budget spent on supposedly indestructible dog toys. Enjoy the future postings....