Spring Tails and Trails

The snow is finally melting and temperatures are forecast for the 60s in the next couple of days. The waiting is nearly over (see pic) and everyone is feeling Springish including the dogs. Tracks are appearing in the shallow snow and mud - this makes for very interesting walks. The latest: squirrels, skunks, chipmunks, deer, fox and a mystery animal which we think could be a bobcat. As the snow melts, the mice tracks become evident in the damp ground - this is a cause for major digging and massive mud-feet. Sophie has spent 9 years trying to rid Maine of those troublesome chipmunks and Milos is certain that he can clear the skies of all flying objects. Unfortunately, there are some crows that seem to taunt him daily.

Can't believe it has been over 9 years since Sophie came into our home. She is doing extremely well and still gives Milos a run for his money in the nightly battles. Milos was 3 on December 20th. He has filled out and although not a large leonberger, weighing around 130 pounds, he has a beautiful coat and is the most loving big-boy. It has been quite different to raise a male for me. I have (and still am) working on understanding his spirit. He looks at me with those beautiful brown eyes and reads my every thought - his word recognition is also quite admirable. We find that we can pretty much carry on conversations with both of them. Call us crazy!

I would like to get back to therapy work with Sophie when I retire in a few more years. I am back in class with Milos once a week now - we are working on some of Brenda Aloff's "Get Connected" protocols on canine body language which are really fun. It is great to watch him try to figure out what will make the clicker click and the bananas fall. Finally, we can get out for our walks again, too. I still can't trust him off leash when we are in the woods as we are not "connected enough" for me to be more interesting than the track-makers. That is a goal which I hope to reach someday. I remember thinking that we would never be able to hike with Sophie off leash, but it happened. Maine in the Spring is a joy to experience.

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