Don't Let Your Hound Dog Get Bored, or Farewell to a Broom

There is one thing Jack likes as much as sniffing and that's chewing. Usually, he is very polite and confines himself to the dozen or so bones he has stashed all over the house. But some things are just too good to pass up. Alas, the porch broom met an ignoble fate last week when I left Jack out on his chain a bit too long. A guy can only dig holes, bark at robins and chew up the cedar hedge for so long before his attention is bound to stray. At least I have a start on this year's Halloween decorations.

Follow Your Dog's Nose

In an urban area I feel completely at ease. I know how to get around. Few things actually scare me. Now I find myself in unfamiliar territory...the hayseed from the city. So when I get bold enough to venture out onto trails with Jack I take my cues from his nose.

This morning he was really wound up...stopping, starting, snuffling, pulling ahead, balking and turning around. I was getting very annoyed since I wanted to make it all the way to an old falling down mine entrance I found a few days back. Then something way down the trail caught my eye. I have no idea what it was (of course I imagined it was a cougar, then a wolf or a bear, and it was most likely a deer), but I decided if Jack was nervous we were turning around. I've always told my daughter to trust her feelings about people and places and to decide for herself when there might be danger. Whenever it's just Jack and me out in the countryside, I plan to take his nose for my guide.