Discovering Discovery October 10, 2011
Posted by Daisy Doolittle in Treeing walker coonhounds.Tags: coonhounds, pets, shelter dogs, Treeing walker coonhounds
add a comment
My people had three days off from work. They said it was because of Columbus Day. When I asked what that was, they said it was the day Columbus discovered America. At first, I took what they said at face value – but then the more I thought about it the more confused I got. How could Columbus discover America when people were already living here? I was going to ask my people that question, but then I remembered that they like me to figure things out on my own (they call it ‘puzzling it out’ – old teacher lingo I think). Anyway, I decided to just keep my eyes and ears open, hoping the answer would come to me.
Saturday morning we woke up and decided to go for a long walk. 
We went to this park in Hudson, NH called Benson’s. I didn’t think it had been that long since we’d last been there but things had changed! I was amazed at all the new things I saw. 
I found this waterfall – which was a good thing since it was unseasonably hot and I was thirsty. I sniffed around the water’s edge, following a trail to an unusual tree. I was pretty sure that it was the hideout out of a rogue chipmunk I was tracking, so I had my person lift me up so I could take a look inside. I was shocked at what I discovered – nothing! NOTHING was in the tree! No chipmunk, no squirrel – just a hole where a tree should have been! I was stunned! I was confused!! I wondered: is it possible to discover nothing? Is nothing something? If you find nothing, does that count as finding something? Oh, my poor puppy brain! I hate puzzling things out!
We decided to walk some more and found that they had built a beautiful memorial to the 9/11 victims. My person took my picture in front of the memorial, which includes an actual piece of steel from the World Trade Center. I can’t believe I was actually able to sniff a piece of the towers – it was so big and cold. I felt so small next to it. I said a quick prayer for K9 Sirius who was an officer with the Port Authority Police in the towers that day. I bet he never had to figure out how Columbus discovered America – he just did his job like a brave canine! I wish I could be smart and brave like Officer Sirius!
My people realized that I was starting to get tired, so we went home after that. It had been a long walk and I admit I am getting a bit paunchy in middle age (I’m 4 after all!) I hadn’t realized that I had gotten dirty on our walk but apparently, when you walk in the woods and through mud it doesn’t all come off on the car seats on the way home. That’s when I discovered the terrible truth: people have mud aversion! The next thing I knew I was being thrown into the bathtub, shampooed and conditioned! I came out wet and smelling like lavender – which my people swore would relax and sooth me! I hadn’t realized I needed to be soothed and I would have relaxed if they had allowed me on their bed so I could nap! When they finally left me alone (sometime around Monday) – I fell asleep only to wake up with the answer to my Columbus question!
I realized that Columbus found all the wonderful things that were here already, but that didn’t make it any less of a discovery! It was just a discovery to him and all the other people who didn’t know about it yet. Just like I’m sure that other canines may had found the great things I discovered this weekend, it doesn’t mean they weren’t great discoveries to me! We should try to discover something new and wonderful everyday! Yes, everyday should be a Columbus day! I’m glad that people don’t have three days holidays everytime they discover something though – these three days holidays are non-stop exhausting!
Steps for Pets October 2, 2011
Posted by Daisy Doolittle in Treeing walker coonhounds.Tags: coonhounds, dogs, Humane Society, New England, pets, shelter dogs, Treeing walker coonhounds
1 comment so far
Today was an overcast, cool day. I just wanted to spend the day in my people’s bed, cuddled under their blankets (shhh…don’t tell them that I do that). Instead, my people announced that we were doing a charity walk for the Lowell Humane Society – Steps for Pets. Needless to say, I jumped out of bed and put on my best collar. I love doing charity walks. It is always wonderful to see other canines gathered for a worthwhile cause – namely us!
This walk, was held in Lowell (which is a big city of 100,000 or so people) – on part of the campus of the University of Massachusetts. Unlike the MSPCA Walk for Animals, it lacked any turkey or porcine intruders which my people thought was a good thing. We didn’t even run into any university party animals, but the walk started at noon, so it was probably too early for them to be staggering about. Now I know you are probably thinking that without a major security incident that I couldn’t possibly have had a good time – but that wouldn’t be true. I had a pawsome time!
I met some wonderful canines and their people today! 
We walked along the banks of the Merrimack River as a pack, while watching a huge Regatta gathered on the other side. Crew teams were in boats on the river – which seems very dangerous to me given the risk of getting wet. I stayed on the pathways – I for one do not like WET! Apparently none of the other canines did either since no one attempted to join the crew teams – but then I don’t recall seeing any retrievers (those crazy dogs will jump into anything for a tennis ball!). Every canine at the walk was given a beautiful orange bandana to wear, so in a way we were all showing those crew teams that we had team unity and spirit too – even if we chose to keep our paws on terra firma! Frankly, I think I look dashing in my bandana and plan on wearing it on Halloween. It’s sophisticated, yet understated I think. Not frightening, yet festive…but enough of my good fashion sense.
The best part of Steps for Pets was that it featured free samples everywhere! Some I took home to try at a later date, but some I tried right at the walk. I sampled something called a Thanksgiving dinner – it was fabulous! My people said it was a speciality food which was expensive. Of course, I immediately vowed that I would have to be up extra early every morning to wake my person up for work so that they could earn enough to buy me the good stuff. I also made a note to myself about talking my other person out of retirement – it’s clear we need two people working in order for me to have the high quality diet I need and deserve! I never realized that they had been slacking off giving me kibble when I could have been having chicken and turkey everyday! Who knew?! These charity walks can be very educational.
But my people don’t bring me to charity walks so that I can see what I don’t have – they bring me so I can see how much I do have. I have a loving family, a warm house, a big yard and plenty of food. I get cuddles, hugs and kisses on my nose. I get cheese and belly rubs when I visit grandma & grandpa. I have a blog, Facebook page and a Twitter account. I have people who stop me on my walks just so they can say hello. I was a lonely, scared shelter dog once – a throw away canine – waiting, hoping to be loved. Now I walk for those canines still in shelters. I walk to give them hope.
