I had some unexpected company today on my walk. You know how you’re kind of meandering down the road, thinking about where you might go and what you might photograph…when suddenly…two half-way large dogs are barrelling toward you barking feisty with a gleam in their eyes and jumping all around.

Meet two of the neighbors. Let's call them Brownie & Whitey.
Not only do they leap up onto your rain pants, they also lick and nuzzle and prance. Then they proceed to follow you wherever you go.
You, of course, are not sure you want the two dogs to accompany you. At least not in the beginning. You think they should stay in their own front lawn, thank you. You have big plans to travel waaaaay up the ravine in the woods. These plans do not include panting galloping dogs.

Meet Brownie. Oh look at that face.
You say sternly, “Sit! Stay home! Go home!” and wave your arms wildly in the direction of their little house, but they blithely ignore you. So along they come, jumping and panting wildly and joyous to be exploring the woods.
The first time you try to take a picture of…say…a delicate wildflower…forget it! One dog nuzzles and jars your camera. The other knocks your arm and almost sends you sprawling. Guess it’s not a day for taking pics of wildflowers. It’s a day for the dogs.

Awww, doesn't he look calm and obedient? Don't be deceived!
You vary in between wishing they would just go home, please, and isn’t this a novel experience? You point out interesting sights to them, but they leap into the pond and splash water in all directions.

Isn't Whitey having fun?
We wandered for a good hour through the ravines (maybe those photos shall be posted tomorrow, including the elusive slug). It was interesting. The quieter I got, just meandering without much mental thought, the quieter the dogs became. We all became reflective. Enjoying the afternoon. Happy that the rain ceased to fall. Although, seriously, perhaps the dogs wouldn’t care two whits if it was raining or dry.

Brownie in a more reflective pose
Do you wonder their “real” names? It’s been so many years since we’ve had dogs. Our first dog, actually our first “child”, was a black lab back in the late ’70’s. It’s name was Buck, or Bucky, if you felt endeared to him. He was a “chowder-head” like these two, galloping around with too-big feet, licking crazily, jumping up in all the wrong places. Our second dog may have been half-coyote. She was a brown and white beauty named Tasha who howled when the moon was full. My grandma was so horrified by the thought of part-coyote lineage she suggested we get rid of Tasha when our baby was born. We, of course, felt hurt by the mere suggestion of such indignity. We were only in our 20’s. Our kids better not have any half-coyotes around any future grandchildren.

Whitey gnaws on a branch, just for fun
Back to today’s story. I started up the road toward our house. The dogs followed. No, this behavior needed to stop, now. I knocked on the neighbor’s door. No answer. Knocked again. No answer. The dogs were apparently coming home with me.
I must admit to getting a little bit grouchy at this point. Dogs, go home! NOW! They jumped up and licked happily. I decided to ignore them, in hopes they would turn around toward their own happy front yard.
Eventually, Brownie did. Sigh of relief. But Whitey was coming home to live. No turning that one around.
I hatched up a brilliant plan upon arriving in the driveway. The keys were in the car. So I jumped in the car, turned around and sped back down the road. Whitey ran in hot pursuit. Until…finally…he ran out of steam and collapsed in the woods.
I turned around and came home, smiling happily, thinking: Ah ha! What an outdoor adventure! “This blog is going to the dogs…”
13 comments
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July 2, 2009 at 6:57 pm
cherokeebydesign
I have 2 Dobermans, they always walk with me in the woods or down by the river when I go out taking photos. Kinda good to have then around up here, the Black Bears tend to want to be friendly at times.
Raven
http://cherokeebydesign.wordpress.com/
July 4, 2009 at 7:32 am
centria
Your dogs must be trained not to knock the camera out of your hand! So you have some black bears wanting to get friendly? I haven’t seen too many of them up close & personal while walking in the woods. Only maybe once in the past dozen years. We have seen them from our deck and front porch though. That’s close enough!
July 2, 2009 at 10:07 pm
allielujah
I love the picture of Whitey chewing on the tree.
I miss having a dog. I’m hoping to convince my landlords of my awesomeness so I can get one, but I’m not sure how that will go over. I need something with four legs to go walking with me when the weather cools down here, though.
How smart of you to think of jumping in the car. I would have let them come with me hah. I’m a sucker for those eyes, though.
July 4, 2009 at 7:34 am
centria
Allielujah, hopefully your landlords are already starting to be convinced of your awesomeness. I think there’s probably advantages and disadvantages to having dogs. We liked them when we had them, but now we like the quieter pace. Don’t know where the idea came to jump in the car! But thank goodness it came. And those eyes were so adorable.
July 2, 2009 at 10:26 pm
flandrumhill
What a walk that must have been Kathy. You did get some nice dog pictures though.
I loved walking in the woods with my dog. The neighbors’ dog Sandy would always meet up with us and come along too. We always enjoyed each others’ company and it seemed like something was missing from the walks when Sandy and later Kulik went on to heaven. However…
I do get to see so much more when I go on treks by myself and best of all… I don’t have to worry about coming across porcupines!
This morning we stopped along the drive home from the trail to help a couple of police officers who had stopped to check out an old stray dog. I recognized the suspect and clued them in to his home. I wonder if dogs get Alzheimers too and sometimes forget how to get home once they get older.
July 4, 2009 at 7:36 am
centria
Yes, I think dogs get Alzheimers. Cats, too. We had a wanderer cat once that wandered away five miles. Twice, to the same farm five miles away! That’s a long story. I’ll bet it was kinda nostalgic when your dog died and it wasn’t the same walking any more. Glad you were there to help the police officers this morning. You were a doggie saint. 🙂
July 3, 2009 at 6:44 am
Emma
You know, you are a great photographer. Period. But I think you’ve shown a special talent for photographing dogs here! These are awesome portraits that really convey the spirit of these dogs!
July 4, 2009 at 7:37 am
centria
Emma, your comment caused a big smile on this end most of last night. I don’t think of myself as a photographer so it’s always such a disconcerting compliment. Dog photographer! Ha ha… Well it was a fun walk with them. But had to take at least triple the number of photos to get these shots.
July 3, 2009 at 8:21 am
Gerry
Welcome to my world. This is very like the morning walk with the Disreputable Duo. Those dogs seem quite young and have no collars. I wonder if they belong to the neighbor or if they were just abandoned along your road?
July 4, 2009 at 7:39 am
centria
No, they do belong to a neighbor down the road. I saw evidence of their doghouses and toys strewn around the front yard. Looked like they tore up some milk jugs as well. I think their owner(s) may be a young couple, but I’m not sure. Actually, I thought about you and your duo when walking with these two.
July 3, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Cindy Lou
Fun! Walking with dogs in the woods is always an adventure!! Just got back from our week at AuTrain Lake – terrible, terrible weather but lovely, fun family fun! Everyone fell in love with little Kenzie – how could they not? – and JenJen and her came home with us until July 20th!!!!! Hip, hip, horray! Stop by if you get a chance and say ‘hi’. Sure missed coming here first thing every morning and ‘seeing’ everyone – beautiful photos while I was gone.
July 4, 2009 at 7:41 am
centria
Cindy, I was just about to track you down to see if you were OK. Seriously, Barry and I talked about it. He said “you’ve got to call her and see if she’s OK” and I said, “no, I think Jen might be home and maybe she’s off the computer.” Glad you had your week in Au Train, but, darn, couldn’t you get some nicer weather? Glad Kenzie is with you for that long, hurray! If I see you guys at the parade today, want to take your picture for the blog, what do you think? If not, will try to stop by if I can figure out where your house is.
December 19, 2009 at 7:39 pm
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