Farm's Pride: January 2013

Unfortunately I don't herd with our dogs - yet, this is something that is going to have to wait until we retire on about 60 acres of land and get our own sheep, ducks and other bits and pieces to walk about. However one of the things we do is walk in the woods. Here the dogs will hunt the entire time we walk.

Gyp pauses for a break by the stream

Since it was so nice out today, I decided to grab my camera and take the dogs out for a good long run. I have been yearning to take some lovely winter shots of the dogs with my new camera since last winter, and we didn’t get very much snow last year, so I’ve been rather snow photo deprived. We didn't go far since we came across several trails as the Coyotes are active at the moment, and there is an abundance of rabbits about. (Hence why the Coyotes)

Often we have put up several deer from the meadow.

Lily picks up a scent (air scenting)

Often during the walk I will stop and let the dogs really hunt the area. They usually track deer and coyote tracks in the snow, marking the area. Sometimes the hunt for mice, but generally this is left to the trip back home, when there is no urge to get out to the woods quickly.

Their sure they saw something!

The one thing that seems to really trigger the dogs to the woods is the abundance of Squirrels. (OBS- Ontario Black Squirrel) Once spotted in a treetop – well, all hell breaks loose! Lily is usually the first one to spot one of these since at the end of fall this year she made her first kill. While the killing of a harmless and stupid squirrel seems sad, it also helps trigger the vermin eradication instinct in the dogs. This helps keep nasty things like Raccoons, Possums and other vermin at bay from our yard. Our dogs are very territorial as they have been encouraged to be this way.

Sucess!

One of our Puppy People, Jacquie was telling me about her dog, and how she can climb trees to get at the birds in their yard. While I had some idea on how this would look, I really didn't believe a dog could climb trees... not the way she describe anyway.

Well - I guess it would look.....

something like this….

She just runs up the tree!

If you look carefully, you can see she's bending herself around a sapling coming down!

Lily has the ‘gift’ of the tree climbing genes I suppose. (if there is such a thing) While I have seen a dog climb a tree before, (branch by branch) I have yet to see something like this. ….

….and then I captured this……!

Wow - I'm impressed Lil!

I mean she really looks like she’s literally walking up the tree trunk!

Gotta love Tongue action!

When Lily isn’t listening into the forest, she’s usually running around the tree trunks dodging saplings and leaping over fallen trees at full speed, while occasionally taking a glimpse up into the tree tops for another chance to go tree walking!