Morning snowplay with the dogs
For the past week, Cathy and I have been babysitting 2 dogs while my son and his partner prepare to move. It’s made for a very busy house! Yesterday morning before heading to the cruise office, I took them all out for a walk/play to put them in a better mood – Monty in particular hates being left alone for the day.
Gracie, in the foreground, is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever – while she sometimes plays with the big dogs, she more commonly goes off and does her own thing. Kayla often gets into the fray but sometimes just barks at Leah and Monty who are the really active ones.
When Kayla and Leah start playing…
…Monty always jumps in!
Gracie apparently found something that might be interesting, bringing the other 3 full-speed!
With the dogs pooped out, I could enjoy a nice calm walk – I love the way the corral looks in the winter.
Off to work – this was sunrise as I approached the Alaska Highway (shot with a 300mm lens).
Now the sad part of yesterday. Five hours after these photos were shot, another family member came to pick Leah and Gracie up – 2 hours after that, Gracie was hit by a semi-trailer on the Klondike Highway and is now fighting for her life. We are so sad… 🙁
About an hour ago, my son posted a link on his Facebook page, to this story:
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As they made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than humans lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why”. Startled, we all turned to him, What came out of his mouth next stunned us. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life– like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? The six year- old continued, “Well dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”
About The Author
