Center Hill on New Years Eve

We hiked around Weld today--up Center Hill and around the snow mobile trails. The temps got up to 40 degrees! Too high for winter....

(Click to enlarge)

Pete, Bubba, Gabby, & Jane make the newspaper!

Bailey's buddy Pete out for a walk with his family!

Hiking the Mountains

I took Bailey for a 70 minute hike into the mountains behind my home. He loved the freedom of running without a leash.

GOT SNOW?

My friend Gayle asked this morning, Did Bailey slither through the snow? And he did. Long and lean and stretched out fully, he lavished in today's 8 inches as if swimming in a heated pool. Berners know how to live life fully... now, if he could only shovel!

Boxing Day... the day of the dogs

Boxing Day... former athletes and friends pop by

Way too much Christmas....

After presents, a short mountain hike, playing with cousin Zellie, and too many treats, this happy pup is ready for bed.

Merry Christmas

& Good Night!

THANK YOU SANTA BARTASH! WooFhoo! A napsack for hiking!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! But, alas... It's All About the Book.

This holiday, it's all about the book. I'm happy as a puppy working on this project. And Bailey? As long as those peanut butter treats keep on coming, he can live without the mistletoe, tinsel, The Jolly Elf, a tree, presents--well, maybe a couple--or an electric car set that goes round and round. A bit Grinchy or not here on Prospect Avenue, we wish our family and friends a ... Joyous Christmas!

A present from the Bartashes!

Since we've had no mention in the Kent household about Chris....shsssh...mas, Bailey is a bit confused by the big gift from the Bartash family pets. We'll wait until tomorrow to open the large package. The stuffed skunk pet has already been devoured, and happily so.

Thanks, Barbara & John & Furry Children!

For our Christian friends... remember, click to enlarge!

Looking for Santa? Nah, hoping Victoria, his God-Dog-Mom will visit!

Bailey is on restricted activity ... a case of watchful waiting on his belly button hernia.... poor boy. Dad may have let the little guy play too much this past week following his initial surgery. Bad Rich, bad Rich....

The working dog surfaces

Today, upstairs in my office, Bailey showed himself as the work dog his ancestry led him to be. Here he is looking out the window watching the snow fall and my neighbors shovel. In this photo I can see the adult dog Bailey is becoming. He's just a few days shy of 7 months. In days gone by, Bernese Mountain Dogs pulled carts for their farmers and kept watch on the comings and goings on the homestead.

Bailey's future?

Dear God-Dog in Heaven, howl be thy name... Remember, click on the letter to enlarge.

Neighborhood snowpeople

Last week we walked through our neighborhood two days after our first real snow storm. Our neighbors just down the street were outside on their lawn... Perhaps waiting for a taxi? Taking in a bit of the late fall sunshine? Just hanging...

Zonked... 7 degrees F outside, and Bailey has made his choice for the morning....

Get Well cards from neighbors Bapu the Great and Minga the Future Friend

Bailey at Chapel....

Please don't send me to Uncle Dr. Fred's for THAT again!

Bailey's Plea to Uncle Dr. Fred & Staff... didn't work! (click to enlarge photos)

Watching TV

Bailey's Slovakian Cousins

In 2004-2005, I hosted a great young man named Michal Cicala from Slovakia. He ewas a popular figure at Mountain Valley High School, and joined the soccer, ski, and baseball teams... he also knocked the academic ball out of the proverbial park.

Michal's mom Jane is a veterinarian and, quite obviously, a pet lover. These are photographs of Bailey's Slovakian cousins: Whiskey the Kitty and Wendy the Grand Dame Golden. Oh, and the humans include Michal and his mom, Tanya and her brother Martin...

Talking to my dog

I think I look fairly balanced, if not sane. Even so, I definitely have my What-in-the-world-are-you-thinking? moments.

Each morning Bailey shifts into wide-awake mode and decides that he has had just about enough of my sitting behind the silver machine that glows. He barks a talking kind of bark, then lets out these marvelous soft howls:

A-Woooo00000

A-Woooo00000

His howls sound a lot like the chorus lines from the song, "Werewolves of London" (click the title).

A-Wooooooooo, werewolves of London; A-Wooooooooo, werewolves of London.

This morning, I wrote quickly and efficiently on chapter three from my book while just down the street my friend, research assistant, and editor Gayle read and wrote feedback on the introduction and first two chapters. We were firing on all cylinders. Just so you know, quickly and efficiently equals being on a roll (in the flow), and no writer likes to stop mid paragraph or mid page when the words are flying onto the screen of our silver writing machines. But then there's the puppy and 10:30 am....

With Bailster's bear paws flopping onto my keyboard and up-side my face, his A-Wooooooo's broke the silence of the kitchen and I snapped,

"Bailey. I need to write this book. It could sell well... and if it does, you'll have a nice RV to travel in ... otherwise, you'll be cooped up in a -blanking- crate down by the river..." I laughed... and then thought, I'm talking to my dog.

And you know, I think that's a very healthy sign.

Can we go to Weld?

We day tripped to camp in Weld today with temperatures in the 60's. Amazing for mid-November. We walked along the beach and then headed up to the Center Hill turn off and farther up to Center Hill itself. We hiked (Bailey ran) to the top of the mountain and around the trail with views of the lake, Tumbledown, the Jacksons, and Mount Blue. Bailey turned teenager on me during out ascent of Center Hill and ran way ahead out of sight. That's the first time he's disappeared on me. Time to think more about this kind of freedom. Nonetheless, what a great day on the hills around Lake Webb and the town of Weld.

Street Dogs of Mexico

I've been in Mexico for a week... a great time with old friends and new. While riding or walking through the streets of Leon and Guanajuato, I encountered many street dogs. My guess is that I wouldn't be quite as affected by these aimless dogs if Bailey were not in my life. But with each dog I saw, I pictured Bailey walking alone in a big city with no one to care for him and nowhere to go. As I write this entry, Bailey is fast asleep in an enormous overstuffed chair in my living room. His belly is full and every so often he wanders into the kitchen where I am writing just to check in. He spent a glorious fall afternoon with six of his best dog buddies on the lakeshore of Worthley Pond. "We" had an intermediate class at The Proper Pooch. After that, he climbed Black Mountain with me wearing his blaze orange scarf. He's got a good life... but not these streets dogs.

A Dachshund who had recently given birth strayed along a busy city street looking this way and that. "Frantic" is the word that comes to mind. I think she may have belonged to someone at some point because she had a one-foot long tie around her neck. I have no picture of this dog, but her face, not unlike the one I've included above, is still with me.

Another pup seen at the top of this post wandered along the main street in Guanajuato. This tiny tike dodged in and out of door ways, peeing frequently. After I saw him return to a doorway for a second time, I had hoped perhaps he belonged to one of the store owners. Maybe he had hoped, too. But no such luck as he came back out, peed again, and scrambled down the street. This little vagabond reminded me of a miniature Benji dog. When I saw him, I immediately thought of my dog-loving neighbors Kate and Gayle. I could picture them scooping up this little guy in a heart beat and going from door to door in search of his owner. With no success, they would have brought him home to a place where all beings, especially our furry friends, are cherished and valued. Benji would have made a great little brother to Bapu and Minga.

The two pitch black little guys with flopping ears looked like twins. My friends and I drove through the back entrance of a country club along neglected fields when the two shadows scooted down the road and then disappeared into the deep grass. There were no houses or people within a mile.

There are times when I feel guilty for having the resources to care for Bailey the way I do. I joke about him having his own condo in my house, and his food, care, treats, and toys cost more per month than the take-home salary of a factory worker in many under-developed countries. Obviously, I'm not going to return Bailey to Estelle and Ralph, his grandparents, or to Maggie his mom... Truth is, I plan to appreciate him that much more.

As if on cue, Bailey just wandered into the kitchen and flopped onto the floor to the side of my office chair. Time for a belly rub.

I HATE my Gentle Leader!

"Yes, you can put that thing on me, but it doesn't mean I'm going anywhere with you."

Ready for a Run in the Woods During Huntin' Season and Halloween

The Guys @ Obedience Class

We are now attending a second class for basic Obedience. Bailey has a blast playing with the other guys--all males--in class. He especially likes his best friend Pete, Jane's furry son (above). He gets a great night's sleep after the class and he's learning--so am I--more and more about how to be a good boy!

The Guys @ Obedience Class