The Dogs of Winter

It may be spring-like conditions in many parts of the country, but here in California, winter is still alive and well, despite what the calendar says.  We have had a series of rainy, windy thunderstorms and the Sierra snowpack is 158% of normal.  Ordinarily I like winter and rain, but having to wipe down eight wet muddy feet every time they come in from a backyard romp (which is often) is starting to get really old.  I'm ready for spring!  But before winter bows out for good, I really wanted to get the pups and the kids up to the snow to have some fun while we can.

I figured the pups would love the snow, seeing how the hail from Berne, Switzerland which is no stranger to the fluffy white stuff.  But to be fair, my two pups were born in Iowa.  In July.  The closest they have ever gotten to their ancestry is when they stole a piece of Swiss cheese off my sandwich when I wasn't looking.  What if we drove all the way up to the mountains and they hated it?  They have already proven to have their odd quirks (Lord knows!) so why should this be any different?  I decided to push my luck and we loaded up the SUV with dogs, kids and all the accompaniments it takes for a day in the snow which pretty much filled it to the top.  Good thing we weren't going for the weekend, I'd have to rent a U-Haul.

As luck would have it, we managed to find a day last week when there was no rain or snow falling, we so headed up to beautiful Bear Valley, a three-hour drive into the Sierra Nevada mountain range.  A pretty short drive to get to 7,000 feet of snow; an eternity with two restless kids and two dogs giving their best effort to repeatedly climb into the center seat section of the SUV to escape their back-of-the-bus exile.  After a quick stop for gas, a dog pee-stop when we found a grassy area, and a pull-over stop to rescue a stolen bag of chips from the back and right the overturned cooler, we arrived at Bear Valley Village which to our amazement was bright, snowy and practically deserted.  We found a clearing off the main road where the kids could sled and the dogs could romp without fear of running into the street or annoying other guests.  We made it!

After piling into ski pants, jackets, gloves and snow boots, we opened the back of the SUV to get the dogs out and start our adventure.  Bodie, who was tired of being cooped up amidst inflatable sleds and duffel bags, jumped out of the SUV and began his happy "Bodie dance" around us to stretch his legs.  He didn't bother to investigate the 7-foot high snow bank next to the car but left a "yellow snow" tattoo to commemorate the occasion.  The kids were equally as antsy to begin playing and before long I was completely tangled up with a dog leash and sled tow-rope while trying to keep my footing on the icy road.  Are we having fun yet?

All this time Leila is standing in the back of the SUV, pacing back and forth and giving me her combo bark/whine/protest.  Apparently she was agitated that she was separated from Bodie, but not mad enough to actually jump down and join him.  I tried pulling on her leash to lead her to the edge of the car and she put the brakes on in a way that only a terrified 60-pound puppy can do.  Suddenly Bodie leaps back up into the SUV, his big wet feet getting blobs of dirty snow all over the clean clothes pile.  I seemed to be moving backwards in my attempt to unload the car of all things dog!  The kids are about to explode with anticipation of heading across the street to try out the sleds, so my husband shoos them over and they take off like a shot.  Seeing them run off, Bodie once again leaps from the car in an attempt to follow them.  I tell my husband, "Take Bodie over, I'll get Leila out and be there in a minute."

The "minute" turned into twenty of them.

No matter what I did, Leila was not going to get out of the SUV.  Little Miss Dainty apparently had zero inclination of getting her feet cold and wet.  I tried tugging on her leash, which only made her dig in harder.  I tried coaxing her with a biscuit which she sniffed at but only stretched her neck over, keeping her feet firmly planted in the back of the cargo section.  I tried opening the side door of the car and folding the seat down to have her come out that way....no luck.  I even tried crawling in and grabbing her in a fireman's carry hold, to which she responded with an artistic back-bend and wriggle technique to get away from me.  By now she was shivering with terror so I sat down next to her and tried to calm both of us down.  I could only envision the steam that would spout from my husband's ears when he learned that we drove all the way up here and Leila would not get out of the vehicle on any account.  Just then I saw my husband and Bodie walking back to the car.  I started to panic.  I tried reasoning with Leila (why I thought this would work is beyond me but I was desperate at this point!), digging out more biscuits, even trying a piece of string cheese I dug from the bottom of the cooler.  No dice.  My husband and Bodieso's that were about to come flying my way.  "I'm sorry!" I started before he could say anything, almost in tears by this point.  "I've tried everything but she won't get out of the car!  I don't know what else to do!"

Leila took one look at Bodie and flew out of the back of the SUV to his side.

"So, what's the problem?" my husband said, clearly amused.  I was speechless.  I thought of a million witty retorts to throw at him but they all paled next to my first reaction: get the hell out of the car and shut the hatch before the bitch jumps back in!!!

We finally got both dogs and kids to the clearing in the snow and to my delight (and total relief!) the dogs had a blast!  We dropped the leashes so they could run free since we were alone (but me, always the cautious one, kept the leashes dragging behind them in case I needed to make a leaping grab to catch on of them) and the two of them ran, leaped and dug in the snow like it was their own personal playground.  Leila ate some, found it interesting, and sampled it in various locations.  Bodie took the time to mark several spots with his signature yellow, which made me laugh.  They chased the kids, rolled around, and completely wore themselves out.

When it was time to go, I had a horrible idea that now Leila would probably not get back into the truck, just to make me crazy.  But no, they both flew up into the cargo area, their backsides covered in frozen "dingleberries" which were luckily just water.  We hadn't even put the SUV into "drive" yet and both dogs were laying down, exhausted.  Mid-way home I glanced back and saw my eight-year old had put down the center seat and was lying down with his head in the cargo area, Leila asleep with her chin resting on his head.  A big pile of tired, happy campers.

So Leila could not deny she had a good time in the snow.  Hopefully in the future, when we go on another new adventure, she will trust me, do what I say and have another great time, you think?

Yeah, me neither.



That's What Happens When You Feed Them

On one of our daily walks last week, I passed by a woman walking her retriever-mix dog who was about the same size as my pups.  We chatted for a few minutes while her dog wagged its tail and inspected my two, who were cowering in fear behind my legs.  I mentioned to her that after all the rain we have been having recently, it was nice to get out in the sunshine so my two could burn off some puppy energy.  She looked at me strangely and asked how old they were.  When I told her they were seven months old, she looked at me with equal parts horror and great amusement.  "On my" she said.  "They are going to be BIG!"  Her dog, as it turns out, was almost two years old and currently seeing eye-to-eye with Bodie and Leila.  Or, more correctly, would have been seeing eye-to-eye with them if they bothered to peek out from behind me and stopped trying to flee.  Yeah, we're still working on that.

But it got me to thinking, just how big have these two gotten, anyway?  I see them every day so they look the same to me.  When my husband comes home from a trip away for a few days, he swears they are taller than when he left.  It isn't until I go through some old photos that I hear myself saying "Look how small and cuddly they were!"  To be fair, they are still quite cuddly, but the "small" part might be debatable.  Especially when I am picking up dog poop in the back yard....ain't nothing small about that!

Before Bodie and Leila came to live with us, I bought a stuffed Bernese Mountain Dog toy online that my kids named "Bernie".  (the name tag on the toy said its name was "Trevor"....who the heck names a dog "Trevor"?)  The first thing I wanted to do was take a photo with Bodie and Leila next to Bernie for comparison's sake.  That proved to be a hilarious task in itself, trying to get two wiggly puppies to sit still long enough for me to snap a photo.  Back then they had not learned the art of the "stay put and you'll get a treat" ploy that they fall for so easily nowadays.  But back then, there was not a great difference in size between the two of them and Bernie.  Today, one has to look closely to even see Bernie at all....it's like a canine version of "Where's Waldo?"  I took their latest group shot yesterday and marvel at how tall and majestic they have become in such a short time.  Where did those roly-poly fluff balls from September go?

I'm sure that by this time next year I'll be looking at yesterday's photo and saying "Remember when they were eight months old and we thought they were sooooo big then?"

Stay tuned.....




ages in photos (in order): 10 1/2 weeks, 11 1/2 weeks, 3 1/2 months, 4 1/2 months, 6 1/2 months, 7 months, 8 months