What a difference 8 months make!

We just found this picture taken of Moxie a day or 2 after we adopted him last September. Contrast this with the one below, taken in late March, while we were taking a few days' vacation on the Russian River.

Sheep, water sports & other fun stuff

Last week Moxie got to meet some sheep. We went with our friend Susan and her dogs out to a ranch near Pleasanton. Susan's dogs had worked sheep before; Moxie had come along for an instinct test. Not surprisingly, he knew just what to do. It really was amazing to see the genetics kick in. This probably isn't something I'll pursue, at least not in the near future, but it it was enormous fun, for me as well as the Mox.

After sitting on my hands for a couple of years, I finally broke down and bought a digital SLR camera -- a Canon Digital Rebel XTI. It was sitting right there on the front seat of the Forester while Moxie was in the pen with the sheep, but I forgot to tell Elsa, who was using her trusty, venerable Olympus point'n'shoot. No shutter lag, a longer zoom and way higher megapixels would have been nice! (I'm not dissing Olympus cameras, please understand; Elsa's is 7 years old and still does a good job, but it wasn't the tool for this particular activity!)



Okay, new subject:

Those of us who live in the San Francisco Bay Area are lucky enough to have access to a number of nice dog parks where our critters can play off-leash. I like Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley and the Alameda dog park. But Point Isabel, in Richmond, may just be the best dog park in the country -- 21 acres of grassy fields bordered on one side by the San Francisco Bay (killer views!) and bisected by a tidal channel. There's a café that serves good espresso, pastries, homemade soups and sandwiches, and Mudpuppy's Tub & Scrub, where you can bathe your dog or buy treats and toys. If you don't feel like paying for a clean dog, there's a rinse-off hose where you can get the salt and mud off for free. The park is about 16 miles from where I live, but Miko, Moxie and I find our way out there 3 or 4 times a week -- there's a Costco right next door, with the cheapest gas in the area; I use that as a partial justification. But mainly, I love Pt. Isabel and so do the dogs. Moxie only wants me to throw the ball for him, but Miko, rennaissance boy that he is, not only chases the ball, he also hunts gophers, digs holes, climbs trees and swims. Yes, that's right. I said he climbs trees. The proof is below.



Depending on the tide, there may or may not be stretches of rocky beach on the Bay side of the park. (One of the little beaches gained notoriety a few years back because that's where Lacy Peterson's body washed up!) At low tide, even non-swimming dogs can venture quite a ways from shore without having to paddle, or they can play in the thick black muck in the channel. When the tide comes in, though, the swimming is great. Moxie is only beginning to enjoy swimming; the one time he won't fetch a ball is out of the water. He kind of paddles around in circles -- maybe he's herding fish and I just can't see them! Miko, on the other hand, is a swimming fool. The one place he absolutely reliably will retrieve the ball from is out of the water.

Did I mention that he dives?

You've seen those bumperstickers that say "A bad day fishing is better than a good day at the office" -- that's how I feel about Pt. Isabel. I've been out there in the pouring rain, and when the wind off the bay just about knocked me flat. Doesn't matter. It's beautiful. Even when it's crowded it's peaceful. (Dogfights are really rare, and nearly all the people who come to the park are pleasant.) I used to listen to music or podcasts, but rarely do anymore. I go there and walk a couple of miles and just ... be. And the dogs have a blast and get a good workout at the same time.

Next week Moxie starts beginning agility classes at ACE, and Miko and I go to PowerPaws agility camp. I dreamed I was sent home from camp in disgrace, for being such a klutzy handler. Miko got to stay, of course. In my dream he was sitting on a table wearing a gold cardboard crown, like for a kids' birthday party. I woke up sweating! Miko swears he'll take good care of me, though ... and I expect he will!