The Oklahoma Snow Roller

 

And the Western NY Wild Wendigo.

 I walk them both, or most days each, every morning, as well as four or five times a day later on.

However, it's the early walk that makes the magic.

The Snow Roller came from Oklahoma and ended up here through a somewhat convoluted set of travels. Jilly hates the camera, as do all good Border Collies, but she loves the snow. When we are out there on business, hoping for deliberates, so we can avoid nasty accidents (there was a kennel somewhere in her previous life and she isn't as careful as she could be) she often prefers rolling to...erm, ahem...you know.

When there is snow, ALL bets are off. This morning, even with the Wendigo out with us, she rolled halfway down the hill before she remembered why we were out there.

The Wendigo was born in a hunting kennel out in the western part of the state. His parents helped hunting hounds do what they were bred for, and he came to us with all the instincts, spite, and spunk of same.

They are both nine years old and somewhat...only somewhat...mellowed.

On normal days, it's Mack out first because he feels the imperative most strongly, and Jill second. Both are leashed, Mack always, and Jill when it is dark. There are critters out there, from fishers to bears, with coyotes and bobcats between, and she is soft and sweet....and not always as obedient as she might be. Mack is an unrepentant death machine. He has taken on even a Shorthorn bull and terrified the poor thing, before I got him out of the pen.

However, on some days everyone is whining and moaning and crossing their legs at the door, so I put one on one long leash and the other on another and hope for the best...no dog fights, no wild things on the lawn, etc. etc.

This was one of those mornings. Out we went. All of us. Jill commenced to roll as soon as we got around the parked car. Mack was fascinated and wanted to run right over and interfere. His leash is just enough shorter that he failed in that endeavor. Thus he began to take care of bidness, as only a boy dog can. 

Waning gibbous over the back porch roof

There was fresh snow reflecting the faintest early light, and there were geese talking down on the river, an early morning contact murmur that could barely be heard. An sleepy White-throated Sparrow tried out a tentative chirp from a nearby bush, but subsided back to slumber a second later. The WTSPs and Northern Cardinals are generally the first birds up in winter, but it was still pretty dark.

Somehow...eventually... the rolling reached the saturation point and the dragon was entirely drained. No fighting, not too much leash tangling, and no tripping of the elderly. All in all, a successful morning excursion. For the rest of the day, now that the sun is up, they can go out separately, with Jill off leash and Mack less desperate. 

But I feel like a hearty...and hardy too....adventurer.