He Trees a Kitty

We were on the deck over the water this morning and something on the far side of the pond caught Shadow's eye. I couldn't tell what it was as the tree was in shadow but Shadow's nose and eyes are much sharper than mine. I decided to let him free off of the leash and he took off like a shot. He had seen a small gray and white kitten that frequents the grounds and he got after it in short order, after all, what are kitties for, if not for chasing? The cat arched his back and hissed and quickly tired of this dark gray dog poking and nosing at him. He hopped onto a large oak tree branch and scampered to the safety of height. Shadow was dismayed, "Hey, that's cheating!" He didn't bark at the treed cat, but he stood guard until his wander lust took over. Shadow raced around the pond two times following the cat's scent. What he didn't see (or smell) was a little Calico cat, sitting up on the crest of the hill watching the chase. That kitty got up, stretched and wandered over to plop down in a patch of sunlight and relax. Shadow came back to the deck, watched the koi finish feeding for a few more minutes and we walked back up the hill to the house. It was a good start to the morning.

July 2012, Dog on the Deck

Each morning, as I feed the Koi fish, I have gotten into the habit of bringing Shadow to oversee the proceedings. He is absolutely fascinated with them. He sniffs, he watches intently and dances around the dock. He fell into the water once and I had to help him back aboard. Even when I go fishing, my dog is intrigued, he stares at the bobber as much as I do, and when I haul the little sunfish up it is a momentous event.

AN APRIL VISIT TO BARKLEY SQUARE

Terry Hallmark is visiting from Virginia Beach and he and I went for a swim at DeLeon Springs State Park this morning without Shadow.
After lunch, we decided to take Shadow to Barkley Square so he could get his run on. The place looked almost empty from the number of cars in the parking lot, but there were a few dogs for Shadow to interact with.

There were a pair of Jack Russel Terriers and two big white dogs so he had someone to run with. The big dogs spent some time in the pond and Shadow only went in up to his elbows at first. He was running to and fro and I'm glad he got some exercise.

Every time we go to the dog park I am in wonder at it's size. Volusia County has made a great place for dogs to run. It is the best park I have seen so far for our canine friends.

Today, I took a new camera with us to the park. I had tested it under water and in free fall and it worked great. It is tiny and called a GoPro. This camera will be with us on many future excursions.

A VISIT TO BARKLEY SQUARE

I finally took the opportunity to go find the local dog park in our new community. The one here in the Deland area is huge. Once again, there is a space for large dogs separated from the small dog area and a small "time out" area for unsocial dogs.

There is a pond at this park and the entire park is on 14 acres. The town has named the park Barkley Square and this afternoon I saw a dozen cars in the parking lot and about 15 or more dogs enjoying the afternoon.

Shadow needs the wide open space to run and he took advantage of it today. I feel better knowing he can get along with his peers and he was like a puppy again.