Siggy and Ebon

Tired puppies during a water break

I did take the dogs out for a nice long walk today. I'm getting used to walking two dogs at the same time, but it's still difficult. This is mainly thanks to Ebon being so busy on the lead. Siggy, thanks to his history, has a really good heal and so is a breeze to walk, unless he spooks and then you're stuck waiting for him to get over it (really the only thing to do; coaxing does nothing). Ebon is, well, it's best to describe him as almost like he has ADD. He likes to sniff everything and alternate what side he walks on. He's the sort of dog who just wants to do things. If I could train him to carry a toy and not drop it every five seconds he'd probably be the happiest dog in the world. Toys are like his whole life. If I'm just walking him his business isn't a problem. I have rules about how much he can do, things like I don't want to have to stop walking. So, if the leash pulls taught while he's sniffing and I'm walking I'll give a gentle tug to get him to keep up. I don't like him crossing in front of me because he can trip me up, so he'll often cross behind me. I also don't want him pulling. These are easy things and, hey, if he wants to be a bit busy it just burns off more of his energy. The problem is, as I've discovered, these behaviors can tangle up the leashes when I'm walking two dogs. I never realized how often I tend to switch hands while walking Ebon before now. It's a bit problematic, but I'm working on it. We had fun anyway.

Silly boys. Shows a bit more of their typical behavior. Ebon: super happy and hyper. Siggy: mellow as all get out.

Also, if you're curious, here's what Siggy's foot with the amputated toe looks like from below. He has a wear spot on his center pad because of a combination of the missing toe and the stiffness he has in his other leg. Apparently, it's common for that leg to become arthritic because of the way the tracks are set up. The only turn in one direction, after all. Overall, the lack of toe doesn't hamper him very much. He can still run really well, and has chased after Ebon on more than on occasion, outpacing him like it was nothing.

We stopped by one of the pet stores after the walk and I was amused when a cashier asked their ages and was really surprised Ebon was the elder of the pair. I suppose it's mainly because of the vast difference in energy level.

Evening Romp

Ebon on the stage

In a down-stay on the soccer field

Ebon, my significant other, and I went out today for a nice walk and a little romp through the woods. I keep forgetting how many little hidden areas there are in the woods on campus, which led to us stumbling across a little stage that sits half-hidden by trees beside one of the sets of dormitories. I don't know why they decided to build a stage there. It's one of three outdoor stage-like areas that are on this campus.

The bugs were out in force and though I remembered my bug spray this time, I still ended up getting a few bites. Those darn mosquitoes just love me too much. It was a beautiful day, though. Only a bit warm and really not humid. It's usually extremely humid around here and after a week of frequent rains it seems that things have dried up for the time being. Ebon enjoyed himself. He's doing great right now, for those of you who are curious.

On a man-made sand mound that's in the woods

I'm a little disappointed that none of the pictures really came out very well today. Oh, well.

Male sago (Cycas revoluta) cone

We did come across a rather impressive sago palm near another of the dorm complexes. A reproductive male sage is not a common sight around here. It seems that most of the sagos you will see near where I live are either immature or female, and female sago cones are far less conspicuous. Males, on the other hand, can produce multiple large cones beginning at the age of about fifteen years. Cycad species are notoriously slow-maturing plants and the need for a long time before reproduction is common. The sago we saw only had one cone, but it was nearly two feet long! These cones will release a sweetish smell when mature, but I couldn't smell anything so I don't think it's fully matured yet. And yes, I am crazy enough to sniff a sago palm in public.

Car Back? Adventure Time!

I haven't mentioned, but my car's been having some issues for a while now. I even took it in and the service center thought they had fixed the problem, but hadn't and when I informed them they had no idea what the problem could be. This culminated in me taking the car in last Thursday so that the mechanics could try one last time to figure out what in the world was wrong. I got the car back today, completely better and driving like brand new. So, I took Ebon out to campus to celebrate. We had a nice, hour-long walk, circling around to a number of parts of campus Ebon had not yet been to, including several of the gardens. So, on to the ridiculous amount of photographs.

Ebon outside one of the buildings, watching the people

A roly-poly I found in the International Garden

Juniperus formosana in the Conifer Garden

Can't read plaque, but another species in the Conifer Garden

Marsilea macropoda in one of the gardens

Ebon on a bench in the Primitive Garden

Lepisorus bicolor in the Fern Garden

Same as above. Can you find the sori in the larger version?

Selaginella unicinata in the Fern Garden (not a fern, but related)

Ephedra tweediana in the Primitive Garden

Tired Ebon outside of the Science building

After dropping off the bags, we went to have a peek at the pond. It's come to life! The frogs were peeping furiously and the brush is no longer brown. Ebon seemed like he wanted to go for a swim, but I didn't bring a ball. Or a towel.

Sunset over campus. The experimental banana orchard is in front.

It was fun. Hopefully I'll get a chance to go to somewhere different soon.

Trail at Dusk

Happy dog where the trails start. This is one of the most-traveled areas.

So many leaves

Is that a squirrel?

I took Ebon back to campus today and went to another section that he hadn't yet seen. He's been to certain sections many times now, namely the paved trail, the drainage ditch and retention pond, and the campus itself. However, there are also a series of unpaved trails that crisscross a section of forest which is mostly ringed by the paved trail. This is the same network of trails that I took to as an Undergrad student to observe and collect samples of local wildlife. We covered most of these forest trails, then when a section met up with the paved path I diverted onto it so that we could do a little jogging. I wouldn't trust jogging on the unpaved areas. Since most of the trails were covered with heavy leaf-litter, it's very possible that hidden holes or sticks could lead to a twisted ankle.

There were a few downsides to our trip. I didn't make it to campus until late, so we were racing the sun. It rained yesterday, so the mosquitoes were especially bad. I came home with several bites (note to self: buy bug spray). Also irritating was the sheer number of squirrels that were along the trails. Ebon tends to go crazy for squirrels, but luckily today he was very good. He didn't go after any, and when he did get excited I was able to easily redirect him.

In the fading light. This section is clearly traveled far more frequently. I suspect the campus caretakers drive their golf carts along it. It looks like it's frequented by wheeled vehicles, but is too narrow for it to be cars.

My Happy Boy is Back

Ebon as the sun was going down outside of one of the campus buildings.

Went to campus again today. Had a lot of fun running around with Ebon and spent some time working on his leash manners. Before he hurt himself he was being a bit of a butthead on the leash, so today I did lots and lots of super positive and fun work with him. He got lots of cookies, pats, and "good boy!"s if he kept the leash loose and I froze in my tracks if he pulled, which he already knows as "stop that and get over here." He knows good leash manners but apparently needed a serious refresher course. By the end of the walk he was happily trotting on a loose leash. I have to remind myself what he's capable of with just a little encouragement sometimes because before I just kept getting grumpy with him when he started being a brat. Especially when he started bolting after squirrels and nearly sending me headfirst into the concrete. Some positive motivation can go such a long way.

Ebon in a down-stay on the soccer field. Yes, it's really that green.

Sit-stay by the Freshman dormitories.

It was cool so, unlike yesterday, Ebon was very happy: lots of tail wagging and that prancing walk he does when he's feeling peppy. If he's hot he'll often visibly droop in addition to the heavy panting. His walk will be heavier and his tail much slower or not wagging at all.

I also tested out how his vest worked over his harness. It fits quite nicely, actually, and the ring on the harness sits right below the zipper on the vest that's specifically there for people who walk their dogs in a harness. You unzip the little zipper and there's the ring. The loop on the back of the harness is also exposed, but just barely. I probably won't really ever do this again because I always walk Ebon with the leash on his collar. If I ever do use the harness by itself, the vest would only get in the way since I would want access to the handle. I've tested it out, and the harness is great for assisting your dog up and down. If I live in a rocky, hilly area it would be quite helpful. I can also pick Ebon up in it, which is good to know in case of an emergency. However, I wouldn't do it regularly since this harness isn't exactly made for it and the belly strap dug in a bit when I did my test (Ruffwear does make a harness that's better for the purpose). This might be partly due to Ebon's rather high tuck-up and how this might change the distribution of force as compared to a dog with a less deep chest. Surprisingly enough, Ebon actually has a slightly deeper chest when compared to his "waist" than my dad's greyhound!

Adventures: First Day Back

On the bike path

As I prefaced yesterday, I took Ebon out on his first adventure since he broke a tooth. I took him back to campus, since it's honestly the easiest of the places to take him. Despite the heat (it was over 80!), he did great. His leg didn't bother him at all and he was definitely having a blast. I forgot to bring drinking water, though, so I ended up breaking open the bottles I was using as ballast so that Ebon would keep cool and hydrated. I tasted it and the water was perfectly fine, but since it had been sitting in the bottles for some time it tasted more than a bit like plastic. I'm going to need to work at getting him used to the heat since it's only going to get hotter. We've had such a mild winter I think it's thrown everyone out of sync, including myself. However, knowing Ebon, he should be used to the heat rather quickly. I just need to not be stupid next time and remember to bring water to drink. I was very thirsty myself when the walk was over.

During one of the water breaks. The puddle is what didn't go into the dog's mouth.

Another water break by one of the campus fountains. I wouldn't trust letting him drink from those fountains. This one had a bunch of trash people had thrown into it. Stupid people.

Another break in one of the gardens. He was panting pretty hard at this point, so I took off the bags and let him cool down.

After some time in the shade and some more water he was feeling a lot better.

The modified pack worked out great. I'm super happy with it, especially since I can take the bags off for a break like I did today. It's a lot easier than taking off the entire harness, since you have to maneuver it around one foreleg. I only had about five pounds in the pack today to test it out, but the stitching was holding quite well. It also didn't shift at all, which is one thing I was a bit worried about.

Campus Fun (lots of pictures)

So, I've been back to campus with the dog twice in the past week. I've been working on his manners a lot, so a lot of down- or sit-stays. We walked around, then went back to the pond and ditch for some retrieving. This significant other did some more camera work for me. There were a lot of lovely action shots, which you can click to magnify.

In the gazebo

At the top of the amphitheater

Forgot the species, but part of one of the many gardens

In another gazebo

I just got the ball out and his demeanor instantly changed

Up

Down

Up

Right

Left

Left

Left

Out

Right

Pond!

Very wet dog

Mid-shake

Ebon was a bit of a butt head on the last two trips, pulling on me a lot. Of course, an eighty-five-ish pound dog pulling is very different from a forty or even sixty pound dog, specially since I'm not exactly a very large person. When I took him to the old rice farm he decided that every squirrel in the park was the most exciting thing in the world and took me for a ride on three different occasions when I tried to jog with him. So, I've started using his head halter again and I'll be working on reminding him that he gets lots of praise and cookies for being polite. He likes to run, so jogging with him in the halter will both make him happy, encourage good behavior, and keep him from taking me for a ride while I'm trying to get a little exercise. I hate that I have to go back to this because I thought he was good enough to not need to wear the halter again.

On the bike path after some jogging

Trail feet again. Yep, it's shorts weather.

I even climbed a tree It's the same tree you can see in the background in my first post about this trail.

I even worked on his off lead recall on the soccer field. 

This sign amuses me

Tomorrow I'm planning to go back to the old rice farm.

EDIT - It seems Blogger is against me today. I don't know why some of the pictures aren't showing.