Day 1121

Today on our walk, Sammy and I thought we had seen another Golden across the street. When we gave the “dog” more than a cursory glance, we realized it was a young deer! What a beautiful surprise on our daily walk!

My “Halo of Goldens” has experienced a number of deer on our walks around town. We have also “met” a raccoon, a possum, turtles, wild turkeys, geese , a beaver and other smaller critters. Each time, instead of reacting negatively, my pups all simply observe and try to figure it all out! “What is that creature?” seems to be their initial reaction.

In my rollerblading days, I would come upon a variety of beasties on the trails. Otters, muskrats, skunks and a host of other “friends” would dart in and out of the underbrush from time-to-time. Each appearance would startle me, but only for a moment before the delight set in. However…there were others who were not so charming!

“Snakes…why did it have to be snakes?” Sunning themselves on the bike paths, snakes would frequently share the trail. There were countless times when I had to JUMP over these creepy crawlers! I missed them every time!

Also, there were a number of deer who thought my “rolling invasion” was less than welcome. Coming down a steep hill, rounding a bend in the path, I found myself facing a huge buck standing directly in my way. Do I slide under? Hit him in the side? Bail onto the grass?? None of these seemed to be habit-forming in my few seconds of decision making! As I tried to slow down, the big guy gave a snort and walked off the path just in time!

Although the pups and I love close encounters with wild animals, today’s sweet deer across the street was close enough!!!!