Paws, Puddles, Ponds, and Change Part 2 of 2

After we let the dogs check out the reservoir on the lookout stump it was time to continue our walk.

Come on mom let's go!

The trees here were "pruned" last year. Hold that thought.

We decided to do some recall games next. There is a nice long stretch with no potholes or anything dangerous for them to get hurt on when running fast between mom and dad. Dad walked way up and then it was time for recall fun! This game is one we try to play on every off leash walk we do together. There are no distractions and it is great fun for the dogs. You will notice Jenny or Birdie don't think they need the practice, but Tim, Skip, and Liza say weeeeeeee........ let's get some treats!

 After a few recall passes and the dogs were getting tired from running we continued our walk and came upon this scene.

Oh no, a lot had happened since we had been here last just a couple of weeks ago. The road we were walking on was all muddy, there were bare spots with stumps where lush trees and underbrush had been, and we were pretty sure what was to come...

I sure hope they come back at least and get the logs they left behind, can you count the rings to see how old this tree was? It is pretty hard to do they get closer and closer together toward the outer edge.

As we continued I wondered what was up around the bend, I had a feeling something would be very different.

Oh boy, the road was all muddy and there was MUCH more light coming through than I knew was supposed to be there.

Dave was now walking by a bulldozer with a grappling hook on the back, this wasn't good.

As I turned the corner and saw what was before me my stomach dropped. This area that is now "pruned" was the very first place we ever went chanterelle hunting. A friend had guided us all through the woods up and over logs and it had been a very memorable experience. As I took this all in I wondered how long it will take for the forest to grow to the point where it could sustain chanterelles again and all the other living things that had a home here.

The area we walk is the Sultan Watershed and it occurs to us that these trees and forests must be very important to purifying the water that runs from the hills into the reservoir, they also were great earth stabilizers and we really wished selective cutting would have been used instead of clear-cut.

On a lighter note the dogs weren't phased by this at all! In fact all this mud and earth that had been turned up made an old familiar place into a whole new environment for them. They had lots of things to sniff and pee on and also to climb on.

Jenny doesn't mind the mud at all.

Skip getting a sniff from a high point.

 

Tim was not wanting to hold still for mom to take his picture of his muddy paws, poor guy.

My shoes were getting stuck in the mud so we decided to just turn back. Normally we do a loop but we will have to wait for everything to be cleaned up and the road to be leveled and re-rocked before we can do our loop again.

As we headed back the way we came I decided I needed some more beautiful photos to finish up this blog post. I didn't want it end it on a depressing note. I just hope they aren't planning on pruning the whole area...

When we stopped to see what Birdie had been interested in we noticed she hardly had dirty paws at all! She must have been much more careful about where she was stepping than the other dogs and who's surprised? lol

And thankfully there still are some places where the chanterelles can thrive, we did find quite a few as we walked along.

I managed to get a picture of the crew, not a great one but it will do. L-R Skip, Jenny, Liza, Birdie, Tim

Here's a couple of cute videos of Jenny motoring along. Remember she is at least 15 years old and yet she motors along with a spring in her step! Ratties never get old.

As you might recall we did a lot of initial work with Tim around being off leash, here are a few of blog posts about how we prepared him for this privilege.

Shaping "Check-In" With Timken Off-Leash

Continuing Working Off Leash With Tim... A Ripple Effect Part 1

Continuing Working Off Leash With Tim... A Ripple Effect Part 2 

Well Tim continues to do his "check in" when we are on our walks. He doesn't get a treat each time but he does get a treat when he least expects it and this behavior is something that has stuck with him for over a year!

In this video I just happen to catch him doing a routine check in, what a good boy!

I will end this post with a soothing photo of the reservoir. Such a magical place this is, I hope it continues to stay that way as much as possible.