Walking The Dogs Up The Winchuck River

this Morning I received a newsletter from Ceasar, The Dog Whisperer, http://www.cesarsway.com/askcesar/cesarspeaks/Go-the-distance-Hiking-with-your-dog reminding me of the joy of hiking with our dogs up trail close to our home here on the Winchuck River in Southern Oregon. I hope you spend a moment reading the link to this post. It might just inspire you to get out there yourself re-connecting to nature while giving your dog some real joy! The picture above is myself with Marley, our Wired Hair Pointing Griffon who MUST run to have a complete life.


Myself again with both Marley and Maggie. Maggie is half Jack Russell and half German Shorthair. Can you imagine having that much energy? I certainly cannot. I appreciate her outlook on life going for the most at all times! If we could channel her makeup, we might just get our task done each and every day with time to spare! Look at that beauty of early spring forest!


The challenges for us old folk is hopping over rushing creeks. I wore boots this day, but prefer my hiking shoes so I don't really want to wade across. It is good for us keeping us able and moving even at our advanced ages. I am 69 and Jim is 72. We know many people that cannot imagine walking as far as we do and stop at the first creek...even those younger than us! It amazes me how we can put limits on ourselves that just don't make sense! Move it or loose it!


I love this regal picture of Marley seemingly on point high on a fallen tree. Staying home throwing a ball across the lawn just can't compare with getting up close and personal with our surrounding nature with Marley using her nose to find special smells not available in her home life.


You can see that I could walk further and faster to loose a few soft areas I have gathered on my body in old age. The dog treat bag is my fashion accessory; along with a whistle and a dog clicker. I look at all dog activities as a training session of sorts. The dogs are expected to come on call, sit and then get a reward. My training is to keep the heart rate up, breath deeply and take in my environment. I like to stay in the moment, enjoying the silence of the woods; while giving my dogs pure joy.

Trying to Find Retirement in Brookings, Oregon

I've closed my website for Winchuck River Store, pulled out of a local shop where I was selling and compromised by placing my items in an antique mall where working time is minimal. I can now spend more time with mom, work in my garden and enjoy our home near Brookings, Oregon.

The reason for all of this movement or lack of movement is that I brought my mother home from Long-Term-Care. She was on 5 mind altering drugs. I had lost all trust that she was taken care of in a dignified and even sound medically manner. I am now responsible for the care of my mother. I have hired a friend to watch over her when I need to leave; which is working out very well.

My mother's "sitter" loves to chatter and mom loves her for chattering. What a union made in Heaven! Taking all but one mind altering drug away from mom has restored her memory and level of function. She is no longer in need of "memory care"!

I have become a Ombudsman for the state of Oregon as a result of my frustration and need to learn all that I could about long term care. I am glad that I have had the experience I did with mom, as it makes me more alert to potential problems in long term care. I do not assume that all is well. I'm more likely to say...hmmmm...what is really going on here? I'm here for anyone who may be searching for answers to any long term care problems. If I cannot personally help, I do have some sources that possibly could.

We lost two of our labs to illness and old age this past year. In late December, we found a girl in need hanging out in Gold Beach at the dog shelter. Marley, a Wired Hair Pointing Griffon, is now just 2 and beginning to simmer down. Her previous family apparently spent a fortune on her (her breed runs 1K or more), didn't socialize her or train her and gave up after 1.5 years. I imagine she was stuck in a small backyard alone and ate it for something to do and chewed on their smaller dog! She was very aggressive with our other dog, Maggie, which shows her lack of socialization let alone good manners. I rushed to learn all I could about getting rid of anyone's need to eat another living being. Maggie was also guilty of wanting to rid the world of Marley's presence. I rushed to get on Cesar's website, read other internet information and bought two books one on dog body language and one on aggression. It paid off, with two girls that actually play together and enjoy a run in the woods together. I got the help of my husband and the two of us did not let a side glance go unattended to. We were on those dogs like glue for well over a month...and then to less than glue and more relaxed even today! We both agree that the trick was also to walk and run those dogs together each and every day to get them bonded into our cohesive pack with us as the leaders. What power! I am a pack leader!!

Brenda Atwood's great book, Aggression in Dogs, which saved us from death on the Winchuck, can be found on Amazon.Com. I found much of what she wrote in her body language book repeated in Aggression in Dogs. I've learned to speak "dog" . It actually works to go into their world to communicate in a way that is very clear and not a bunch of run on sentences in our "foreign" human language hoping they get the meaning. I've learned to lick my lips and yawn to help a stressed girl relax a bit. I'm not yet sniffing butts and scratching my behind! LOL

and now that I am back on the blog, I will make an effort to update more frequently with what is going on in and around our world here on the Wild River's Coast of Southern Oregon.