Wags out West
Since I sadly couldn't bring Fozzie and Lamar with us to Oregon and Zimfest, I made sure we took every opportunity to get some dog smooches wherever we could find them.
Fortunately, the places we were in Oregon were about as dog-friendly as you could imagine.
We met dogs on the beach, dogs in coastal towns, dogs looking for free pets at the music festival.
There was a dog at Zimfest who looked just like Lars only bigger. This dog, though--a Malamute-shepherd cross--couldn't get enough of human contact and had no problem with the loud music and crowd.
Sigh--sometimes I wonder what that would be like, to have a totally issue-less dog!
It was wonderful to see so many cattle dogs, those little muscular energetic torpedo bodies and the abundant vocalizing and the pointy little satellite dish ears that are so satisfying to rub.
The highlight though had to have been when we took a break from the festival and found an official off-leash dog heaven on the Willamette River. At one point we counted no less than nine dogs paddling, soaking, running, stick-obsessing, and floating in the river. The river here had that same fragrance I love that I've found along the Potomac and in Santa Fe, and the trail to it was covered with blackberries.
It is good to be home, and Florian promises that we'll devote the upcoming weekends to discovering some of the amazing swimming holes and doggie heavens we have around here. All the same, it is hard not to miss Oregon and the coast and the wide open Western sky and the abundant opportunities to meet and play and sing with Zimbabwean masters! Maybe someday we'll return.
I am so glad you had such a fantastic time! Isn't it funny how we automatically gravitate toward dog-friendly areas even when we are without dogs? I love all the cattle dog photos. So much fun!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful time! Great doggie photos! I hope your guys didn't get too jealous after I'm sure you had the "sniff" test upon your return! They must've been so happy when you were back home!
ReplyDeleteYes, we had a lovely reunion! It was great to be with my own dog people again, though it was a huge relief to meet so many friendly dogs and people.
ReplyDeleteAnd it seemed we saw cattle dogs everywhere we looked. There were two others in Portland--one friendly, one shy--that I didn't even photograph. Love those things.
It looks like you had a wonderful time, I am so jealous of Oregon! It looks like a wonderful place for dogs.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to let you know I have given you the Versatile Blogger Award, you can read the rules at my blog and you may be able to grab a badge too.
Thank you Jodi! I will get harder to work discovering more new blogs so I can pass it on--I know it will be a worthwhile effort!
ReplyDeleteI once had a totally issue-less greyhound named Jade. She was an amazing social butterfly who loved everyone and could go anywhere and be perfectly happy. Now I have two spooky boys who are total messes, and I can barely even take to the grandparents' house. :) I do miss my well-traveled girls, sometimes, but I wouldn't trade my boys for the world.
ReplyDeleteI need to get to know greyhounds better....they seem like sensitive, slightly nervous, but very sweet dogs overall. But I'm sure that as with any dogs, the personality variation within the breed is huge!
ReplyDeleteI know....sometimes their issues make us love them even more!