Dogs first encounter with hot, hot, hot sand

I took the dogs and some kids up to the Turkey Creek area on the Gila River for a nice river hike on a hot weekend. We ran into an unexpected obstacle for the dogs, really hot powdery soft sand.

I parked the truck about 75 yards from the water's edge and we had to walk from the truck to the river before we could get going on our hike. When I first let the dogs out they ran of like crazy fools so I had to whistle them back in and leash them up until we got to the river.

Once on leash and walking at a slower pace the dogs started fussing and checking their feet like they were picking up stickers or getting bitten by ants. Turns out the sand was really, really hot on their pads. I hadn't even considered that happening. Luckily it was just a short walk and there was enough vegitation for the dogs to get some relief on the way. Once down at the river all was well. I'm going to file this experience away so that it doesn't happen to us again. Usually on our hikes, because of the time of day or year, we don't run into sand that is this hot.

First River Hike of the Season

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On Monday, the dogs and I joined our hiking buddy Bonnie and her Labs, Pete and Jed, for a casual hike down the Gila River. My dogs spend a lot of time on the Gila either hiking or hunting, but it had been a while since we had been out for some serious exercise. They were ready for some off-leash, out of the yard, recreation. There were many lizards to chase and the current in the river was still pretty strong, so water retrieves required a good bit of effort on the part of the dogs.

The dogs also had a blast chasing whiptail lizards. They never catch them, but sure do enjoy the chase. Ranger optimistically tried digging the little critters out.



All in all it was a great afternoon with enough exercise to wear the dogs out for a day or two.

If you are planning a hike in the area that involves any river crossings, at this point the current is still pretty strong. The water level has fallen from spring runoff highs, so navigation is not as difficult as it was in April, but still requires taking care and paying attention. The deepest channels we crossed on our hike were about 4 feet or so and not too wide. The smaller dogs had to really work hard crossing the river when we were going upstream, but all were able to make all crossings without any help.



The dogs were not intimidated by the current at all. All were willing to fetch as many times as sticks and other objects were thrown with no hesitation.

Barn Owl-Shot of the hike

The dogs flushed this critter on our evening hike yesterday. They chased it for two laps around the canyon which was enough time for me to get a great shot as it passed by with my new "nifty 50" lens.

Boston Hill Trails

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Boston Hill is a unique place. It seems vast even though it is quite finite. It's an area which used to be an old Silver Mining site which is a maze of trenches left over from miners following silver veins with shovels and dynamite. The trenches, which were left behind, offer a unique rather easy hiking experience right within the city limits of Silver City, New Mexico.

There are three entrances that I know of to this rocky wonderland: between the High Desert Humane Society and the Catholic Cemetery on Cooper Street, on Market street near its intersection with highway 180, and on the bypass road which connects hwys 180 and 90. All three are easily accessible from paved roads.


Dogs hiking in this area are required to be on leash and under control, though that doesn't necessarily mean that they are. There isn't a reliable source of water available here, so if you're planning to explore at any length, you're going to want to bring water for yourself and your dog. Another thing to watch out for in this area is the wildlife. Last year there were multiple instances of rabid fox in the area, so it's not a good place to hike with an unvaccinated animal and wildlife encounters should be avoided if possible.

Gila River Trail Hike

Gila River Hike

Yesterday, we loaded up the truck with retrievers took a much needed trip to the river for hours of fun and about six miles of hiking up and down the Gila River Trail. The dogs and humans had a blast. Once again, we took along our Lab buddies, Pete and Jed, as well as their owner, Bonnie.

The drive to the trail had the truck exhibiting more than a couple of new rattles, but it hung together and we all made it there safe and sound.

Jed and the girls started out the hike demonstrating their agility by climbing a sycamore tree, then all the dogs got down to the serious business of playing in the river. The girls were in fishing mode, while Pete concentrated on picking up rocks from the bottom and carrying them to the bank. Jed was on critter patrol and unfortuantely for all involved, he did manage to find a skunk towards the end of the hike. Thank goodness the dogs were not riding home in the cab of the vehicle!

Everywhere you turned there was another stunning scene. The colors were lush and the landscape breathtaking. All of the cacti were blooming and we were treated to a spectacular sunset.

Backyard Hiking Again

On Sunday, Ranger, Ceilidh, Sue and I hit the trail just up the street from our house for the first time since October. The guys were jazzed to get out for a run and checked out all of their favorite places, looking for treasures.

For about half of the hike the dogs enjoyed a rousing game of "Follow that Sue", in which Sue goes tearing around the woods and the other two try to keep up. On the back side of the hike Ranger and Sue disappeared and I couldn't hear their tags. That usually means that they are up to something. When I whistled them in, Sue appeared, smiling and smelling quite musky. Ranger was a little tougher to call in, but when he did come he presented me with a nice javelina leg. They had both obviously been rolling in the carcass and were in a state of stinky high heaven.


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View from the Trail

Honey's first off-leash hike

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Honey has been here for almost two months now. Today, I decided it was time to see exactly how bad she would be off-leash on a hike. I had been warned not to let her off leash because she would bolt and wouldn't come back. I've been working on recalls with her in the yard, in the house and on a 40 ft. long line on hikes and she'd been doing pretty well. With the pack along, and the relative success I had observed on the long line, I decided the only way to truly test her progress was to unsnap the lead.

We hit what I call the Lucky Irishman section of the CD trail here in NM. Its a short section just south of Jack's peak that parallels NM 90 along the SE face of the Big Burro mtns. It's a pretty easy section that goes up and down arroyos and along some interesting terrain with lots of neat rock formations and a variety of vegetation. The terrain isn't too strenuous and the trails have recently been revamped by summer work crews.

Honey did really well! She ranged out pretty far, but she also checked in regularly and came in when I called her. I was happy with that. She stayed close to the pack, if not exactly right in the middle of them. She ran and explored and played, but she also made sure that she knew where I was.

I play hide and seek with my guys on hikes to encourage them to keep an eye on me. If they get too far out of sight, I look for a good hiding spot and wait for them to find me. Usually Ceilidh always finds me first, because she's my tracking dog and she also tends to stay a lot closer to me than the younger dogs. This was still the case on this trip. Ceilidh found me first, then Ranger, then Honey and last of all Bronco Sue. I was happy with the result. I didn't have to go searching for any dogs and at the end of the hike I didn't have to chase anyone. I tolerate quite a bit of ranging and independence with my dogs. The distances I let them range might make others a little nervous.

Honey's first hike on the CD Trail

Today, I took the gang, along with our new foster dog Honey, for a hike along the Deadman's Canyon section of the Continental Divide trail. I'd been warned not to allow Honey off leash in an unfenced area, so she got to run around on a 40 ft. purple tracking line from Palomine Lines.

She had a blast, but I can see why I was told not to let her off leash. I think she could’ve easily run off into the wilderness if I’d let her go. She used every foot of the line and was asking for more. She probably would’ve stayed with the pack, but I wasn’t in the mood to spend half the day trying to find her if she didn’t, so we played better safe than sorry.

The rest of the pack ran loose and enjoyed being in the woods once again, after quite a long absence. We came back with coats full of seeds and lungs full of fresh air.

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Dove Season Opener a Mixed Bag

The first day of dove season was a much anticipated event which ended up being a mixed bag of excitement, joy, guilt and fear. I like to use dove season as a tune up for ducks. It sharpens my aim and gets the dogs out and working.

The dove migration hasn't quite gotten into full swing yet, so the hunting was relatively light. Our spot was on state land, just outside of some private property with a nice stock pond. It was a perfect spot for the birds to come into in the evening. The birds were coming in gradually as singles, or pairs every fifteen minutes or so.

The dogs were rusty from the long spring and summer of not hunting, but I was generally happy with their work for the first hunt of the season. I had taken all three dogs. Ceilidh had indicated that she might be overcoming some of her fear issues. If only I could hunt birds using a bow or other silent method, she's the dog that is both my birdiest and my most biddable. It really breaks my heart not to be able to use her in the field. I was hoping that we were getting beyond her issues.

She worked well initially, even helping to motivate Ranger to bring the birds to hand. While the hunting was light, Ceilidh was fine. She gave no indication of having any problems, and I was really hopeful that we were actually getting somewhere with her. I was hoping that just being in the environment of hunting and being able to actually fetch birds might help her to get over her fear. This appeared to be the case until the birds really started coming in.

As dusk started falling, the rate of birds flying by, along with the number of birds in each group, increased. My hunting partner and I got wrapped up in shooting at birds and working dogs, and lost track of the one dog we needed to keep an eye on, Ceilidh. When the dust finally settled and we were assessing the day's results, we noticed that instead of three little red retrievers, we could only locate two. Ceilidh had bolted.

We spent the next two hours stumbling around in the dark, calling and whistling, with no luck. The next day, we took shifts searching the area. My hunting buddy's wife and a friend went down in the afternoon, looking but with no success. I went back in the evening and walked fence lines and arroyos for two hours with no luck.

Wednesday morning, I got a call from the High Desert Humane Society asking if I was missing a dog. Much to my relief, the rancher who owned the land by where we were hunting had found Ceilidh, safe and sound, sometime in between our searching shifts. He had taken her home and had called in after checking her tags. Bless Him!!!

4th of July in the Burro Mtns.

Fourth of July 07

The dogs had a full 4th. They started with a dip in the kiddie pool in the yard and then off to our favorite close hiking spot in the Burro mountains. It's a little forest road that winds around just below the continental divide trail. I often take them to this spot because my car can easily get there and frankly, it's a pretty easy terrain for hiking with usually no one else around.

The monsoons have finally started here and now there are nice little mud puddles for soaking in when the dogs get hot. There are lots of tall pines in this area and we've run into all sorts of critters here as well. The dogs and I had a great time on our morning jaunt before coming home for the usual illegal fireworks displays in the evening.