The end of an era, a dog shaped hole in the heart.

Wiser people than I have ruminated on the unfair nature of things concerning the loss of pets.  Unless you have a Galapagos tortoise or naked mole rat as a companion there is a pretty high chance you are going to outlive them.  That still doesn’t really prepare you for it….

We official got Layla in March of 2011, likely she was about 4.5 months old. She was the softest, little nugget with a pot belly and comical half upright ears.  

The adoption agency claimed her derivation as Boxer/Mastiff we were expecting a large dog with lots of slobber.  Instead she maxed out at about 48 pounds of pure energy and only moderate slobber.  

We started basic training as early as possible at about 6 months of ages, Thursday nights in a cold barn in Rickreall, sitting, staying, calling, she did well but the prong collar was always needed to keep her attention.  She was a good sniffer, she could find the rock coated with truffle oil placed in the driveway, but we never went as far as truffle hunting. 

Being more likely a terrier she was a chaser. Layla would keep after deer until they managed to clear the fence, returning satisfied and spent.  Once I caught up with her to find the deer halfway over the fence with Layla clamped onto one rear leg getting flailed about.  I often thought she would get kicked in the head but never did.  She knew our cats but would occasionally encounter other cats on the property, she bled badly from those encounters, but never seemed to learn from it.  Her true nemesis was likely squirrels, she knew the word and would take off like a shot to roust them from the bird feeder and keep them tree bound.

For a dog who hated baths, she often found herself coated in mud, poop of various kinds, or occasionally rotten stuff. 

Layla liked slow boats; canoe trips on the Willamette, sailing with minimal heeling. Less enamored with motorboats she would tolerate it but give you the look (leading to the Boring Dog Video series).  Layla attended several boat classes (MOCC) roaming the classroom or field lectures, talking people out of their lunches and giving good cuddles to relieve stress. 

Unimpressed with your object recovery 

She loved the beach and always got the zoomies when she hit the sand, before settling in for a long walk along the wrack line.  Layla could swim but preferred not to her PFD was a great improvement.  She would fetch a ball until the end of time. Her preferred mode of travel was in the truck seat.

 Our vacations were a great time for Layla. She got to hang with the Corvallis Labrador Contingent and apparently had much more lax rules concerning furniture.  Fawn colored in a sea of black doggos, I’d often check social media while away to find that Layla was on some cool hike somewhere…often places I’d never been. 

Ultimately, she settled in to be a farm dog.  Hanging around, chasing stuff, getting in trouble then coming to chill out in the shade while I weeded the garden, or watered trees.  Her head fur stayed soft and she liked to be scratched just below the ribs. 

Eclipse watching

The end came shockingly fast.  In retrospect there were signs, never much of a barker she started reacting with lots of barking in late July and early August.  August 10 brought a huge group of people for a potluck, she seemed to have a good time but was exhausted by nights end.  August 13 was a trip to the vet, but on the 14^th she began waking into walls, bumping into furniture, she couldn’t find her water dish without help, another vet visit… WBC counts and liver tests revealed nothing physical.  Faced with a neurological condition we put her on some meds but failed to fend off the symptoms and decline. 

 She still liked people but lost her over the top circle tail wag.  It seemed she lost a clear sense of who I was, shying away from affection. She’d pick up a tennis ball if prompted and chew it for a few minutes, then wander off with it tucked under her lip.  Her balance was reduced enough that she would fall off the stairs, wander into flowerpots and trip over objects.  On Aug 28, 2019 we tried to go to the coast for one last beach trip, but she couldn’t tolerate the motion of the car.   We decide to relieve her of all of it.  

She looked at me with her big brown eyes as the drugs took effect and slipped off into the ether. 

Godspeed pup I’m gonna miss you.

Sleeping bag...ends and beginnings.

This year for Christmas my wife, sisters and mom teamed up to get me most of the way to a new sleeping bag.  The old one had run its course.  But it got me thinking about the travel we'd seen.  I bought it new in 1995 as I graduated university and was outbound for my first field biology gig.  New Hampshire in the White Mountains where I slept in that bag nightly for several months.  From there more seasonal gigs, Northeast Oregon, Florida,  Alaska for a couple summers and onward.

A good sleeping bag is arguably the most important piece of gear for living "outdoors"  Your little cocoon of warmth and safety when you need it.  I'm not going to lie, I miss those days at times.  the relative simplicity of having pretty much just what you need when you need it.  Plus, space and time to see around you, take it in.

So hopefully this new bag will live up to the old one not only in performance (it's better) but also acting as a capsule into the woods and further adventures.