Across the street from me is a nice little section of woods and a tiny creek in there, so that is where I usually take my dog out to walk.
This morning, business as usual. Out for a walk and he's off leash, as usual. I swear, I could hear a wild turkey off in the far, far distance, to where we sometimes walk out to. I'm walking along and he's following his nose. So, I'm just thinking to myself, if we do cross pathes with a turkey...should I let him go get it, or instantly recall him to a seated heel? I would be a great sight to see, but those talons could give him some cuts if I distract him. He'll likely make quick work of it and have it by the neck and trot to me with it. But what do I do with a whole dead turkey?! What will neighbors think? And I can't just leave it there.
While thinking all this, he's up on higher ground and I can't really see him. Then I just hear him crashing through a ton of bushes. "Hmm, probably just after a squirrel." NOPE! A big duck comes flying out. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I feel bad for my dog at times because I don't hunt. He flushed this duck out perfectly. It flew out to me and flew right overhead. Would've been such an easy shot. Heck, I have a rocket of an arm-- probably could've taken it down with a good rock. But I just wasn't expecting this--and this would have just brought me back to that 'turkey dilemma' I was just thinking about.
So the duck flies away. Whatever. We're walking along and what do we see in the creek? That gosh dang duck! So he hops down into the 'riverbed' and goes after it. The water isn't shallow, but not deep enough for him to swim in, so he's galloping. It was pretty funny to see, as he's doing this very quickly--gracefully crashing through the water as he gallops with haste. The duck flies high and far away. I hear it start quacking and then I hear a lot of others quacking. Are we about to be swarmed after by a dozen ducks?! Nah. They didn't come for us. They probably stood safe in the larger body of water out past the woods. Side note: my dog can out swim the geese over there.
So, we are now heading back. I'm letting him do his thing: sniff, sniff, sniff. They I notice him stop moving. Nosing a spot a lot. Then his tail was up high and waving wide from side to side. I knew this means he has definitely found something. Wondering what, I go over and look: it is a whole nest of eggs! Probably from that duck that he flushed out. We left it alone and walked home to rinse him off.
Went from "what am I supposed to do with a dead turkey?" to "whoa, look at all those eggs you found!"
Turns out he isn't the only one to find some eggs today. While I had him at the dog park today, my girlfriend took her chihuahua & her sister's mini dachshund to some doggy Easter egg hunt elsewhere. They just scattered tons of eggs with little doggy treats in them into a huge field and let on leash doggies find them. She said they weren't hidden, but for the two tiny girls they kind of were hidden because of the grass. lol But they found a bunch of them.
This morning, business as usual. Out for a walk and he's off leash, as usual. I swear, I could hear a wild turkey off in the far, far distance, to where we sometimes walk out to. I'm walking along and he's following his nose. So, I'm just thinking to myself, if we do cross pathes with a turkey...should I let him go get it, or instantly recall him to a seated heel? I would be a great sight to see, but those talons could give him some cuts if I distract him. He'll likely make quick work of it and have it by the neck and trot to me with it. But what do I do with a whole dead turkey?! What will neighbors think? And I can't just leave it there.
While thinking all this, he's up on higher ground and I can't really see him. Then I just hear him crashing through a ton of bushes. "Hmm, probably just after a squirrel." NOPE! A big duck comes flying out. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I feel bad for my dog at times because I don't hunt. He flushed this duck out perfectly. It flew out to me and flew right overhead. Would've been such an easy shot. Heck, I have a rocket of an arm-- probably could've taken it down with a good rock. But I just wasn't expecting this--and this would have just brought me back to that 'turkey dilemma' I was just thinking about.
So the duck flies away. Whatever. We're walking along and what do we see in the creek? That gosh dang duck! So he hops down into the 'riverbed' and goes after it. The water isn't shallow, but not deep enough for him to swim in, so he's galloping. It was pretty funny to see, as he's doing this very quickly--gracefully crashing through the water as he gallops with haste. The duck flies high and far away. I hear it start quacking and then I hear a lot of others quacking. Are we about to be swarmed after by a dozen ducks?! Nah. They didn't come for us. They probably stood safe in the larger body of water out past the woods. Side note: my dog can out swim the geese over there.
So, we are now heading back. I'm letting him do his thing: sniff, sniff, sniff. They I notice him stop moving. Nosing a spot a lot. Then his tail was up high and waving wide from side to side. I knew this means he has definitely found something. Wondering what, I go over and look: it is a whole nest of eggs! Probably from that duck that he flushed out. We left it alone and walked home to rinse him off.
Went from "what am I supposed to do with a dead turkey?" to "whoa, look at all those eggs you found!"
Turns out he isn't the only one to find some eggs today. While I had him at the dog park today, my girlfriend took her chihuahua & her sister's mini dachshund to some doggy Easter egg hunt elsewhere. They just scattered tons of eggs with little doggy treats in them into a huge field and let on leash doggies find them. She said they weren't hidden, but for the two tiny girls they kind of were hidden because of the grass. lol But they found a bunch of them.
