Pongo's Second Nose Work 1 Trial

Pongo's second NACSW nose work trial was November 2nd in Sandy, Oregon located 25 miles from Portland. Friend Mary Ellrodt and her dog, Crosby, were also entered in the Sandy, Oregon trial. If you have read my other blogs, Mary and I sometimes get our dogs together for nosework practice on the weekends.  Mary picked me up on Saturday afternoon and we loaded Pongo in the back of her SUV next to Crosby.  We headed for I-5 South as our adventure began.

We arrived in Sandy around 5:30 and promptly checked into the local Best Western.  We had a room on the first floor, halfway down the hall.  I was starving and eager to go find dinner.  We decided on Thai food, one of my favorite cuisines.  Since my husband doesn't like Thai food, I take every opportunity I can to eat it when out with friends.  Mary found the address of a couple Thai restaurants on her phone and we headed out the door.  The amazing thing about the competition dog world, regardless of the sport, is that you begin to recognize people.  Many of the nose work competitors were staying at the Best Western and had been given rooms on the first floor. We saw many people going in and out with their dogs.   I recognized a few people from the Bellingham trial, from an ORT I volunteered for in Fife in September, and a trial I volunteered for at Emerald Downs in October. 

 

When we got to Thai Home on Pionner Boulevard it was full.  I recognized a woman we had just seen at the hotel and who had been at both the Bellingham and Emerald Downs trials. There was a twenty minute wait, so we decided to walk to the nearby Amarin Thai on Proctor.  After a quiet dinner of pad thai, vegetable rolls and a green curry eggplant dish, we returned to the hotel satiated and ready to settle down for the night.  I was excited about the next day, but thankfully was not as anxious as I had been for our first nose work trial.  I was tired from a long, busy work week and the fluffy hotel bed lulled me quickly into sleep.

 

The next morning, we walked the dogs before loading them in the car.  We ate breakfast at the hotel's breakfast bar and chatted with other nose work competitors that were there.  After checking out, we drove the short distance to the trial site.  It was located at the Oral Hull School for the Blind on the outskirts of town.  Surrounded by pastures, it was a picturesque site where the sound of cows and other rural animals (whose vocalizations were not so identifiable to a city girl) floated in the air.

 

We parked the car and went to register in time for the 8:45 check-in. It was a typical Pacific Northwest morning - drizzling and in the 50s. There were two groups of twenty competitors each.  We learned that Mary and Crosby were in Group A, while Pongo and I were in Group B.  That meant that we were not scheduled close together and in the morning's trials were competing in a different element order. During our 9 am walk-through, we learned that the vehicle and interior searches were scheduled for the morning.  The exterior and container searches were scheduled for the afternoon after a short lunch break.

Pongo checks out all the activity at the trial.

 

The trial started early right after the walk-through at 9:35.  Both groups ran simultaneously.  Group A started on the interior search and Group B started on the vehicle search and then would swap.   We watched the colored flip charts to indicate by number who was next. Pongo and I were number 14.  When we finally arrived for our turn at the vehicle search, I walked him to the starting line.  There were three vehicles parked in a cement lot with a vast green field to the right.  I gave Pongo his command to search and he started off toward the closest vehicle.  He began to work, sniffing at the fender then going to the right back wheel well.  But then he looked off into the field and kept walking.  I directed him back to the vehicle, continuing the search, but Pongo was distracted, looking around, his interest on the field.  NACSW rules alot three minutes for the vehicle search.  Pongo showed interest in the first vehicle, but didn't alert.  I actually thought the odor might be on that vehicle and took him around it more than once.  Time ticked away and I began to feel nervous.  He wasn't finding it!  This wasn't like Pongo, as he usually did so well with vehicle searches! I knew we had to search the other two vehicles.  I took him to the second vehicle, but had to keep giving Pongo hand cues to inspect it.  He wasn't interested and kept looking around. One of the timers called 30 seconds to indicate we were almost out of time.  I took him to the third vehicle, but did not circle the entire vehicle before taking Pongo back to the first one.  Before I knew it, we had run out of time!  My heart sank.  It didn't matter how Pongo did on the rest of his searches, he would not title today. 

The judge showed me where the odor was and I rewarded Pongo with treats next to it.  The judge pointed out that we had not made it all the way around the vehicle.  I should have known better!  I chastised myself.  You have to make sure you direct your dog around all of the vehicles -- that's your responsibility as the handler.  He told me it wasn't on the first vehicle and I didn't believe him because he was so distracted.  I had violated the nose work mantra: trust your dog! 

"We timed out," I told Mary when we got back to the car.  I tried not to sink into my disappointment.  Mary and Crosby had passed their interior search.  "Remind me later to tell you the funny thing that happened," she replied.  It was hard not to talk about the details of the search, but we weren't allowed to until it was over.  I lamented over the fact that now a pattern had emerged for us on trial day. Pongo failed the first element search both times.  It seemed I would need do something differently to help him understand that it was a nose work competition before going into the first element.  But just using the practice boxes at the trial site was not enough. 

As Group A and B swapped element order, Crosby went to do the vehicle search and Pongo went to do the interior search, which was located in the kitchen of an outlying office building.  We were alotted three minutes and were allowed to search on or off leash.  I took Pongo to the startline, gave him his search word and let him off leash.  There was a judge and a timer in the kitchen with us, but back-up timers and other volunteers were in the adjacent office watching.  The kitchen was full of stuff - boxes on the floor, an open garbage can, a large old-fashioned scale, among other things.  Pongo showed interest in the scale but then went to the garbage can.  After a prolonged sniff there, he circled to the left side of the kitchen where there were boxes of stryofoam cups.  Then, all of a sudden, he jetted out of the search area into the office.  He ignored my calls, and I had to retrieve him by the collar from where he was sniffing around an old fireplace. I took him back to the search area and gave him his command again.  Almost immediately, he went back to the scale and stayed with it. "Alert," I called.  "Yes," the judge confirmed.  Pongo's search time was one minute, twelve seconds. Not bad, I thought for leaving the search area!  Later, Mary told me that Crosby had also left the search area.  He ran into a dark closet and when she tried to retrieve him by the collar, she tripped over a fan.  Crosby has progressively lost his hearing in the past couple of years due to old age (Crosby is 12) and so she can no longer recall him by voice.  One can only love him for the comedy he brings to nose work!

We decided not to leave for lunch because of the short time constraints and snacked on cheese and fruit that we had brought in a cooler.  Organizers decided to run Group A through the exterior and container searches back-to-back and then run Group B, rather than running the two groups on opposite elements at the same time and switch.  Pongo and I waited in the car while Crosby searched. The second half of the trial was going fast.  Mary came back ecstatic that Crosby had passed all four elements, giving him his Nose Work 1 Title.  Yea for Crosby!  I had felt all along that they would pass in Sandy, as they have worked consistently week after week in nose work classes at Paw-abilities. 

 

Finally, it was Pongo's turn again.  Mary used my camera to take videos before we went into the search area. Now I focused on having fun with Pongo.  I wanted positivity to run down the leash so that he would enjoy himself.  After all, it WAS all about him.  The reason we started doing nose work in the first place was to keep his mind engaged now that he could no longer go jogging due to his arthritis.   The exterior search was held in an outdoor area of the school that had benches arranged in a circle around a large fire pit.  The fire pit was full of ash as if it had been frequently used.  Pongo spent a long time sniffing around the pit, but then made his way to a bench on the far side where he correctly alerted.  His time was one minute seven seconds.  Next we went to the container search, which was done on white boxes that were thankfully indoors this time.  He found the odor in 17 seconds.  

 

When the trial was over, we stayed for the ribbon ceremony and to hear the judges' feedback.   

Mary Accepts Trial Ribbon

Although it was a long day, it was worth staying to hear the judges' feedback.  Both trial judges that day were police officers (one retired and one active) who had years of experience with search dogs. They emphasized checking wind conditions when performing exterior searches and that you work into the wind.  Look at the trees or the flags that mark the search area to tell which direction the wind is blowing.  They suggested checking the wind at the level of the dog's nose. The judges also commented that if you let your dog start in a random search pattern but are not successful, then you should lead him into a pattern.  In addition, they noted that in practicing vehicle searches, you should use different vehicles, not just your own, and that it is helpful sometimes to use more than 3.  Mary and I both asked questions about our particular trial difficulties that day.  The judge told Mary that when working off leash on an interior search that it was okay to ask the judge for a volunteer to block the door since Crosby was deaf and did not have voice recall.  The judge told me that dogs are still dogs and that they will be tempted by specific breed distractors, i.e. an open field, birds, squirrels.  The key, he said, was to train amply in those situations so that your dog would learn to stay focused on the search.

 

After the ceremony, we retrieved our NACSW Trial Score Books and read through the judges' comments on the score sheets.

 

 The Judges' Comments for Pongo and Eva:

Vehicle Search: "Timed Out. Make sure to get your dog around all the vehicles." Hide Found: No. Time: Timed Out. Time Limit: 3 minutes

Interior Search: "Nice work by handler to keep dog focused and hunting.  Good alert on hide - nice job!" Hide Found: Yes.  1 minute 12 seconds. Time limit: 3 minutes.

Exterior Search: "Good search pattern and direction by handler. Nice alert on hide.  Nice work!" Hide Found: Yes. Time: 1 minute 7 seconds. Time Limit: 3 minutes.

Container Search: "Good job." Hide Found: Yes. Time: 17.66 seconds. Time Limit 2 minutes 30 seconds.

 

The day ended with two happy canines dozing and two happy humans beaming on the drive home.  I felt exhilarated, adrenaline running through me even though the day was over.  It had been a wonderful weekend.  Although Pongo had not earned his title, he had improved his search times dramatically, and I had learned a lot to help us in our training.  But above all else, we had fun! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pongo's First Nose Work 1 Trial

Our day started by getting up at 3 am.  I was mostly packed, but there were still things to do and we had to pack the truck. I had lots of different bags with treats (chopped turkey meatballs) and equipment for Pongo, not to mention all the stuff my husband and I would need for an overnight trip.  Del and I wanted to get on the road at 5:30, but we didn't actually leave until twenty minutes later.  I began to worry about time.  The Whatcom County trial was being held in Deming, WA which was twenty minutes past Bellingham.  Being Labor Day Weekend, I wasn't sure how bad traffic would be.  There were more cars on the road than I expected heading toward Seattle, but it began to thin out and we actually made good time.  Check-in was between 8:30 and 9:00. 

We arrived in Deming, a small pastoral town in the shadow of Mt. Baker, at 8:45.  The trial was held at the Junior High School, a large spread-out set of buildings with outdoor walkways. At check-in, we were given a goody bag with treats for both dog and humans! This was an unexpected bonus that made me smile. I spied a square silver and blue wrapper and the York Peppermint Pattie logo at the bottom of the bag.  Score!

At 9 am, the trial organizer gave a short opening speech.  She explained that in the morning we would first conduct a container and then a vehicle search.  After a lunch break, we would conduct an exterior search and then an interior one.   The participants were broken into two groups of twenty dog-handler pairs. Group A would go first, then there would be a short break and Group B would run. I was anxious to see the line up. My heart sank immediately when I saw that we were B-1. That meant we would have to wait for a long time, then be first in the second group. I didn't ever like to be first in anything.

We broke into our A and B groups for a walk-through.  We learned where we would be called to wait and then progress through a couple more waiting points before we would begin our search.  Search boundaries were pointed out and we were able to ask questions.  I felt well-prepared from what I had learned from our classes at Paws-abilities.

Now came the long wait.  Del and I set up camp chairs in the parking lot near the truck.  Rules required dogs to be inside vehicles "resting" except when they were being pottied, using the practice boxes, or queuing up for their search.  I had brought reading materials, a crossword book, playing cards and an ipod to occupy the hours of wait-time. Thankfully, it was a cool day (in the 60s) but not rainy.  I had initially worried about heat, as we have had an uncharacteristically hot summer in the Pacific Northwest this year.  Pongo was laying on a cooling pet pad that I purchased online from the Green Pet Shop, and I had two O2 battery-powered fans perched on the backseat of the truck cab.

Judging started at 10:15.  Then it was another hour before our turn came.  When I took Pongo to go through the practice boxes, he walked right past them without alerting on any of them. There were lots of distractions and he was not even sniffing. I turned him around and we went back over them.  This time, he pawed multiple boxes without clearly identifying the correct one.  Oh dear, I thought.  We had boxes down!  But lately he had started to exhibit this behavior at times.  We hadn't practiced boxes for a long time until a couple weeks before the trial.  Then I figured we better refocus on boxes to be sure we touched on everything in practice before the trial. Now I had Del move the box with the odor and Pongo correctly alerted on it.  His inconsistency worried me. But I shrugged it off, reminding myself the wise words of my friend, Mary, that today was just about "playing the game." It didn't matter if Pongo titled or not, it was about working together and having fun.  But of course I really wanted him too!

When it was finally our turn and we stood in the container search area, we got off to a bad start.  I didn't realize it, but Pongo's nose crossed the start line and the stopwatches were officially running.  The official by the start was waving us on but I didn't realize what she meant until she said: "his nose already crossed the start line you have to go."  So without following our rituals and routine, without even telling him to "search," I started walking forward.  Pongo didn't seem to sniff the first few boxes.  Then he seemed to be working.  He sniffed down to the end of the line of boxes, the turned down the second line.  A few boxes in, he pawed a box and I called, "Alert!"

"Oh, no!" said the judge. "It's the next one." 

So Pongo had been "in odor" but I had called what is referred to as a "fringe" alert.  My heart sank.  We had worked so hard and now it didn't matter how he did the rest of the day, he was not going to title.  I rewarded Pongo on the next box and we left the area for the next search.  I didn't have much time to think, but I tried not to feel bad, focusing instead on Pongo who was as happy as could be. 

The vehicle search consisted of three vehicles parked in a line next to the curb with a couple feet between them.  Pongo immediately went past the first car and turned into the space between its bumper and the second car.  I thought he alerted right away but having called my alert too soon in the container search, I decided to wait and be sure.  Pongo detailed the front from left to right, sniffing up on the grill then came back to the license plate and pawed at the air.  "Alert!" 

"Yes!" the judge confirmed.   I rewarded Pongo from my treat bag and we returned to the parking lot elated. He had finished in 45 seconds!  I was so proud of him! 

The organizer found us then and explained that if we were going to go to lunch, we should go right away.  After a thirty-minute lunch break, we were scheduled to run first in the afternoon, as they switched the A-B order to B-A.  Del and I drove into town and purchased sandwiches from Subway, then brought them back and ate them in the parking lot.  We didn't want to risk being late. 

The next search was the exterior search.  It was outside on a walkway with a short border of grass.  Shortly after crossing the threshhold, Pongo stopped to sniff at a pole. It occurred to me it could be a thresshold hide, but then he paid so much attention to it, I began worrying that he would pee on it (an immediate disqualification). I didn't think they would put a threshhold hide in a pole. I pulled him off of it and we went all the way down the walkway to the search border and turned around.  He worked his way back down the sidewalk and went back to the pole.  He went from one side of it to the other.  It had to be a threshhold hide, I realized.

"Alert!"

"Yes!"

The final search was an interior search inside of a classroom. I was worried most about this one.  On the walk-through, I saw that it was full of lines of desks and chairs.  Interior searches have always been hardest for Pongo, and we have probably practiced the least on them too.  The room was so full, I worried about having enough time for him to locate the odor in the 3 minutes we were allowed.  In class, Pongo had practiced interior searches both on and off leash, and I didn't feel like he was clearly better at one than the other.  I developed a strategy.  I decided to keep Pongo on-leash and have him search the perimeter of the room, then take him off-leash for the rest of it.  Pongo was so excited that he moved at a fast pace and I almost had to run a couple times to keep up with him.  It felt like we'd used a lot of time and I wasn't clearly seeing a change in sniffing behavior, so I took his leash off.  I could see all the timers looking at their stopwatches, and it gave me a little start.  We must be running out of time!  Pongo ran up and down a couple of the rows of desks then turned back and went to a chair at the front of the room.  His sniffing increased and he detailed the entire seat from one side to the next and then under it. 

"Alert!"  I called.

"Yes!"  This time, I felt a wave of relief.  Pongo had done it!  We did it!

Instead of leaving right after we were done, we hung around the rest of the afternoon for the ribbon ceremony and the judge's feedback. It was well worth it.  On the way out somewhere around 5:30, I picked up Pongo's scorebook and the judges' written comments.  As Del drove away, I read through them.

The Judges' Comments:
Container Search: "Oh poopie (sad face)  Keep having fun!"  Hide Found: No.  Time: 41.38 seconds. Time Limit 2 minutes 30 seconds

Vehicle Search: "Low Key Dog.  Good patience at source as Pongo did not pinpoint quickly (but he did not give up)."  Hide Found: Yes.  Time: 45.02 seconds. Time Limit: 3 minutes 

Exterior Search: "Slow & methodical. Handler was patient.  Showed initial interest in source then returned to finish." Hide Found: Yes.  Time: 1 minute 43.69 seconds.  Time Limit: 3 minutes

Interior Search: "Good job!  Happy Dog (smiley face)"  Hide Found: Yes.  2 minutes 25.64 seconds. Time limit: 3 minutes

I enjoyed reading the comments but laughed at what the judge had written on the vehicle search.  Pongo had never been called a "low key dog" in his life!  Ha ha ha. I remember the shelter staff who told me "No one's interested in Crazy Pongo. He has too much energy!"  He has kept me running ever since. 

In retrospect, I think failing the first search helped relax my nerves and took away the pressure of the subsequent ones.  Who knows if Pongo would have titled if we had gotten a good start on the container search?  Maybe I would have rushed the other searches.  But the important thing was Pongo and I had fun together.  It was an exciting day and a tremendous experience.  I finally felt that we were truly a team.  It was a great feeling.

We played the game and we had fun!

Preparing For Pongo's First Nosework Trial

When I recently entered Pongo in a nosework trial in Whatcom County over Labor Day weekend, we were wait-listed.  Nosework is becoming so popular and there are so few events in Washington state that trials fill up quickly.  We were number nine on the list even though I submitted my online entry on the opening day of entries.  Thankfully, last week I got an email confirming that we had made it off the waiting list and that we were entered! 

Although I had such good intentions at the beginning of the summer to practice nosework, in reality we have done very little.  We dropped in on a class at Paws-abilities once and practiced a couple times with friends.  Now it was time to up the ante!  Last night we did another drop in class where we practiced uneven surfaces.  Our instructor had created some very unique hides around the room.  There were a series of baby gates laying on the floor, folding tables upended, tarps covering boxes and more.  I was a little concerned that Pongo would not do well, as he doesn't like working on gravel.  Because we did lots of obedience in his younger years, Pongo has a strong sense of  what's right and wrong. He was taught to stay off furniture and he doesn't climb or put his paws up on things.  This has been challenging in training him to do nosework where I want him to get on his hind legs and put his paws up to find high hides.  When it was his turn, he initially skirted each obstacle, but once I showed him it was okay to walk on each one, he had no problem!  However, he needed all of the hides paired with food, a signal to me that we have not done enough work.

This morning we met for a nosework date at our friend Ellie's house near the lake.   We met early to try and avoid the heat, but at 9 a.m., the sky was clear blue and the sun reflected sharply off the water.  Ellie prepared outdoor hides in her yard, on her deck and on the neighbor's deck as well.  After initially pairing hides with food in Ellie's yard, Pongo alerted to odors that were not paired in the neighbor's yard.  Here he alerts to an odor that is hid behind a plastic container.  An unexpected distraction for him was the neighbor's sprinkler that moved in a circular pattern, raining on us from time to time.   He initially started but was able to keep working.  It is exciting to see Pongo making gains in his nosework skills.

 

Working with Lincoln, Ellie rewards him for finding a hide underneath a tomato planter on the deck. Daisy had an off day, failing to alert on odors she was standing right over.  We speculated about the angle of the wind and which direction the odor was wafting. But I wondered if her unusual performance was more due to residual odor from the baked liver I was using to reward Pongo.  It was a little crumbly and we kept accidentally dropping small bits. Although Pongo loves liver, I'm not sure that I will use it again for nosework.

 After working in the heat, Mary let Crosby swim in the lake - a wonderful reward for a hot dog! I loved watching him and his natural swimming abilities. He glided effortlessly through the water, seeming to barely move his hind legs. 

 Alas, Pongo eyed the water and refused to go out farther than the first step! My silly Po!  He's not a swimmer, and he decided it was too deep by the docks for him to wade. But he went home a happy boy and has been sleeping most of the day.   Maybe he was dreaming of more nosework training on a beautiful summer day with views of the lake and Mt. Rainier . . . ah, the life!

Surviving July

For at least the past three 4th of Julys, Pongo and I have gone to Eastern Washington to my parents' house in order to escape the annual fireworks violations that leave us sleepless for weeks on end in our neighborhood.  To say that Pongo has a fireworks phobia is an understatement.  This year we decided to try something different.  Since fireworks are illegal in campsites, we decided to go camping for five days at Rainbow Falls near Chehalis, WA.  I left with Pongo, my daughter Ashley, and a good friend of hers on July 2nd, then Del joined us on the 4th after working the whole week.

It was an adventure in and of itself since it was the first time I had ever gone camping without my husband or some other experienced adult campers.  Having to be responsible for everything and keeping children safe and fed at the same time was no small weight on my shoulders, but I was up to the challenge looking forward to spending time outdoors.  We arrived in the early afternoon and immediately got to setting up the tents.  The girls, 15 and 16, were amazing.  They set up our family tent without my help and then set up my two-man hiking tent.  We had what tasted like gourmet sandwiches for lunch made from ciabata rolls, turkey, Tillamook cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato. 

 

But a couple hours later when I tried to start a fire for dinner, I couldn't find the BBQ lighter my husband said he'd packed, none of the matches I'd brought would strike (they were probably at least three years old), and I didn't know how to use the commercial campfire starter that we had in our camp gear.  We had packed the truck bed 1/3 full of wood, but we didn't really have any kindling per se, charcoal or lighter fluid.  I was beginning to feel a little dumb in addition to frustrated.  Now I had grown up camping, was in Girl Scouts, camped in Africa and as a family since meeting my husband.  But I had never been responsible for the fire!  I know how to build one . . . in theory.  To top it off, I didn't have cell service in the campground and couldn't call my husband. 

 

After trying to start a fire with a BBQ lighter I borrowed from the camp host and crumpling up pieces of yellow legal paper beneath my wood without success, I did what every other 20th century girl would do.  I went to town!  I left Pongo to guard the girls and drove the thirty minutes into Chehalis.  I found a Walmart and bought 2 bags of charcoal, 2 BBQ lighters and 2 cigarette lighters just to cover my bases. But when I got back to our camp an hour and twenty minutes later, I found the charcoal was not the easy-light kind and I had not bought lighter fluid.  Oh, the joy of camping!!

 

The charcoal wouldn't light.  I bent over the fire pit, being careful to keep my hair back and began to blow the delicate embers of legal paper.  Blow . . . not too hard!  Gentle . . . blow. . . steady . . . smoke swirled into my eyes.  I was about to swallow my pride and walk to the the campers next to us (who'd had a fire going since 2 in the afternoon) for help when suddenly, I had flames!  The stress of the afternoon began to melt away.  We roasted hot dogs on sticks and heated a can of beans, then made the most amazing s'mores I've ever had in my life. 

 

When it got dark around 9:30, I crawled into my tiny tent with Pongo curled up against my legs.  The girls stayed up late playing card games in their large tent with a lantern.  I woke up every few hours.  I'm getting too old to sleep on the ground without an air mattress, I thought.  The next morning couldn't come soon enough. 

 

At daylight, Pongo and I emerged and went for a short walk to the bathrooms.  I put together a single propane burner and heated water for coffee.  When the girls awoke, I made omelets and fried potatoes.  We weren't doing so badly on our own! We lauged about our early travails.  But by the time breakfast was cooked and the dishes washed, it seemed it was almost time to start the next meal.  I thought about how women little more than a century ago cooked on a fire every day.  How did they control the temperature?  How long did they know how to cook things?  My own ancestors had crossed the U.S. as pioneers in the mid-1800s - this was what women did every day!  The thought made me tired and grateful I was born in a century with electric stoves, washers and dryers.

 

There were signs all over the campground that said "No Fireworks" but on our second night the popping began at dusk. Pongo began to shake.  I'd brought him dog treats and things to chew on (a braided bully stick and a dried cow trachea) but he wouldn't be comforted and nosed them away.  I found that by walking away from the campground, keeping him by my side and moving, he calmed a little.  He walked with his nose at my leg in a perfect heal that with years of practice and obedience classes I could never get him to do!

 

But when we got back to camp and I sat down, as soon as another firework popped, Pongo would tremble, whine and bark. Up again I would go, bringing him to my side, walking circles around the campground or across the open park field.  I felt like a mother pacing with an incosolable baby at night.  There was nothing I could do but keep moving, keep walking him.  The fireworks were not coming from inside the camp borders.  In choosing where we would camp for the Independence holiday, we forgot about how close the community was.  There were several houses just outside the camp gates.  It didn't matter that they were illegal on the campground, because fireworks were being set off a quarter mile away, legal in the area of Chehalis. 

 

When it was dark, I tried to get Pongo to settle in the tent, but he kept trying to get out.  Finally, I gave up and put him in the truck.  There, the fireworks weren't as loud, though still audible.  Pongo curled up in the driver's seat, panting for hours.  I tried to get comfortable in the back seat with a sleeping bag, but being six feet tall, it was impossible.  I turned over, scooted up and down, curled up, stretched my legs across into the front, but my neck and back hurt no matter which way I turned.  I drifted in and out of sleep, Pongo jumping between the front and the back seat when a new set of pops went off. 

 

I was never more thankful for daylight.  I hoped my husband would surprise me at first light, but when he didn't show at 7 am, I stopped waiting, built a fire and started coffee.  I had never been happier when he appeared around nine o'clock.  He promptly put lots more wood on the fire and I was happy to let him take over.  I was exhausted.

 

While I napped in the girls' tent, Del took them down to the Chehalis river on the edge of camp.  They floated in innertubes, enjoying the cool lazy water that was shallow enough to stand up in.  

 Pongo waded as he always does, lapping up water to cool himself off, but keeping his paws firmly on the ground.

The fun had begun!  We played Yatzhee in the afternoon, made hamburgers on the fire for dinner.  It was shaded and cool in the forested campground, but warm under the open blue sky.

Fireworks that had been sporadic throughout the afternoon  escalated as the night of July 4th wore on.  I continued to try and keep Pongo busy by walking him, but he began to refuse to walk on the camp road in the direction the fireworks were coming from.

 

 

 After spending a second agonizing night in the truck, we decided to go home a day early.  Being outdoors with fireworks was too hard on Pongo.  Once at home, we have still had to deal with the fireworks in our neighborhood.  At home, Pongo and I sequester ourselves in the master bedroom where I have tried my best to sound proof it for him - closing a blackout curtain over the window, I turn on the ceiling fan, the bathroom fan and the radio.  But he won't stay in there alone.  I have to be right beside him.  As July wears on, so do the fireworks in Western Washington.

 

So I have yet to find the perfect solution for surviving July with Pongo.   Refer to Fireworks Phobia, July 4, 2013 here for other things we've tried. http://rescuingpongo.blogspot.com/2013/07/fireworks-phobia.html

 

Next year, I think we'll just go to a hotel for a week.  Any other travel ideas to places where fireworks are illegal and enforced or laws are respected?

 

 

 

 

The Lake Annette Trail

Pongo and I were invited to join a group of friends on the Lake Annette Trail on Saturday, June 14th.

We met in North Bend at the outlet mall parking lot and then carpooled to the trailhead.  We traveled along I-90 to the Asahel Curtis exit in Snoqualmie Pass.  Wendy, a friend I met while doing preschool assessments for the school district, is not only a talented occupational therapist, but also an avid hiker.  She plans frequent group hikes, though not all of them are always open to dogs, depending on park restrictions and group dynamics.  I was thrilled to be included on this particular occasion, as I like any hike that includes a lake or lake view.  The ultimate hike for both Pongo and I would be a summer one that culmiates in a lake swim.  However, I knew that was not in store for us this time.  Wendy had warned us that there was still snow on the upper portions of the trail and it was cold as we left our cars at an elevation of about 2200 feet. 

I quickly fell in love with this trail. From the parking lot, you could hear a rushing waterfall, although it was not visible. We began climbing an old logging road that was overgrown by forest. Though I had brought a lot of water in my pack, Pongo drank frequently along the way from Humpback Creek as it crossed our path multiple times.  This is a good summer hike for dogs, as there is plenty of water along the way. Typically, I have Pongo wear a pack and carry his own water in the summer.

 However, the arthritis in his back hips has progressed to the point that I don't want to add any additional weight to him anymore. At 13, his back legs have become unstable. I am having to be more cautious about the length and elevation of the trails we go on these days.  I think that at his age, I should do the heavy lifting, don't you?  Pongo trotted happily ahead with his mommy bringing up the rear most of the time in our group of four. It is amazing how quickly I got out of shape this winter.  While I normally swim with a master's team year round, the stress of the 2013-2014 school year made it difficult to get up for 5:30 am workouts.  At the same time, I have struggled to find motivation to run since Spring 2013 when the vet told me Pongo could no longer run with me.  Running is not the same without him.  I don't want to go by myself.  It's hard when you've had the same jogging partner for eleven years and suddenly he can't go with you anymore.   I found myself putting on a lot of unexpected winter weight that I was now determined to work off.  This summer I decided it's all about Pongo and me!  My goal is to find ways for us to enjoy spending time together outdoors.  I have a whole list of places for us to visit and am anxious to start ticking them off. We are open to suggestions from readers and friends, so please pass on your favorite dog friendly hikes by commenting at the end of the blog.  But I digress, for now, let's get back to the Annette Lake trail.

 This spring was one of the wettest on record in the Pacific Northwest.  For the months of February, March and April, the Seattle area had double the average rainfall.  In March alone, it received 8.41 inches of rain when the average is typically 3.51 inches.  This was evident in the many waterfalls we encountered along the way.  The switchbacks take you through the Humpback Creek Valley.  Working up a sweat as we climbed in elevation, I had taken off my long sleeve pullover, but as we neared the top, the temperature dropped and we began to come across patches of snow.  I stopped to put it back on when we neared 3600 feet on the moutainside.  This trail is rated as a medium (3/5) in difficulty and is 7.5 miles out and back. I was definitely ready to sit down and eat lunch when at last we reached Annette lake.  Pongo didn't hesitate for a minute, but went right into the water, lapping it up as he waded in the shallows near the shore.  We found a spot tucked away with views of the water.  It was breathtaking!  I found myself repeating, "wow" and feeling a bit ineloquent. We sat down on the ground amidst patches of snow, sitting on pieces of foam that Wendy and her husband pulled out of their packs.  I had packed a peanut butter sandwich for Pongo, and a turkey and tomato sandwich for myself.  Pongo was more interested in the smoked salmon that Wendy unwrapped.  One of these days, I thought, I'll have to bring Pongo his own salmon on a hike, as he clearly prefers that to peanut butter.  An old dog certainly deserves a special treat now and then!  As we ate lunch, I began to shiver.  It was chilly indeed.  As beautiful as the lake was, I was not in the least tempted to take a dip. I pulled another jacket out of my pack and put it on.  I was ready to get going. 

      As we left the lake and prepared for our descent, I took advantage of the outdoor toilet.  There is a sign pointing up a hill, and if you follow the arrow, you climb into the privacy of this wooded bathroom that somehow still feels exposed.  I smiled - it was a lot more luxurious than some of the toilets I used as a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa.  The wooden throne made chances of soling your feet less likely than squatting over a hole.  I was grateful for the amenities on this trail!

Pongo and I both showed signs of being tired on the way down.  I stumbled at one point and was relieved when I caught myself with my hiking poles before tumbling to the ground.  Thank goodness for hiking poles!  They really make a difference, especially when you are going downhill.  And I realized as my feet and ankles ached that it was probably time to replace my almost 20 year old hiking boots.  I think I've gotten my money's worth out of this pair.

I think this has become my new favorite hike!  I definitely want to come back a little later in summer on a dry, hot day when the water will entice me to take a swim.

Rattlesnake Ridge / Ledge

I'm going to say it is officially hiking season, though Pongo and I have been hiking for a few months. But this is the time of year we really get geared up.  I was thrilled when friend and school psychologist, Julia and her dog Zed invited us to hike Rattlesnake Ridge last weekend.  It is a popular trail that I have heard of, but never hiked.  Located in North Bend in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, it is a quick 2 miles to Rattlesnake Ledge where there are spectacular views. Four miles roundtrip, it is easy to fit in and then return to the city for other weekend activities.

If you know anything about Western Washington, then you know there are no rattlers on this side of the state.  So if that gets you wondering how this mountain got its name, the story goes like this: Seattle pioneer Arthur Denny gave the area its name when a frightened road surveyor thought he was being attacked by a rattlesnake after hearing seed pods rattling on a nearby meadow.


Julia and I had planned to meet at 8:30, but since I had never been there, I ended up parking in the wrong lot 1/2 a mile down the road and then couldn't get cell service. After 10 minutes of waiting, I decided to drive a little farther and was shocked to find that the parking lot at the trailhead is enormous!  It was well after 9 before I found her.  Finally together, Pongo and Zed posed with Julia near Rattlesnake Lake, which lies below the mountain near the trailhead.  I was even more shocked at the number of people heading for the trail.  We saw families and groups of friends of all ages, boy scout groups and hoards of teenage girls.  There were dogs of all sizes from chihuahuas to pitbulls and German Shepherds, and oh so many Aussies!  And two Corgies - my daughter would not forgive me if I left out the Corgies.  (She has been asking for one, to which I give the typical parent answer: maybe someday.)

Pongo started out on the trail in front, but didn't keep the lead for long.  Afterall Zed is ten years younger than him at least! Julia and I chatted, but surprisingly not about work.  Usually it is so hard not to leave that behind.  When you work with children, there are kids you worry about and can't get out of your head and heart.  But on this day we talked about our own personal lives and of course, our dogs.  As we passed back and forth over the switchbacks crossing the mountain, gaining 1160 feet to the ledge.  I was surprised at how quickly we emerged at the top.  It was an easier hike than Little Si, which is a bit of a struggle near the top.  

  

We sat down for a snack of oatmeal cookies
 made by my husband and peanut butter sandwiches.  

From the ledge you can see Rattlesnake Lake below.

Views of Mt. Si and Mt. Baker can also be seen.

A trail led up this mountain ridge too,
but we did not venture up it today.

Julia and Zed relax at the top of the ledge

A couple stops to survey the scene.

What a beautiful hike! We didn't stay long at the ledge and quickly headed back down. The trail became more and more crowded as the morning disappeared. Julia and I were both glad we had come, but the trail felt a little claustrophobic the longer we were on the mountain.  I was sweating through my T-shirt and was thankful for the shade all along the trail. When we reached the lake again, Pongo stood for 15 minutes with his paws in the water, lapping up its coolness and quenching his thirst.  I sat enjoying the view on the beach, watching kayaks cross the lake. 

Rattlesnake Lake

I don't recommend hiking this on a weekend this time of year.  Go during the week or get there by 7 am.  At noon the parking lot was full and there were already more than fifty cars parked along the sides of the road to the park entrance.  But this is a must-see for hikers in Western Washington.  It is a unique place.   I am drawn to the views of the lake.

I am counting down to the last days of school. Now there are only four more days left.  Pongo and I are looking so forward to a summer of hiking.  Visiting old favorites and exploring new ones alike. Stay tuned!

The Gem of Taking the Road Less Traveled

Pongo and I left the house at 8 am yesterday and headed for Mt. Peak.  Pongo whined excitedly standing between the front seats and balancing on the emergency brake. It was overcast and 50 degrees, the quintessence of a Pacific Northwest Spring day.  It rained sporadically as I slowly climbed the mountain.  I was quickly soaked by rain and sweat, stopping to rest now and then.  There were not many hikers on this Saturday, but we still ran into some of Pongo’s doggie friends.  We saw Gunner, a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and hunting dog who stands a couple inches taller than Pongo at the shoulder.  They circled and sniffed their hellos.   Next, we ran into Max, an Australian Shepherd Pongo met a few months ago at the Bonney Lake Dog Park. We see Max and his owner climbing Mt. Peak almost every time we go now. They were excited to see each other, did some play bowing, jumps and twirls. 

Instead of going to the top like we always do, I decided to take a right instead of a left three-quarters of the way up.  I had heard that this trail went around the backside of the mountain to a road. Because the trail didn’t circle back to the main path, I had never explored it, always with the excuse of not having enough time.   But I didn’t feel rushed to get back home and decided it was a good day to explore.  This path was wider, straighter and gently sloped downward.  The ground was so wet that when I stopped for a drink, my hiking poles stood upright in the soil by themselves. 

 After climbing the steep incline of the main trail that consists of frequent switchbacks and quick gains in elevation, I was thrilled to be going downhill.  It began to narrow and branch off into other trails that jutted off into the woods.  I quickly realized that there was a lot more exploring that could be done on Mt. Peak than I ever imagined.   Many small trails spread out across the backside of the mountain.    Each time I came across a new path, I had to decide which way to turn.

Now I have never had a good sense of direction and I am famous for getting lost, even with directions.  I can have trouble driving to a location even if I have been there before.  Things look different to me at different times of day.  If I have driven somewhere in daylight, there is no guarantee that I will be able to find it at night. Once, Pongo and I got lost while hiking in the Shenandoah mountains and had to be rescued by a park ranger.  But on this particular day, I remembered the voice of a friend who came to visit me in Namibia when I was a WorldTeach volunteer.

Wendi Haugh was an anthropology student in graduate school who stayed with me for a week.  She wanted to do research on national identity among Oshiwambo-speaking people, and she was looking for a fieldsite (a place to do her work).  Oshiwambo was the Bantu dialect spoken by the Owambo people in Northern Namibia.  I took her to visit the rural homes of women I worked with.  One day we walked into the bush to call on a woman name Atanasia who lived a few miles away.  To me, the landscape all looked the same.  But Wendi, a hiker herself, knew something about survival skills.  She told me that you should periodically turn around to look at the landscape in reverse so you would recognize it on your return.  We took note of our footprints in the sand.  But much of the path Pongo and I took yesterday was full of pebbles.  I didn't see my footprints in the ground.  Instead, I broke off a branch at one juncture and placed the stick in a puddle to mark the trail where I'd have to turn.  At another juncture, I drew an X in the mud with one of my hiking poles.  

 Down the hill we went.  The narrow path opened up into a wide gravel one that looked like a service road. We began to encounter other hikers again, ones coming up from the backside.  Pongo walked along the edge of the road to avoid the thickest chunks of gravel.  Finally, we came to the end where a gate separated the gravel from the main asphalt road that circled the mountain. There was no parking lot, but people had left their vehicles along the road.

Yea!  We'd come out on the other side!  Now I could say I knew where the trails on the other side of the mountain were!  I felt excited.  This opened up many more options for hiking on Mt. Peak.   I now had an alternate more gentle path to follow on days where I didn't feel like climbing the steep one to the summit. 

Here we turned around and started back the way we had come.   This time on the way up, I walked into a clearing for a water break and discovered a memorial.  Pongo and I paid our respects then began our climb again.  I had noticed there were two older men who had stopped to chat nearby.  "Do you know who this memorial is a tribute to?" I asked.  I made the assumption that they were locals.  Mt. Peak always seemed to be a community mountain to me, that only nearby hikers in the surrounding areas knew.   And they were.

They told me a story about three servicemen from Ft. Lewis who died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash during a night training flight two days before Christmas, 2006.  They hit the side of the mountain in the clearing where the homemade memorial marks the spot.  They were members of the 4th Squadron, 6th Air Cavalry Regiment and were scheduled to be deployed to Iraq the next year. The crew consisted of 25-year-old Sergeant Thomas L. Clarkston, 32-year-old Chief Warrant Officer Patrick J. Paige and 33-year-old Chief Warrant Officer James E. Whitehead. 

One of the men who told me the story was a Vietnam Veteran who served two tours of duty himself.  I told him about my cousin, Phillip, a marine who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010.  Our conversation turned to talking about the difficulties of military service today and of the challenges servicemen and women face in getting adequate medical care from the V.A. 

I felt a little like my Dad, who was a newpaper reporter in the early days of his career.  He would stop and talk to anyone anywhere and get them to tell him their stories.  I was so shy as a child that I had difficulty talking to anyone, even people I knew.  If I were a child today, I would likely be diagnosed with social anxiety.  But as an adult, I have conquered the fears that haunted my childhood.  As I said goodbye to the gentlemen and wished them good day, I felt confident in myself, proud of my family heritage, and that I find in some ways that I am following in my father's footsteps.  The stories I hear and the people I meet are the gem I find when I take the road less traveled.

Our return hike went smoothly, as we easily found the markers I had left, retracing our steps with precision.  When Pongo and I reached our car on the other side of Mt. Peak, it had stopped raining.  We had begun our hike at 8:30 and it was now 10:55.  What a glorious morning with my best friend!

A Nosework Easter Egg Hunt

My 16 year old step-daughter, Ashley, always spends Easter with her mom. She has two younger half-siblings and she's a big help in setting up the annual egg hunt at her grandpa's.  This week I found myself feeling a little disappointed about Easter without her.  I hadn't decorated and other than having an Easter dinner with my husband and mother-in-law, we didn't have anything else planned.  And yet I had pulled the plastic Easter eggs and a couple baskets out of the garage. 

I lamented to my friend Ellie, who is our school librarian, at work on Thursday.  She suggested the perfect solution: a nosework egg hunt!  "What a great idea, I'll host!"  I said.  The plans for an Easter-themed evening of nosework quickly came together.  We chose Friday night to avoid conflicts with Easter activities and because it was supposed to be the best weather day according to the forecast. 

Friday evening came on cool and blue.  I brought my nosework kit out onto the back deck and began setting up two different scents: birch and anise.  I prepared eight different finds.  Six of them I placed inside plastic eggs with holes in the end.  It had been a month since I had last practiced nosework with Pongo.  Life has been so busy lately that nosework has fallen by the wayside.  A friend of mine used to say "life interrupts" when he found mundane everyday living got in the way of fullfilling life's dreams.  I find myself often quoting him, as this phenomenon seems to happen often to me. 

The seventh find I planned as a threshhold find. Threshhold finds are located near the starting point, marked by two cones in nosework trials.  Dogs are often so excited that when they are given the command to "search" they forget to detail the area near the starting point. In class, we were told to always practice working the threshhold.  I placed two Q-tips inside a plastic golf-tee shaped container that I pushed into the ground.  The eighth find was a high hide with a Q-tip clipped to the fence.  The pictures here show the steps I used to prepare for the hide.  Tweezers are used to take the scented Q-tips out of the jar without contaminating it with your own scent.  I put two, sometimes three in the metal containers.  Next, I placed the metal containers inside the smaller plastic eggs. 

Here you can see my Easter egg basket.  I needed one larger egg for a round metal tin I loaded with anise Q-tips.  It is larger than the rectangular tins with the sliding-lids.

Ellie arrived first with Lincoln and Daisy (left to right).  Here they waited nicely for their turn to work.  It was a beautiful evening and at 7 pm the light was just beginning to fade in the sky.  We decided to get started as we knew Mary and Crosby were running late.  Pongo went first. He blew past the one on the threshhold (all the dogs had difficulty finding that one).  Pongo and I have done very little searching in our own backyard on grass.  Most of our grass practice has been at a park.  It took him a while to get going.  He found one egg between a stack of wood and a Ford truck tailgate and kept showing it to me over and over again.  I learned in nosework class that I can reward him a second time, but then get him to move on.  He seemed unsure what to do next, but I didn't want to lead him.   After a few minutes, I decided to give him a break and I put him in the house while Ellie worked both Lincoln and Daisy.

My husband and I have a large rectangular yard that's long and skinny.  There were many easy places to hide the eggs with piles of wood, lawn furniture and statues, rosebushes, enormous rhubarb plants, stumps and garden boxes. 


 

A blue egg loaded with birch odor. 

Lincoln alerts to the high hide. 

It was fun to watch Lincoln and Daisy work. Daisy especially shows a lot of exuberance for nosework. I feel so lucky to have friends who enjoy doing nosework with their dogs. I learn from them each time I watch Lincoln, Daisy and Crosby work.  They each have different mannerisms, and alert in different ways.  It helps me to watch Ellie and Mary handle their dogs, as they also teach me how to present an odor their dog has missed, or how to keep their dog working.

When I brought Pongo back out, he was much more focused.  He found all but two of the hides.   It was a wonderful evening!  I felt guilty that so much time had passed since we last practiced, but Pongo enjoyed every moment of it.  There is always forgiveness in a dog's heart. 


Pongo finds an egg near the water fountain.

By the time Crosby and Mary arrived, it was beginning to get dark.  Crosby was eager to get out of his vehicle after a long ride.  After a potty break, he got right to work.  All of the hides were paired with treats since it was the first time the dogs had worked in my yard and because all the dogs had had a break in training.  Crosby delighted us with his antics, going all the way under a stone bench to the other side to follow the odor of an egg hidden in front of it.  He was so excited he picked the egg up in his mouth!   

 

Here, Crosby finds an egg in the seat of a
 pergola my husband built for one of
our wedding anniversaries.

Other ideas for future egg hunts include: not putting odor in all of the eggs (similar to how we have worked with boxes for ORT preparation) (See my August 13, 2013 blog: Getting Ready for the ORT).  Another idea is not to pair all of them with treats.  Some of our eggs had a treat inside, or we placed a treat next to it on the ground.  Of course, dogs are always rewarded with treats from their handler when the find odor.

At nine o'clock with the light gone, we finally stopped our holiday hunt.  The dogs were in their blissful happy place, ready to go home for a dream-filled night.  I could only hope our dogs' dreams were full of following one odor to the next!

Happy Hunting, Canines!