Hiking in the Desert

We took a little hike out in the desert (a Joshua Tree forest to be specific).  Sometimes on easy hikes or picnics we just take Copley.  He loves his people more than anything and although he lives happily in a multi-dog home I still like to take him out with just us from time to time.  Plus Kerri gets to do all the technical hiking on her own because Copley can't handle it so it is only fair.  It is BLM land so there is no leash law, and it is the middle of winter and actually was quite chilly so all the snakes are curled up for the winter so he got to explore quite a bit.  Although mostly when we weren't walking he laid in the sun.

Hydrating

Leashed while on the "road"

Looking like a lion

Peeking around the Joshua Tree

Copley and Ben Footprints

Exploring

Did I mention how happy I am living in a place where THIS is the middle of winter???

Beautiful Nevada

 Valley Of Fire State Park (You can click on the pictures to see them full size)

A lot of people like to talk about how miserable this state is.  Particularly after the horribly hot summer we just had (are still having?  It was 94 today).  I must admit I often wish there were are few more trees around or at least an ocean BUT Nevada does have it's great qualities.  I was looking through old pictures and have stumbled across a few that really capture how great The Silver State is.  Here they are!

A STREAM at Red Rock National Conservation Area

A beautiful campsite on BLM land near Searchlight, NV

Another BLM campsite at Wee Thump Joshua Tree Forest.  The largest old growth Joshua Tree forest in the world.

Valley of Fire State Park

More Valley of Fire

A final shot at Valley of Fire

Wildflowers on BLM Land near Zzyzx

Not my best picture but a great one of a favorite trail on BLM Land outside of Red Rock National Conservation Area

Moapa

A trail between Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Valley of Fire State Park

 Same trail as above

Ben and Copley forging an icy river (yep, it does get cold enough here to make ice!) at Red Rock

A Confused Stranger

 Watching the bass at Bass Pro Shop

I am an avid Bass Pro shops shopper.  I buy camping food and cast iron skillets, clothes and boots, fishing poles and firearms.  I am about 6 blocks from one and I go there almost every week.  While I prefer REI for a few camping things and anything for backpacking I do spend A LOT of money at Bass Pro.  So much money that I am a premium member and they have special events with food and specials for only like 15 of us.  It is so like me while my friends have personal shoppers at department stores I am the one getting special invites in the mail from the fishing and camping store.

Well I was at one of these events the other day with Kerrigan (our local Bass Pro is dog friendly- not sure if that is a national thing or not) and she was getting a lot of attention.  We were sporting our DreamChii bag, in a camo fish print and making a lot of friends like Kerri does.  There were a lot of  the regular "look how well behaved that chihuahua is" and a few kids petting her and the one stranger making kissy noises at me who I almost punched before I realized he was directing it at Kerri.  We did meet two people that left an impression and I thought I would share.  One was kinda hilarious and good the other is a scumbag.

Riding the escalator in her fish print camo bag

I will start with the hilarious guy.  I will call him "The Defensive Raw Feeder."  He came up and asked to pet her, where she was from and all that.  It turns out he had a rescue at home too- a fox terrier mix.  He showed me pictures on his phone while we sat waiting for a raffle.  He at one point said "yeah, all I feed my dog is raw meat, he is so healthy we never have issues and it is so great."  I was like- "Me too!."  That is where he got really confused, as if his brain could not process the fact that other raw feeders exist in real life.  Here is how that went;

       "No, I mean I just feed them raw meat, bones, organs, and a little bit of veggies I put in a blender."

       I respond, "Me too, they eat a lot of beef I get from a rancher in southhern Arizona, and actually I use a lot of game hens cause she is so small."

        Clearly still confused he continues, "Look, what you can do is go to the supermarket and they sell frozen chicken backs, then buy those tubs of liver and try an ethnic market for other organs.  She can eat chicken bones, don't worry."

       I have to admit I was becoming frustrated.  "I know.  I have been feeding raw for over 4 years, since before this one was born.  I try to get as much locally and pasture raised meat for them as I can but it does get tough with the bone.  Have you ever fed rabbit?"

       Still in shock the stranger keeps going, "Rabbit, no?  I mean I feed them RAW meat and organ, that's it.  I give them veggies every so often, but remember no onion.  They love apples and carrots."

       Finally I just about had it.  "I feed EXACTLY what you are describing.  I have for years, in fact I have a blog where I talk about it a lot.  This dog right here has never eaten kibble in her life.  You don't run into many raw feeders in person do you?"

From there the raffle happened (I actually won a $300 rangefinder I have little use for) and that was pretty much it but I think he finally understood me.  Really I think he has so many conversations with clueless people about raw that his brain could not comprehend a conversation with someone who actually already fed it.  He did seem nice though, and clearly loves all dogs so he gets an A-OK in my book.

Now moving to the other notable encounter.  Kerri was walking on her leash and a few kids were petting her. As that group of kids walked away a boy, probably 10 or 11 walked towards her, his Dad saw the kid too (I assume Dad, it was an older adult man with him).    As the kid was going to move towards us the Dad said in the most exasperated and disappointed voice "Don't pet that gay little dog."  Something about the way he said it, like he was embarrassed that his kid would even look at a chihuahua.  Honestly it was the homophobia if it that bothered me more than insulting Kerri.  People think that chihuahuas are mean, or that they bite and are scared of letting their kids near them and that I can work with and educate about, it does not offend me.  This was different.  This idiot was suggesting that his kid was somehow less of a man for just going near my little dog and that pissed me off.  I looked the Dad in the eyes and said "jackass" loud enough for him and the kid to hear me then I walked away.  Honestly I feel bad for the kid.  Even if he is naturally the most masculine boys boy out there and the constant reminders to stay that way don't scar him I bet it is not fun to be raised by a bigoted idiot. 

That's it for story time, but I want to remind you all to follow me on Instagram @doginthedesert, Facebook, and Kerrigan's twitter account @doginthedesert  I am doing a great job with this blog thing according to my little google dashboard but the other social media not so much.  Let's change that people!  Go follow me- I promise it is both cute and informational and you won't regret it.  In the next month or so I am going to be hosting a contest on my social media and you would not want to miss out would you?

Taking Risks in the Outdoors

Recently I saw a picture on facebook of a dog in a Ruffwear climbing harness doing some serious mountain climbing.  Ropes and all.  My first thought seeing this picture was how cool!  In fact it still is.  Based on the reactions of the comment section of that picture it was in fact not the reaction of others.  People called it animal abuse, cruel and dangerous.  After some googling I learned the dog's name is Whisper and you can check out more info and some really cool pictures on her owner Dean S. Potter's instagram here.

I get a little defensive about this because I am someone who regularly is criticized for the activities I choose to do with my dog.  Maybe it is because I have a small dog, but we are often stopped on trails and told how cruel it is to take a chihuahua out into the wilderness.  People thought that backpacking is too much for her too.

In fact some people in the toy dog community think it is too dangerous to ever let a dog on the ground outside because they could be taken by a bird of prey or attacked by a bigger dog.  I have met multiple people IN PERSON whose little dogs never leave their house.  They potty inside, they live inside and that is it.  Do I judge the shit out of those people?  Yes.  Do I think many of their dogs are simply miserable and neurotic for being stuck inside all the time?  For sure.  In the end though I am perfectly ok with these people owning dogs.  Caring, loving and doing the best you can is what matters when it comes to owning a dog.  Those little ones that never see the outdoors are probably happier than many dogs that are chained up, ignored or otherwise actually abused.

Then there are the people on the other end of the spectrum.  The people like the owner of that mountain climber.  Their dogs go everywhere with them, get to sniff and hike and see the outdoors.  They have the sun on their back and their people at their side.  The main argument people seemed to have against this climbing dog was that she didn't get to choose to take the risk.  It is ok for people to do risky activity but not dogs, because they have no choice in the matter.  Well a few thing there-

• We made dogs.  Dogs exist because we bred them.  Huskies want to pull because we bred them to want it, chihuahuas want to cuddle because we bred them to serve as hot water bottles for us.  Collies want to herd because we needed them to move our food animals and pointers want to point because we wanted help spotting game birds.  They don't just wake up one morning thinking "geeze I really want to dedicate my life to the human race."  They.  Just.  Do.  We took their choice out of the equation when we domesticated them.  
• Dog's do not exist autonomously to people.  Except for the very rare occasion of a feral dog or a street dog they are totally reliant on people in every way.  They don't make any decisions about their healthcare, food, or even about their friends.  Even when dogs are given choice (and I do think that is imporntant) we are deciding that this is something we are going to let them choose about!  If my dogs had a choice in the matter one would eat all day then die of bloat and the other one would collect every person she ever met and glob them into one pack that never separated and all slept together in a cave with her eating nothing but pork.  If you believe that domestic animals should not exist (I'm looking at you PETA) then ok.  Valid argument, I can handle that even though I don't agree with you.  If you are however a person that ever takes your dog for a car ride then how can you say anything about choice?  Does your dog know how many roadway deaths there were in your state this year?  Do they weigh the pros and cons of a harness vs a crate vs just being free in the car then decide the method that they think is the safest?  I don't think so.

That pretty much sums up what I feel about that subject.  Then I saw another picture of the same dog, Whisper, BASE jumping.  You can see a picture of her and read about her owners rationale on that here- http://deanspotter.com/2014/05/23/when-dogs-fly-philosophy-history-and-safety/

Seeing that made me have a lot of complicated feelings.  BASE jumping is not an activity that I have a lot of respect for.  I personally have never met a BASE jumper that I felt was an emotionally stable person (they may be out there but not that I've met).  It is a dangerous sport- so dangerous that people tend to say it is not "if" you die but "when."  There are very few activities that I would put the foot down and stop my husband from doing but that is for sure one of them.  To me it is right up there with  those preachers that handle venomous snakes.  I don't care what BASE jumpers say- people who are BASE jumping are doing it knowing that no matter how careful they are they might die.  You can read this study where they find the fatality rate of BASE jumping is approximately one in sixty participants.  That is part of the rush, if they didn't have at least a tiny death wish they would be skydiving or climbing or white water rafting or any other of hundreds of outdoor adrenaline junkie sports that are not as death wish-ey.  Those may be my feelings but I am for sure not going to stop anyone from doing it as long as they are an adult and their insurance pays for the search and rescue.

I can just hear people reading this thinking I am some sort of couch sitting outdoor hating person who "just doesn't understand."  I guess I can't really prove to the internet that is not true except to say that I just made a holster for my bear spray and I travel in circles where the pros/cons of BASE jumping is something that actually gets discussed.

But we still have the idea of that DOG jumping.  It bothers me a lot.  I would not do it.  Why can't he just leave her with a friend at the bottom of the mountain?  Hire a dog walker?  His rationale of either with me or locked in a car he gives in his article is nonsensical to me.  You could arrange for an activity for her while you base jump for sure.  HOWEVER- after thinking on it- I say good for her owner Dean.  That dog loves them and loves the outdoors and as he said in his article she would rather be out base jumping with them than stuck at home.  In the event that she goes splat on the wall of a canyon with her owner it would be unfortunate.  Thing is that dog has a better life than so many others out there and she would go down with her best friend doing something that she obviously loves to do (even if it is just because her owner loves it).  Above all else I believe in personal choice, leaving risk assessment up to individuals and enjoying life- not living in a padded room.  I can not very well in one breath defend taking a chihuahua camping in rattlesnake territory because "what kind of life would she have locked inside away from all danger" then tell another person that they can't base jump.

I just had to get out my opinions on this one.  Please share yours- I really want to know what people think about this!

Backpacking Chihuahua!

Kerrigan went on her first overnight backpack about a week ago!  Overall I think she had a good time, although I was not there so I am getting all of this second hand.  Ben and a friend took her to summit a mountain in the desert near Searchlight, NV.  The main complaint I heard about Kerri was that she was slow moving.  Since there was no trail she had to navigate through all the small brush that the people were just stepping over and that took her a while.  The other issue is that no one makes actual boots for small dogs so they had to stop a few times to remove little spines from her paws, a problem that would have been totally fixed by something like Ruffwear Grip Trex Boots in a tiny, tiny size.  Sadly there is no good outdoor gear for tiny dogs so we have to pick her up from now on when there are spiny areas.

Another challenge was that we usually use Zukes Power Bones as trail snacks, but now they are owned by Purina and I don't give Purina money, nor trust them with the health of any member of my family.  So instead I sent her with boiled chicken hearts with honey and coconut oil as an energy snack and it seemed to work out great!  Not sure if it will be a permanent solution or not, I will have to see how it holds up on longer trips.

Getting ready to leave

I was a little worried about this trip, but in the end I do think Kerrigan had a good time even if she slowed the people down a little bit.  Just goes to show chihuahuas really can do anything bigger dogs can!

About to head out.  Also I am in love with that truck.  It is an International Scout and I want one really, really bad.

Kerri helping with breakfast

On a final note KERRI has joined twitter @doginthedesert  I am too long winded for twitter so I am letting Kerrigan take care of the account.  You should follow her if you want- but be warned, she is telling it like it is and might get political, so follow at your own risk.

Copley's Arch Nemesis is Ruining Our Camping Trips

This weekend we went on a quick trip to a BLM Campsite in a wilderness area near Searchlight, NV.  It was a beautiful site, no other people around, plenty of shade and a nice big fire pit.  I didn't take a lot of pictures because I only had my phone with me but we really had a great time.  Except for one tiny little bit of evil trying to make Copley's live a living hell.

That's right.  The Kangaroo rat.  The tiny, cute little buggers are the only mammal that does not have to drink water and they have the most adorable tail of any rodents.  But unfortunately they also have one tiny little problem around here.  They are afraid of nothing, and like to charge Copley while we are camping causing him to bark and lunge at them.  He will never catch it, they are too fast, and the little rats know it too!  This first started happening to us at Valley Of Fire, but I thought they were just habituated to people.  Now that it is happening at rarely used wilderness campsites at the end of roads that you need this kind of car for I am worried-

Ruined wildlife at the end of a dirt road that hasn't been graded in years and is even a challenge for that big guy? Seems strange to me.

Are they attracted to the heat of the fire?  Why not scared of predators?  Does anyone know how we can stop these little buggers.  Copley was miserable around the campfire.  He first was on his leash just running around whining while they bluff charged him.  Then somebody held him and he whined, then we put him in his crate next to us and the little things were sitting inches from my foot and inches from the crate staring at him so he barked.  I am having trouble blaming Copley for any of this behavior because I can't really expect him to ignore wild animals right by his face.  In many cases I don't want him to ignore strange animals and let them walk on him so the problem here really lies with the mice.

However cute they are we need to figure out how to keep them away.  Any ideas about how to repel little rodents?  I have tried throwing sand at them and rocks near them, they just come back.  Stomping and yelling causes them to scatter but they just come right back.  Barking does not effect them at all.  I'm not willing to kill them, but am up for any creative measures you may have.

Camping Weekend!

Last weekend we went camping at the beautiful Valley of Fire State Park!  It was us people, Copley, Kerrigan and another couple.  In fact they are Nova's favorite people, you have met them before.  Nova stayed home because she is not quite able to camp yet (perhaps an understatement).

The campsite was great, between two big rocks, complete with it's own mini cave to hang out in.

The weather was much better than I thought it would be!  I had under layers and coats packed for us and the dogs but even with a reported low of 41F, we never needed more than sweaters.  In fact for all our hiking during the day it was pretty warm!

At the campsite that night we encountered a little mouse that was NOT afraid of people.  It really upset Copley to have a mouse that kept runnig at him, and even after attempting to scare it with a rock, kicking sand, making noise and eventually letting Copley go after him, he still came back looking for food.  Just one of many reasons why we typically camp on BLM land in the wilderness where there are no people around and not regular enough campers to make rodents see us as food sources!  I must admit running water and flushing toilets at this camp site were a nice change of pace though.

My only complaint is we didn't see any bighorn sheep, Valley of Fire is usually full of them.  It was still a fun trip though.  Have a great weekend everybody!

Squeaky Wheels Get the Grease

^Squeaky Wheels^

The chihuahuas get a lot of air time around here.  It is because I tend to write about the exciting, challenging, interesting things that happen in my life.  Now I LOVE Copley, but he is far from challenging or exciting.  For the large part he listens to things I tell him.  He never has pooped or peed in the house, he knows a few tricks and they are all cute, he can go for a hike, or sleep all day.  He walks well on a leash, no longer gulps his food, eats anything put in front of him, and now that we are past the lyme disease he has no health problems.  At 5 years old (or so) he is neither young or old, he has ok but not great hips and while he does like agility, it really knocks him out and we can't seem to get in the swing of enough classes for him to keep up but not too many to wipe him out.  

So Copley sleeps on the couch and snuggles with me at night while I write about the exploits of two exceptional chihuahuas.  Not only are they exceptional, but for opposite reasons, so it really keeps things interesting.  In one day I might be working on Nova not attacking guests who come to the door then taking Kerri to visit a library where she patiently allows ten children to pet her at one time.  I think you get the picture.

Copley is relegated to a few tasks he is particularly suited for on the blog-

 Trying out products that are too big for the chihuahuas

 Bragging about being named after a nostalgic part of his owners lives

 Testing treats that are too big for the chihuahuas

Sometimes (often) I ask myself why I am not writing about my favorite dog.  That's right, I said favorite, they are dogs not children, I can pick a favorite and they will never know.  Copley was our first dog and for all the reasons I stated above he is perfect*.  Literally the closest thing to the ideal family pet one could ask for, so he is my favorite.  The thing is Copley doesn't mind.  I think he liked it when we got Kerri because he wasn't the center of attention anymore.  Then I think he liked it when we got Nova because there were two chihuahuas to entertain each other and the humans so he REALLY could avoid being the center of anyone's attention.

A common remark I get from acquaintances is that Kerri is the BEST dog.  I agree with that.  But I also know what people really mean to say is that Kerri is so much better than the false idea in their mind of what most chihuahuas are.  When you expect a dog to never leave the house, bite your ankle then shiver in the corner it is amazing when you see that dog confidently climbing a mountain.  I get it.  It is just funny to me when the better behaved, better trained, more evenly tempered dog gets no credit for anything.  Except from people who have dog sat.  Funny... they all fall in love with Copley.

 You see Copley only wants a few thing in life

1. To sleep most of the time close, but not directly touching, other members of the family
2. To occasionally cuddle
3.  To spend time outside with everyone else looking at, but never actually going near (that would be scarey) wild animals such as ducks and squirrels
4. To get a meal every day, preferably of raw red meat
5. For me and Ben to return home every time we leave the house
6. To meet new people and spend time with guests that come over

That's it. Plus he is my buddy, always has been.  From the day I brought him home I have been in love and I think he loves me back.  We are buddies and that's that.

So what's the point of this post?  Copley is perfect* and I felt he was due for some attention.  Just don't tell him, he really does not want me bothering him.

*The word "perfect" is subjective in this case.

Happy Two Year Adoption Day Kerrigan!

Yesterday we celebrated Kerri's two year adoption day (as we do not know her birthday exactly I go with the day we got her).  Here is a selection of pictures of her enjoying those last two years.

 Cuddling at a campsite in Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness

 Watching squirrels at Big Bear Lake, CA with Copley

 Environmental (Nuclear) Monitoring Station in Rachael NV at the Al'e'inn

 Chewing on a Zukes Treat from her BarkBox

 Practicing her balance on a pumpkin

 Christmass 2012!!!!

 Camping at a ghost town in Parahump, NV

 Posing at Cedar Brakes National Monument, UT

 Graduating Basic Obedience Class

 Looking Elegant on the Couch

 Hiking in the Mt. Charleston wilderness area, NV

 Fishing in Big Bear, CA

First Time Seeing Snow at the largest lodge pole pine tree in the world

 Meeting Nova for the first time (that we know of)

Sisters at Christmass