According to Sue there is never anyone at this trail so it's perfect for the dogs to be off-leash. Wouldn't you know, five vehicles were there (four were from Washington - how weird is that!). But we decided to let all the dogs loose right from our vehicles. All six dogs get along perfectly so none of us had any concerns about that at all. Mike even decided that Slugger could be off leash. We figured with his big friends around he wasn't going to run off.
I had planned on staying in the car but when I got there I wanted to be involved so badly. So I started out on the walk. It was a really pretty spot.
But the trail immediately started sloping down. I so wanted to continue on but Mike had the more sensible head and told me to go back to the car. About that time, someone came down the trail on a four wheeler. So naturally we all kind of stepped off to the side of the trail. After the guy went by we were going to start moving. Just before I was about to take a step, Sue said: "Debbie, there's a snake right next to you." My first thought was a garder snake. But then my brain remembered what part of the country I was in. My first instinct was to run. But I realized I had no idea which way to go.
I asked Sue where the snake was located in relation to me. She told me it was next to my right foot. I looked down and couldn't believe what I was seeing less than an inch from my boot. Very quickly I moved away in the opposite direction.
Here's what I saw when I looked down.
Egads, that is no garder snake! It is actually a Sonoran Gophersnake...the longest snake in Arizona at 7.75 feet. And believe me, this snake was long. I couldn't begin to get the whole snake in the picture.
It is not poisonous though. When threatened it often raises its head and neck into a striking posture, hisses loudly, flattens and broadens the head, and vibrates the tail. When exhibiting this behavior it is often mistaken for a rattlesnake. Gosh, if he would have done that I’d have probably jumped to the sky! Fortunately, he was only flicking his tongue at me. But it is a powerful constrictor that preys on a wide variety of animals including rats, mice, rabbits, lizards, birds, snakes, eggs, and insects. Thank God, the snake didn't bite or grab me. He may not be poisonous but I’m hoping I never come this close to one again! The dogs were next to me so I was trying to push them away quickly. Gosh, Boogie isn't much, if any, bigger than a rabbit. That snake could have done away with Boogie quickly. I'm glad that snake was in a good mood as Boogie wasn't more than 10-12 inches away from the snake. We were all very blessed to be safe.
Since I was heading back to the car only minutes into the walk, I told everyone else to continue on - that I'd be fine in the car. But Sue said she wanted to visit with me so she came back to the car with me. One other sweet soul came back to the car too. Even though I told her to go on the walk, there was no way Wazzu was going to leave me. She stuck next to me like glue. What a sweet girl. We've always said she knows things. And she can sure tell when I'm not doing well. She's really amazing.
It was really kind of Sue to come with me as well. I can count on one hand the number of people who get down on my level to visit or who stop doing the group activity to be with me. So this was very special to me. We had a really nice visit. That's the first time since I left Washington that I've had a chance just to do some girl talk. Boy, I miss life. But I'm sure glad there are some really nice people in this world.
About 90 minutes later Mike, Paul, and the dogs all returned. They said that everyone had a great time and that 180 pound Murphy and 17 pound Boogie were best playmates. I could have guessed that based on the last time they were together.
On the way to Sue & Paul's house, we stopped at their favorite lunch restaurant to pick up sandwich's and a couple loaves of freshly made bread. Sue's house is beautiful with close views of red rocks on all sides. If any of you have been to Sedona, this house is very close to The Chapel. The house has a fireplace on the deck (which of course we didn't need to use as it was very warm today) with a nice brick ledge in front. It was perfect for me to lie on during our lunch and visit. The others sat at a beautiful umbrella table so they could get some shade.
During lunch we decided it was best if only Boogie and Murphy were out there with us. Murphy and Boogie played non-stop. The two of them kept us totally entertained. Murphy would take Boogie's entire head in his mouth...but never ever bite down. Boogie would grab a whole mouthful of Murphy's neck (actually there's no way he could get to the neck through all the hair) and tug and tug as hard as he could. Boogie's other favorite trick was to actually get up and stand on Murphy's back. I was so sorry that I wasn't up to taking pictures. Darn...these would have been great pictures.
Eventually we brought all the dogs out onto the deck. While the deck was big - it seemed small for four people and six dogs. They all tried to play but sometimes small spaces aren't the best for a group of dogs. So we put a couple back in the car for a while. It really was a delightful afternoon.
Today was our very last chance for an agility lesson with Billie. So we drove down to Cottonwood for a group class. They had already started as we were 10 minutes late. Unlike the only other time we were here, there were three other dogs there...none of which were the same as last week. I don't know how that works but it was a great class.
This time we did some front cross exercises and some obstacle discrimination exercises. Boogie was at a disadvantage as I wasn't on top of my game. The instructor kept saying that Wazzu knows just what to do when I'm like this - but Boogie has no clue about that yet. Poor Boogie. He had a good time but I could tell he was really tired from his play date with Murphy. I guess neither of us were on our game today. Boy, we sure have a LOT to learn.
It was a long trip back to Flagstaff but I think we all took a little nap...except for Mike of course!
Debbie
4/16/08
No comments:
Post a Comment