No hot dogs

No Hot dogs!

Just a reminder from Jack and I that it is never safe to leave a dog in a car in hot weather. Even if you are parked in the shade and the windows are cracked. Even if you leave them water. Even if it is just for a minute. It only takes a few minutes on a hot day for the inside of a car to reach 48 – 50° c (120° f.)

Dogs are unable to sweat and their panting can lead to dehydration. Because of this it’s especially hard for dogs to cool themselves, making them quickly prone to heatstroke which is a life-threatening emergency.

If you see a dog alone in a hot car call 911. If you think the animal cannot wait for emergency assistance and you intend to break into the car please advise emergency services about what you intend to do before doing it.

Be smart. Leave Rover at home and pass the word. No Hot Dogs!

 

Jack’s Walk

It’s a hot day here so Jack and I went for a slow walk around the shaded pond at the park. We haven’t been here for a while because I’ve been avoiding the swans. They were incubating 3 eggs on the pond’s little island, but the last few times I was here both adults were off the nest and swimming together with no babies in sight. I was feeling sad that none of the babies made it, but I was wrong! There is one cygnet and I found him today with his proud and protective mama.

Proud mama and her cygnet

Feeding together

We also checked on the goslings who are now big, goofy teenagers. The area where they nest also has some younger babies, including one who looked freshly hatched.

Babies of all ages, even a newborn (bottom right)

The goslings are teenagers

Teenagers getting ready to shed their fluff
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Jack’s Walk

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At this time of year there are so many beautiful flowers that it’s easy to forget some of the other pretty things in the wild. So today Jack and I are sharing a few small bubbles of bright orange fungus that we found poking their heads up. The focus is soft, but somehow it suits. I think it’s a waxy cap chanterelle, but I’m no expert on the fungus among us.

Jack’s Walk

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One of the reasons that Jack and I started walking trails is because he’s allergic to grass. Walking on the stuff makes his feet itchy and he pick, pick, picks at them until they bleed. He takes allergy pills in the summer which help, but mostly we try to avoid the stuff once it starts to green up in the spring. That’s not easy when you live in a town where most everyone has a front lawn, so we took to adventuring on dirt paths and forested areas. Turns out we both love to traipse around and explore. We treasure hunt for stones and bones and pretty pictures. Sometimes we chat. Sometimes we sing, but mostly we just be together in companionable quiet. We’ve had so many wonderful times and it’s all because of those itchy feet.

Jack’s Walk

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We were overtaken by a swarm of mosquitoes today on our walk by river. We were nearly at the end when the cloud of them descended. Poor Jack got a belly full of  itchy, red bites. His mostly naked belly and groin are the only places the buggers can get to him because his fur is so dense. Little bastards got to me too, but my bites are more all over because I am handicapped by not having fur. I don’t know where we’ll go tomorrow, but I do know we won’t be walking beside this beautiful, serene, swampy breeding ground for pestilent, disease carrying, vampire insects who want our blood.

Jack’s Walk

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Most of the wild iris that Jack and I find is small and purple so I was quite surprised to come upon this patch of tall, bright yellow plants. I’ve never seen iris this colour or size in the wild and that makes its finding a special treat. Only one plant was still in flower, but I’ve marked the location and next year I hope to get here when the full show is blooming.