Muddy Paws

Our temperatures may be saying summer, but the calendar and the lack of light in the morning say that fall is on the way. This morning as dawn was approaching, the dogs ran through the wet grass following the smells from overnight.  Behind the dogs were 2 bats in acrobatic flight eating the bugs they stirred up.  I've seen a few more bats this year, and hope that their numbers are again on the rise.  Afterwards all the dogs were happy to go back inside because they knew what was coming next, breakfast!

But outside, Sheba decided that she didn't want to come back in.  She wanted the adventure to continue and used her best rag-doll impression to let me know that as I tried to get her to her feet.  I even tried to pull her lifeless body down the driveway, but then I gave up and just left her laying there.

And I did the only thing I could do, take pictures of her dirty feet.

I used to try to keep the dogs from tracking their muddy paws into the house. I would get a bucket of warm water and clean their feet before allowing them back inside.  The look of joy they had after their walk would be quickly replaced with a look of "how can you do this to us?"  It didn't take long to realize that having dogs in the country usually means having dirty paw prints inside on a fairly regular basis. Paw prints in the mud and muddy paw prints in the house are all part of the joy of dog ownership, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. Yes, there’s a hassle factor because you've got to clean them up, but the incredible happiness on the dogs' faces after they've dug a hole or had an adventure that took them through the mud and dirt is worth it. At least that's what I keep telling myself.