Meet Pip

 

 

Pip (or perhaps Pippin) is her name today.  It’s Day Three and she has had three names so far.  Well, four actually, if you consider the name she came with which was not an option!  (FiFi.  Really!)  Initially she was to be Greta.  I loved that name for a dog.  But it was vetoed by Case.  Even my sister weighed in with a thumbs down.  Darby was my second choice but admittedly, it wasn’t rolling off my tongue very easy.  Might have to save that for a horse.  Case started calling her “Pip” last night and you know?  I like it.  So for today, Pip it is.

 

 

Who is Pip?  The new pup!  You had to have known I couldn’t go long without one.  A one-hundred and fifty pound St. Bernard is just not enough to fill this big house, so I’ve been puppy shopping.

 

While I would have loved to have gotten another white shepherd, it wouldn’t have been Ritz.  And as much as I loved that dog, the shepHERD part was not necessarily good around horses.  While he was the best riding buddy in the world, he also felt it was his job to "herd” occasionally and when he got into that funk, there was no stopping him.  I decided long before I lost Ritz that I wouldn’t have another herding dog.  I know they can be taught but I’m not that good of teacher.   

 

If you would have asked me six months ago if I were ever interested in a poodle, I would have laughed in your face.  Foofoo dogs are not for me; people would make fun!  Since I already have a big lug like Bo, I need a sport dog – one that has endurance, is obedient and smart.  Really, a poodle?  And then I met a Standard Poodle in his standard dress – a farm coat – not a fancy haircut and I couldn’t believe I was seeing the same dog.  Upon further research, I found they were bred to hunt, they are smart and they have endurance.  I’m told a Standard Poodle could easily keep up with my horse on our long rides.    I filed that away as a possibility not thinking I would be looking for a new dog this soon.  But such is life.

 

I was quite smitten with Labradoodles as well, for the same reason as the poodle and maybe people wouldn’t laugh at me as much if there was a little lab mixed in.    After Ritz died, I started perusing the puppy ads.  Ouch!  A little bit of sticker shock at the price of poodles and even more so for a labradoodle!  Gosh, they cost as much as a horse!  And even if I could somehow justify spending that on a dog, John would be flabbergasted!

 

Just so you know, I didn’t necessarily need a puppy nor a registered, full blooded hound.  I also kept a close eye on the rescue pages.  Again, I wanted a dog that was not only obedient and loyal, but good around horses and people and could go the miles.  The dog I was getting had a purpose.  I would not rule out a rescue dog provided it fit my needs.  My application at a semi-local rescue was approved and my friend who volunteers there was on the look-out for me should something come in that she thought would work for me.

 

It did.  Not to the rescue, per se, but through an obedience trainer this same person knew.  The trainer knew a gal who was needing to rehome one of two Standard Poodle puppies.  She has children, moved in with her parents and had at least one puppy too many.  Did my friend know of anyone who would take one or foster her?  Was that a coincidence or what?

 

 

The pup in question was a registered 5 month old chocolate Standard Poodle.  She was spayed, up-to-date on shots and micro-chipped.  She was not a house dog so would need house training but was free to a good home.  That’s about all I knew.  What I figured was the girl was keeping the good pup and rehoming the naughty one. 

 

We picked her up on Sunday.

 

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Just One More

 

 

I remember when my kids were little and they would be playing in the park.  When I would say it was time to go, they would run away from me, saying they have to go down the slippery slide one more time or push each other around in the merry go-round one more time.   They got more play in those last 3 minutes knowing it was time to go than they did the hour they were there.  That’s how I feel about riding right now.  Just when I think we’ve seen the last of the good weather, we are given just one more day and I grasp at it like a child at play. 

 

 

John and I had a nice ride with the Platte River Riders the last weekend of October at the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center.  Open to horses by invitation only, our host, Trudy, guided us through the prairie and provided a nice history lesson of the grounds.  The tall grass prairies have never been plowed and there are still ruts from the wagon trains of long ago.  The sun was shining and weather reports indicated it would continue for at least another week.  That got me desperate for just one more weekend of riding.

 

 

I have been very fortunate to have ridden at most of my favorite places this past season and quite a few new ones.  But it has been years since I crossed the river to ride Iowa’s Waubonsie State Park.  And about an hour or so down the road from there is Missouri’s Honey Creek Conservation Area which has also been on my “to do” list.  The weather this past weekend just might afford us one more ride and John was game for a weekend trip.  Our friends, Kathy and Rich joined us for this little late season adventure.   

 

 

Most of the trees along the trails had lost their leaves.  I loved the sound of the horses hooves as they moved through the dry foliage which offered a different kind of beauty to the trails.  I had forgotten how steep the climbs were at Waubonsie, thankful that our horses are used often and well conditioned.  Most of the trails are good climbs; there is not a lot of flat riding. 

 

 

We were surprised to find that even after dark, we weren’t terribly chilly.  We warmed up soup and had a great dinner and then shared what could be the last campfire of 2012.  We plugged into Rich’s generator to take the chill out of the trailer and had our propane heater ready for when we woke up.  We stayed comfortable all night. 

 

 

After breakfast at a local truckstop, we drove on to our next destination.  With the time change (which I dread and hate), we were on the Honey Creek trails by 10:30 AM.  The park had warned me that although horses were still allowed on the trail through the weekend, hunting season for youth’s was also allowed.  I bought us hunter orange and safety green sweatshirts.  I also bought a safety green sweatshirt and made slips for the horse’s breast collars.  We would be seen for miles. 

 

 

I had printed trail maps before I left but somehow managed to forget them.  So the first hour or so was hit and miss but eventually we found the rhythm of the trails.  They were not as severe as Waubonsie and had some really cool looking trees.  Located right off the interstate, you could hear the road noise, but I imagine in the warmer months it would be muffled by the tree leaves. 

 

 

We had two days of great fall riding with friends.  By the end of this week, temperatures are to be in the 70’s!  Again, a rare gift.  Maybe I will get just one more weekend of riding. 

 

(Thanks, Kathy, for getting some pictures of John & Fancy and Windy & me.)

 

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