Twice a week when I go up to Fort Collins, I take my sister Susan's dog Blackberry on an afternoon walk. This dog is always on the alert for rabbits and squirrels, and gives chase whenever she sees one. Happily - for her, anyway - there have been a huge number of squirrels around the area this fall. The photograph on the left shows Blackberry focused on one that had escaped onto a rooftop. My sister Susan is not quite as enthusiastic about all these squirrels, since they get into her bird feeders - she has roughly 200 of them spread around the outside of her townhouse - and must continuously buy more bird seed to replace what the squirrels have eaten. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has warned that bears can be attracted to these bird feeders, too, but I don't believe it. I have lived in Colorado for almost 40 years now, and have yet to see a bear, or for that matter, a moose. Might as well hope to see a unicorn.
The only other thing Blackberry is so enthusiastic about is food, and I made the mistake long ago of starting to give her a dog biscuit after her walk, which she now assumes is her given right, perhaps as a reward for allowing me to walk her. She can be seen in the photo on the right after one such walk, expecting that yummy treat. Susan's other dog, Tutu, is a Yorkie and does not seem to like to go outside as much. Walking both her and Blackberry at the same time can be a real challenge, since Blackberry walks - more like runs - very fast, while Tutu moves at a snail's pace. Ah, the joy of owning two dogs. Not my problem - I'm just the crazy uncle.
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