A Couple of Dog Stories

I just finished reading The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. One of my friends sent it to me in the mail. Of course, since she had spent money to send it, I felt obligated to read it! She KNEW I would love it, since we often relate stories about our dogs to each other. She has a golden retriever named Nevada. Her dog works. He visits people in the hospital and makes them feel better.

Our dog, Lola, works - she makes us feel better, too. Lola, like Enzo, the dog in the book, loves to watch television. Her favorite programs are cartoons and commercials involving animals or squeaky toys. You already know she brings us the morning paper. She also brings us our shoes, socks, tee shirts and other items. She carries laundry to the washing machine. She brings in mail, tears up cardboard for recycling, puts empty toilet paper rolls into the trash and tells us when we have visitors. She even tells us what time it is! When she steps on a cholla, she stops, puts up her paw and lets us remove it.( use a comb )

When we first moved to the desert, a black Labrador was part of the family. Reba came to the desert from the beach...a very different environment. We were looking at our vacant land during summer, one HOT day, when Reba spied a rabbit and away she went. We were horrified, thinking of her running top speed through the desert, stepping onto cactus, being attacked by a coyote or meeting up with all sorts of desert threats. ( Remember, we were new to the desert, too! ) About half an hour later, there she was, looking for us, with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Later, Reba turned into a lizard stalker - using one paw to shake burro bushes and scare out her prey. ( which she never caught but loved to chase.) Reba now rests under the Palo Verde tree in the back yard.

My brother's family includes a REAL desert dog. Roamer first appeared in the De Anza area of Borrego. Stories from residents indicated he had been running with the coyotes. He was seen often in the area and one day, chose to make a call at my brother's house. He was offered food and water but did not care to stay. Don fed him whenever he dropped in, but Roamer never stayed for long. Little by little, the dog grew to trust Don and, after a while, became a beloved member of the family. At first, he maintained his old ways, and often ran away chasing rabbits- even eating them! By then, people who lived in the area would call Don and say, " Hey, I think I just saw Roamer." Don hurried to retrieve him. Now, he is older and has given up leaving home or chasing anything-( the dog, I mean). He and his master are inseparable. He has retired -(both of them, I mean ).

If you have a desert dog, you have to be extra cautious regarding hot weather.
We would never think of leaving our dog outside during summer and leave the swamp cooler or air conditioning on if we have to be away for a period of time.
Coyotes can leap or dig under fences and walls. Be alert when your pet is in the yard.

There are good stories and bad stories about dogs in the desert. I'm sure you have heard about the dog snatched off his leash by a coyote - dogs bitten by rattlesnakes ( there is a vaccination for that )- loose packs of dogs...(my friend and I were on foot at Clark Lake and encountered five dogs, running loose and hunting) we notified authorities. I have met numerous coyotes and have never felt threatened. A loose pack of dogs is a different matter.

Dogs rely on people to nurture and care for them. This is especially important in the desert. Borrego Animal Rescue is a new service, recently formed here. For more information, contact ninelives2@gmail.com . If you have a dog, cat or other pet and live in Borrego, there is a good doctor, who loves dogs and cats, in Brawley. Lola always looks forward to a visit with Dr. Howard! (look for his articles in the Borrego Sun ).