DAKOTA UPDATE

Spring has arrived for Dakota. He doesn't seem to mind that one day he's rolling around on green grass and the next day he's delighted to see snow to play in again. Either way he's not stuck in the house, looking out of the window wishing he could stay outside.

He is very busy now. He greeted his chipmunk's return. The squirrels are back and chasing around the yard. He can't wait to get out there and join in the frey. He seems to get upset when they try to steal food from his chipmunks. He is taking rabbits more seriously. Perhaps he's picking it up from me but he will not tolerate them in the yard. With the warming sun he loves to catch up on all of the smells the ground releases.

This spring yielded another surprise for him since coming to live with us. A pair of ducks dropped into the backyard from our roof. We still cannot understand how those ducks sit on the roof but they do it every spring. We had a pair that nested in our yard under the evergreens several years in a row. It was so much fun to watch them. At that time I had two Goldens. The ducks didn't seem to mind them and the dogs left them alone except to check on them every morning.



I was not about to let Dakota out at this point. He watched them intently from the family room and back door and never took his eyes off of them until they flew away. I waited a while before letting him out and when I did, he headed right for the spot where they landed and then followed their scent all about the yard - every square inch. It will be interesting to see if they return tomorrow. I rather hope they choose our yard this year. I think Dakota would love checking on them every morning and would sit on the deck and watch them by the hour. I don't think he would hurt them. I am applying my influence on him as I did with the chipmunks so I'm pretty sure he would enjoy and accept them as he does the chippies.

He also has started laying on Chaucie's spot in the family room. Until this past month he's avoided it completely but all of a sudden, one morning, he walked right over to that spot and stayed for a while. You just never quite know what is in their minds.

Soon he will be 12 and is doing quite well for an elder Golden. Over the winter he decided to let my husband into his life and they've become pals. He finally "trusts" us. He's been happy here and made himself at home..but you could tell that as comfortable as he was, the trust really wasn't completely there. It is now.

He loves the rain and stays out in it without question as long as it is just a quiet rain. We have not had any storms with thunder and lightening so time will tell if he's adjusted a little more to them. He is a delight to be with each day. It feels like he's been here forever. He just loves being in the kitchen with me and I'm having to look before I take a step. It's a challenge for me to step over or around him but I wouldn't have it any other way.

His new coat has grown in and it is lush and beautiful. It is a blend of many shades and I love just running my hands through it. For now he's healthy, doesn't like having the fur on his feet trimmed but cooperates with some reservation. His hips bother him off and on but he seems to tolerate it well with the help of medication. Summer will make it better. His picture is May on the calendar and it will be fun to have it up for a whole month. In the meantime we'll see if we can lure the ducks to raise a family in the yard.