Sharing Nature

Dog whisperer, Cesar Millan, feels the most natural situation for a dog in our society is to be hooked up with a homeless person. Man and dog are always together; sharing the great outdoors, food & water; and always trekking about. I feel my pack and I are a step up on that scenario.

After breakfast this morning I headed out with Marley and Romeo into the woodsy haunts of Trails End Farm. The Farm is 200 acres of meadows, wooded hills, and a couple of creeks. The wildlife include deer, squirrels, rabbits, as well as snakes, lizards, toads, and tortoises. There are also burrowing critters like moles, voles, and gophers. [Pictured from last winter is a rare daylight photo of an opossum that got caught out and scurried up a tree when the dogs approached.]

Opossum

Since they are not leashed, a venture into the woods with the dogs always feels more like a hunt than a mere walk. While I stick to the ATV trails, the dogs dart this way and that, chasing squirrels or the scent of deer. Today Romeo sniffed out a mole, dived nose-first after it, caught and killed it. I'm certain that in his previous feral life, he would have eaten it. Today he didn't need to since he'd already had half a can of Alpo, his ration of dried food, and the tail end of my breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast.

He was proud of his kill and protected it from Marley's grasp for a time, but eventually both abandoned the hapless mole. Some might find it cruel, but Romeo was just doing what came naturally. He received a sense of satisfaction, which I must admit I shared with him, and his kill would would not be wasted. The forest scavengers would soon be feeding on it.

Naturally may be defined as "in accordance with Nature", to which all animals are much closer than we humans. Humans are far removed from Nature by the effects of language, technology, and complex social environments. However, we can still participate vicariously in the joys of Nature by hanging out with our animal friends.

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