There are certain areas on our walk where Sampson and Delilah stick their noses high up in the air, look over into the woods and sniff, sniff, sniff away. I’ve often wondered what exactly they are smelling.
Saturday, (the 9th day of spring) we had a prediction of 1 to 3 inches of snow. What the stinking weather person forgot to mention, was the 1 to 3 inches would take almost a full 24 hours to fall. But we can save that gripe for another post.
The snow started early Saturday morning and finished up some time yesterday morning. When Sampson, Delilah and I went out for our morning walk, there was a fresh layer of snow on the ground.
I like making the first imprints in the snow. I imagine it is similar to how the pioneers felt as they made their way and settled this country.
The other thing I love about fresh snow is noticing all the animal tracks and trying to figure out what made them. The fresh snow we received this weekend showed me exactly what Sampson and Delilah are smelling.
These are strange footprints, but they sure smell good.
Delilah was determined to track the culprit down. So she climbed into the snow bank thinking she might get lucky.
If I just dig a bit deeper, I’m sure I’ll uncover something.
The first time I noticed these footprints, I thought I’d discovered a door to Narnia and Mr. Tumnus had come through.
Even Sampson wanted in on the sniffing action, but not enough to climb into a snow bank.
But then I realized they were deer tracks. And as I followed the tracks, I realized they were cutting through a yard, exactly at the point that usually peaks Sampson’s and Delilah’s interest.
See, the nose knows.
Do you have trackers like Sampson and Delilah? Do you know what peaks your dogs interest on their walk?
The nose sure knows. Here it is the foxes that are driving all the dogs mad. Spring is in the air and they are everywhere. Have a marvellous Monday.
Best wishes Molly
Bailie is tracking all the time when she is outside. She is amazing! The first full day she lived with us, Mom took Katie and I for a walk and then took Bailie out. She followed our path to a tee! Up in yards, across the road, she wanted to go exactly where we had gone. Mom is constantly amazed by our noses!
I am a tracker just like S and D. Exactly! But I’m usually tracking candy wrappers, potato chip bags, and packets of mustard. Coincidentally, they’re all named Don’t-You-Dare and Leave-It.
Love and licks,
Cupcake
Torrey is the master at sniffing out stuff. When she alerts, I always try to see why. Sometimes I figure it out, sometimes not.
Sam follows scents like he’s some kind of bloodhound. If it’s especially interesting, he’ll sniff, sniff, sniff and then for good measure, he’ll pee on/over it. I call it reading and responding to his pee-mail first thing in the morning. Wonder if deer have scent glands in their hoofs like dogs have in their paws? 😉
I swear Zack can sniff out a discarded slice of pizza crust on the side of the road from 2 blocks away :->
Blueberry is a masterful tracker. When her ears go forward and her nose starts twitching and she starts circling to find whatever has piqued her interest – I have to be on alert. It could be a bunny, or it could be a tantalizing pile of horse doodie or a half eaten, rotting hamburger. Once, she tracked a cupcake someone had left on a post at the entrance to the trail. Thankfully, I didn’t have my head up my bottom and I noticed it right away and grabbed it right as she was rearing up on her back legs to try and reach it. Score one for the human!
YES it DOES…..!!!!!
I used to like that too when it snowed. Our beagle (major scent hound) was always nose to the ground, but when it snowed, I could SEE what it was she was getting excited about. It was fun to watch her tail wag like crazy when she’d come across some bunny or squirrel tracks. (Bummer about all that snow fall though. Enough already!)
The nose does know. More snow, yuck, I just want it to be warm warm warm.
Since we have so many deer around our neighborhood, that is the one thing that their noses always track, and it can make for some awfully slow walks sometimes! 🙂
I would have guessed deer at this time of year. The pups have good noses. 🙂