The Hunters

           It had been raining for some time and it was cold and unpleasant outside.  By noon on the following day the cloud cover broke and the sun came shining through.  It was a welcome sight and so my wife and I decided to take our two little Dachshunds for a hike.  They are fun and affectionate dogs and are good around other people.  However, they are part of the hound family and they instinctively like to hunt. The German word Dachshund literally means “Badger Hound.”  The breed was bred to scent, chase, and flush out burrow-dwelling animals such as badger’s, and prairie dogs.  Their paws are paddle-shaped for efficient digging.  They are also very stubborn and often disobey even the slightest command.  Sometimes they even disobey you when you instruct them to do something they want to do.  These character traits make it difficult to keep them on a leash as they tend to go after any hint of a scent that comes their way.  I like to let them run free so they can experience all aspects of nature.  So on this day we took them to a lake located about five miles west of our home.  It has an improved trail on a dike that meanders through a wet lands area which borders the lake.  We parked the car, let the dogs out and they were immediately off and running.  They must have covered a half mile of terrain back and forth across the trail in the first hundred yards.  Their noses contain over two hundred thousand receptors and they probably detected every varmint that lived along the swamp.  We were enjoying a beautiful afternoon with the sun slowly setting in the west and shining on the snow capped mountains.  The tallest peak was nearly 12,000 feet and had a donut shaped cloud on it’s top.  It was calm, windless, and the dogs were having a good time.  Our black pup “Gracie” was a natural born predator.  Before long she made a beeline down near the water.  She began circling some brush and then dove in the middle.  Suddenly a large Mallard duck exploded out of the brush and gave her a little escape lesson as it flew effortlessly in the sky.  Her sister “Roxie” was larger and stronger but was still learning about the concept of hunting.  My wife and I kept walking down the trail and periodically the dogs sensed we were gone and then they would come running full speed from behind to find us.  I had been told that some raccoon’s had been seen on the trail.  Raccoon’s were primarily found on the East coast but by the early 1930’s they began to infiltrate the Western United States.  They were Northern raccoon’s and weighed between 12 and 17 lbs.  I had heard some stories of how some big “Boar” raccoons could be mean and vicious.  My dogs were about the same weight except for “Roxie” who was about 20 lbs. but, I knew that a raccoon could really give them trouble.  After we had walked over a mile on the trail the dogs caught a hot scent and ran down a rocky embankment towards a pile of fallen logs near the lake.  They went to what appeared to be an opening of a den-like structure.  Roxie was in back of Gracie who was barking out of control.  I yelled at the dogs to come back but they were stubbornly obsessed with the hunt.  Then without warning Roxie pushed Gracie aside and disappeared into the den.  I could hear a terrible hissing and growling going on with no sign of my dog.  She just didn’t come out and I thought a big coon was biting her.  A few seconds later I saw her tail and she was obviously pulling something out of the den. When she finally came out she had an animal in her mouth about the size of a Muskrat.  Unexpectedly a scream came out of the den and the head of a wild field cat appeared to retrieve her offspring.  The dogs immediately backed off and I got them leashed and back on the trail.  Ordinarily the dogs may not have been a match for a mean old field cat but in this case Roxie’s basic instinct to hunt varmints in the ground was overwhelming.  All the way back on the trail she was unruly and swollen with pride.  She was ready to hunt anything since she had finally been tested in battle. 

                                                                                                            Copyright: Gandy Dancer

                                                                                                                                                April 22, 2012

Love Christ for Life...

We seek our own self interests and not our  brothers,

Drifting towards worldly goods and the praise of others.

Selfishness is a danger which grows and always worsens,

We may forget God and be very unkind to other persons.

Reconcile ourselves to the unswerving will of God,

Not to the will of the Devil as were pulled from the rod.

To retain a remission of our sins open Christ’s door,

Both spiritually and temporally, succor needy and poor.

As we serve others faithfully until our tasks are done,

We become more like The Father and Jesus Christ his Son.

We should love the Lord our God in his atoning role,

Give the Lord our hearts with all our mind and soul.

Live worthy to receive Christ as he descends like a dove,

In a caring manner, give our neighbor all of our love.

Charity is giving our love to Christ so precious and pure,

The true love of Christ never fails, it will always endure,

What kind of a person should we be? Humble like a lamb?

Our Savior Jesus Christ said to us,  “Even as I am.”

If we’ve been unkind to others, harmless as it may be,

We’ve failed as Jesus says,  “You have done it unto me,”

The Lord has shown us by example what we should do,

Christ Lovingly taught us, “Do as I have done to you.”

                                                            Copyright 2000

                                                                                          Gandy Dancer

"Big Baby" - Roxie

Her mama’s a Dapple, her papa’s a hound,

She is two tones of tan, and brown as the ground.

Kind of funny looking, a real comical case,

Eyes are green and she has a sorrowful face.

On lonely ole nights she’ll give a hound dog howl,

When big dogs come she moans a low pitched growl.

She’s always in mischief, tries hard to obey,

Soft and cuddly and gives comfort each day.

Out in the desert she saw Gracie dig a big hole,

Right paw started twitching, now she digs like a mole.

Each day she is placed in the tight fenced dog run,

If not watched, she climbs gate and escapes just for fun.

Her bodies quite long and she really has big ears,

Touches water when she drinks, they help what she hears.

She’s smart as an ole trick horse, she is no fool,

Loves water and jumps into the back yard pool.

She give no quarter when it comes eating time,

Noses Gracie from her food and then she is fine.

Can’t sleep and she cries to be held at night,

I cuddle her to sleep and turn out the light.

Some have asked to buy her but not in this life,

We will never sell her just ask my good wife.

        

                                                                                                      Copyright: Gandy Dancer 6/27/2009

Her Mission on Earth

At council of Heavenly Board,

Governed by great Jesus our Lord.

Came Spirits in the form of man,

Here for their second estate plan.

Each given a mission of their own,

And a talent to use when grown.

Each received their assignment that day,

With council to keep faith and pray.

One spirit rose above the rest,

Great in talent she was the best.

Fair skin, blue eyes, and loving grace,

Christ like heart and angelic face.

Her mission was not like the rest,

Theirs to be tested, hers to test.

She’ll test their hearts not for pity,

But she’ll test for true charity.

What is done unto the least of thee,

Is measure of what’s done unto me.

Challenge faith of loved ones each day,

And strangers she meets on life’s way.

She’ll have trials and times that are gray,

Her sweet spirit will feel dismay.

When her time on earth is complete

And the trial she’s gone through is beat.

Humble and pure as you left me,

My presence will return with thee.

Slowly the girl began to be weak,

Conflict changed, spirit rose to peak.

I am ready for I have won,

Thy will and not mine shall be done.

All spirits were ready to go,

One paused at throne, spoke sweet and low.

Please hold my hand to go to earth,

So with Christ’s help she entered birth.

Yet for this new angel don’t fear,

Even though some problems appear.

Although loved ones don’t understand,

She’s safe with Christ holding her hand.

Now a sweet angel up above,

Giving all those on earth her love.

                      Copyright 9/30/2011  Gandy Dancer

Big Baby's Adventure

Life has been really good for me. My sister Gracie and I have a lot of fun in the back yard chasing Robins and Sparrows. Butch comes out twice a week to mow the lawn and water the flower pots. Gracie loves water and chases Butch around as he teases her with the hose. I don’t understand Gracie because she gets all wet and I don’t like getting wet. Most of the time, Gracie avoids getting hit by the stream of water because she is so fast. Gracie is a little silly and when Butch opens the pool cover she runs along the edge of the pool and tries to bite the cover as it recoils and opens. I just sit and watch as Butch tries to get her away from the pool. I have not felt well during the last few days. I am still very young and I feel strange. Little things that Gracie does are starting to make me cross and on edge. The days are getting very warm and Gracie and I were sitting down on our blanket underneath the large shade tree in the back yard. When I moved from the blanket I looked back and saw some red spots on the blanket. In the afternoon Butch opened our two-way door into the house and Gracie and I came in where it is cool and we slept on our new camouflage colored pillows. Butch says it is hard to see me when I am laying on the pillows as my color blends in so well. Sometimes Butch laughs at me but I think he is just getting a little old. The next day was really a bad day for me. At first I got very excited because Butch took me for a ride in the car and he left Gracie home. We arrived at a nice big house and Butch carried me to the gate in the back yard. He opened the gate and there it was, a long dog just like me. He was black on brown, like Gracie, except that he was much bigger. In fact, he was the same size as me. He had a long nose and really long ears. His name was Clawson. He looked athletic and he had a big chest. Well Butch put me down on the ground and Clawson starting sniffing me and then he tried to jump on my back. I started running and he chased me all over the yard. When I looked back I saw ole Butch leaving through the gate. I was shocked and I could not believe he would leave me alone with a strange dog. I didn’t have much time to think about it because Clawson was relentless in chasing me back and forth. I was quicker than him and I avoided him for a long time. However he seemed to be obsessed with me and he would not stop. Finally, I got tired and just stood for him. This same process continued for awhile until Clawson got tired and we both laid down under a shady tree. After a few hours Butch showed up and took me back home. I was really angry and showed him I was not pleased. I spent the rest of the day sleeping on my pillow trying to recover. I couldn’t believe what Butch let me go through. As I got some rest I couldn’t help thinking about Clawson. He was very handsome and really strong. Well I made it though the night and Butch came in and fed Gracie and I breakfast. I was surprised that I had recovered and felt a little better. Then Butch came back out of the house, put me in his car, and took me back over to Clawson’s. I could hear Clawson barking and he was jumping up and down on the other side of the gate. Butch opened it up and put me down. Clawson was even more active and he chased me all over the grass. Then Butch left again and I screamed at him and told him he needed to be “reported.” This time Clawson wore me down quickly and Butch came back sooner. I was livid and asked Butch why he kept taking me over to Clawson’s house. He said something about baby puppies but I was too tired and didn’t understand what he was talking about. Butch didn’t take me back to Clawson’s but I noticed that I was not the same. My back hurt, I was always nauseated, and forever tired. I began to notice that I was gaining some weight and my teats started to get bigger. Nearly every morning I did not feel well and I continued to wake up with a headache. My appetite was out of control and I wanted to eat everything in sight. As a result I think I have gained over ten pounds. My energy level has dramatically decreased. Gracie keeps pulling my ears and wants me to play but, I just can’t do it. Sometimes she bites be too hard and it hurts. I try to bite her back but she is too little and too fast for me to catch. My body keeps getting fatter and my back side has really widened. The extra weight hurts my back and I like to reduce the pain by laying down on my side. Butch then makes fun of me and says I look like a small pig when I lay on the floor. When I walk I kind of waddle and my stomach hits the ground. Butch teases me and says I am “dragging low and walking slow.” He is not very funny. My feelings are really hurt because Clawson has not been by to see me. He just doesn’t care and he is the one that has caused me all these problems. Butch brought home a large box and put newspapers on the bottom and placed my pillow in it along with some blankets. He puts it in the family room and helps get into the box. He calls it my nest. I don’t know what he is talking about and so I just jump out and go to my crate. Butch takes Gracie and me out for a walk but I have to stop and rest a lot. He is good to pause and wait for me until I feel better. I have been craving different foods lately. Sometimes Butch feeds me bacon and I love it. I think I could eat a whole package of bacon by myself. Now, as time passes, I really feel tired. I have five days until the puppies are supposed to be born. My weight is out of control as I weight 27 lbs. which is twice Gracie’s weight. Sometimes I wonder if Clawson will ever look at me again. My energy level is low and I spend most of the day in the crate. The only time I leave my crate is to eat and go to the potty. Something deep inside me is driving me to dig a hole in the ground so I can have these puppies. I tried to dig a hole under the bed but the carpet was too strong. My size has gotten to be such a problem that I can’t jump up on the couch and Butch has to use both hands to pick me up. When he carries me my lungs become compressed and I can’t breathe. Most of the time, I don’t want to be left alone because I feel so sick. My stomach is getting so big that I think I will be having a lot of puppies. Maybe it is because Butch took me over to Clawson’s so many times. There are times when Gracie calms down and comes over and lays down by me and it is very comforting. Butch seems to be getting very nervous about my condition. He has taken my crate into the spare bedroom which is next to his and put it down where I can see into his bedroom. He brought the small crate from the garage and put it in the laundry room for Gracie. That night I began to cry a little and Butch thought it was because I missed Gracie. I guess I kept him awake because after a while he came in and closed the door. What he didn’t know was I was really having contractions and was going into labor. I was very comfortable inside the crate without Gracie. The contractions steadily increased and I didn’t bark or cry out when my first puppy was born. The process continued through the night and by morning I had four gorgeous puppies that were all full sized. Butch says that I did not have a “runt” in the whole litter. The puppies were all beautiful Dapples like me. I had two chocolate brown and two brown and white. Clawson and I make wonderful puppies. They are all laying by me now and they are nursing. I am finally very happy.

Copyright 9/13/2010 Gandy Dancer

"Native Cutthroat"

Ginny and Butch had pulled their RV and boat up Daniel’s Canyon to the Strawberry Marina so they could go boating and camping. They rented a slip for their boat and had been fishing each day and caught a few fish each time they went out into the lake. On a couple of these boating trips they took their two Dachshunds “Gracie” and “Roxie.” The dogs hated to get wet and didn’t like to take baths nor get close to the family swimming pool. On Saturday morning Butch went outside to take the dogs for a walk and the entire lake area was covered in the legendary morning mist that is often found at the eight thousand foot level. It had been raining for several days and Butch thought it might be another stormy day. However, as he made his way with the dogs along the low rolling hills he looked up and could see patches of blue sky which was a good indication that the mist would soon be burning off. The excessive rain that had blessed the Wasatch Mountains had made the Strawberry Valley come alive with Wild Flower blossoms more than ever before. There were Blue Bells, Indian Paint Brush, and entire mountain sides filled with yellow Daisies. The plant life was lush and resembled the type of conditions found at lakes and valleys at the ten thousand foot level. “Gracie” and “Roxie” were in “Dog Heaven” as they were surrounded by burrows of “Pot-guts” and “Marmots.” They would run into the brush to hunt and would not come back for hours. Every time they heard chirping sounds it made them go wild and their digging into varmint tunnels never ceased. The thin air was invigorating and Ginny road her mountain bike about eight miles to the “Renegade” marina. Butch had the dogs and was following her in his truck. They went back to their RV and Ginny fixed them a lunch to eat on the boat and they took the dogs and went fishing. Butch’s boat was a twenty two foot “Open Bow” craft and the dogs liked to sit up front and let the wind blow by their ears. Since it was their last day they decided to fish over to “Bryant’s Fork” where Ginny’s dad, Kenner, loved to fish. Butch had cleaned up and refurbished an old fishing pole of Kenner’s as well as his “Mitchell” 300 reel. So it was fitting to go back to his favorite spot even though the aged “Beaver Lodge” had been covered by the increased level of water created by the new “Soldier Creek” dam. Kenner had taught Butch and Ginny how to catch the beautiful “Brook Trout” which made their home near the lodge. By this time the sun was high in the brilliant blue sky which was highlighted by white puffy clouds. Fishing was slow and the dogs got bored and were sunning themselves on the back part of the boat deck which was near to the water. Suddenly there was a loud slap as Butch’s pole hit the back of the boat. Instinctively Butch grabbed the pole and gave it a hard yank. Sure enough he had a big fish on his line. After a few seconds the fish jumped clear out of the water and dove for the bottom pulling the slack on Butch’s reel. It looked like a sure trophy. The fish put up a good fight for a while and when Butch got it near the boat it started violently thrashing in the water. The dogs got excited. Ginny grabbed the net and brought the fish into the boat but, just as she did both dogs had jumped into the water after the fish. Neither of the short legged dogs were good swimmers. “Roxie” was in shock and Butch was able to lean over the back side of the boat and pull her to safety. Then they looked around and “Gracie” could not be found. They called her name and in a moment of panic thought she may have drowned. They ran up to the front of the boat and there was “Gracie” frantically trying to keep her head above water. The front of the boat was too high off the water for Butch to make an attempt to save her. Ginny quickly reacted and ran to the back of the boat and flipped the fish out of the net. She threw the net to Butch and he made an attempt to catch “Gracie” but he missed at first. On the next try Butch went deep with the net and captured her. He pulled her in and they could see she would not have lasted much longer. Both dogs crashed in the warm leather seats and slowly recovered in the bright July sun. Butch and Ginny went back to check out the fish and as it turned out the monster “Native Cutthroat” was only twenty inches long and did not meet the twenty two inch legal criteria for keeping. The two reluctantly put the fish back in the lake. They fished for a while and then slowly made their way back to their boat slip.
Copyright 2011 Gandy Dancer

The Predators

The “Predators”

          The dogs were restless as they anticipated Saturday’s hunt.  Big Baby was so excited she jumped into the trunk of the car herself.  The dawn’s crisp air was invigorating with a light breeze flowing down Slate Canyon.  Butch drove the dogs to the base of the canyon at the trail head and let them out.  They immediately had their noses to the ground and the hunt was on in earnest.  Gracie was from a strong genetic line of Dachshunds that were instinctively born to battle.  Her mother and grandmother loved the thrill of the pursuit and were very effective.  She instinctively held her nose to the ground and was bent on finding a strong scent.  On the other hand Big Baby was still a pup and always followed Gracie but was not that interested or focused.  She was a much bigger dog than Gracie and was gifted with great athletic talent.  She was aggressive, quick, and had great leaping ability.  After the group had progressed about a hundred feet the pups were busy tracking varmints and Butch looked up the trail and saw immediate danger as a large black and white Collie loomed on the horizon.  Its owner likewise sensed a confrontation and quickly put it on a leash.  However, the pups saw the Collie and they began to charge.  Butch instinctively grabbed Big Baby and held her as tight as he could.  Dachshunds, by their nature, are fearless and will attack dogs two or three times their size.  Gracie sensed Big Baby had been stopped and reacted to Butch's command to abort the fight.  She backed off and Butch got Big Baby under control long enough for the Collie and its owner to pass.  They proceeded up Slate Canyon for a ways and then headed on the upper trail above the fire road.  The mountain side was unusually green and beautiful as it was covered by weeds and grass about five to six inches tall.  The low ground cover gave Butch an unusually good view of the dogs as they chased Quail up and down the mountain.  They passed the foxes den as the morning sun rose into a clear blue sky as it erased the early shadows that blanketed the slopes.  The Foxes moved higher up the mountain earlier in the year but the pups were in a fever pitch as they picked up the still strong musky scent.  They continued to move along the trail when a Pheasant gave an early morning cackle.  The dogs heard the noise and they were off and running at full speed.  The noise had come from above the trail and the dogs were right on it.  The frightened rooster hunkered down for a few seconds until it was almost too late.  It finally exploded from the ground with a furious rush of its’ wings.  The dogs chased it for a while until it got too high and outdistanced their pursuit.  A strip of darkened fur stood up on their backs as they returned triumphantly from their success.  As they progressed south towards Hobble Creek, it became very quiet and serene.  They were totally cut off from the frantic and hectic city life.  They passed an old mine which the dogs immediately had to explore.  There were a lot of rattlesnakes in the area and Butchwas concerned there may be a nest of them somewhere curled up in the obsolete mine shaft.

 It took a lot of yelling, whistling, and coaxing to get the dogs out but, Butch persisted and they finally responded.  They then proceeded a little higher on the trail to a narrow area that was on the edge of a very steep cliff and a long vertical drop.  Butch was startled by a large shadow that passed above his head.  He looked up and saw a great bird which on first glance looked like a Raven or Crow.  However, as it got closer it had the same color and size as a Golden Eagle.  Without warning, Big Baby gave a furious guttural growl and jumped three feet in the air as another bird came swooping up at her from the face of the cliff.  Then Butch turned around and a third bird came down out of the sky at a full attack speed at Gracie.  Butch yelled and Big Baby deflected its flight in mid-air with another heroic leap.  Butch started throwing rocks and tried to keep track of the location of the dogs.  The birds regrouped and two of them lit at the top of two huge high power lines about thirty feet west of the trail.  The third was circling around Butch and the dogs.  Once the birds were finally stopped on the poles he could see their bodies were golden brown but their heads were red.  He knew in an instant that they were carnivorous raptors, (Cathartes Aura), or “Turkey Buzzards.”  They hunted for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses especially vision.  They had robust bodies and broad wings.  The poles they were on must have been over one hundred foot high which gave them a visual command of the entire mountain side.  The frisky dogs had now become the prey.  It was unnerving for Butch to see the third bird circling and stalking.  He immediately picked up Gracie and carried her as she was the smallest of the dogs. Big Baby stayed close to Butch and seemed oblivious to the dangerous situation they were facing.  It didn’t seem to matter where the group went, because the Buzzards had their eyes glued on them and they could mount an attack at any time.  On the next turn of the trail, Bailey spotted the old mine entrance and he raced furiously for the opening with Big Baby out in front.  Once in the mine they all rested and their hearts got back to a normal beat.   After a while Butch ventured outside and to his relief the birds had left their perches on the pole and had flown somewhere else to hunt easier prey.  The group then proceeded north to Slate Canyon and the safety of their car. 

    (See pictures of birds and dogs below)    Copyright Gandy Dancer: April 22, 2010