The Dobes Do Ledges

[sekaiNdobes]

Last week we got our lazy butts in gear and headed down to Ledges State Park... or what's left of it. The Canyon Road was closed due to flood damage, so we parked at the top of a ridge and made the 1.5 mile hike down into the "belly" of the park.

What I saw just stunned me. Complete and utter devastation of one of Iowa's best state parks. There were a few people walking around, but only those who were up to the hike down into the park... since the road is closed. It was sooo quiet, usually it's jam packed with lots of people, families, dogs.

There used to be a paved road here - now it's all washed away, no sign that there was ever a road.


This was the point where we stopped - the road was completely gone, and quicksand-type mud everywhere. I shudder to think what the rest of the park looks like (this is about 15% of the way into the park).... probably just ruined.


So we backtracked a bit, and found a nice creekbed for the dogs to play in. Shallow, with clear water and sand, no steenky flood mud. Please note: Normally, I'd NEVER have the dogs offleash in a state park. When the Canyon Road opens to the public again, the dogs will be on leashes... but until then, we'll enjoy some rare freedom in the park!

Ilsa exploring. She's wearing a cooling vest to keep her from overheating... it was a very hot day.


Ilsa splooshing around...


More splooshing...


Zoomies in the sand...


Horrible photo, but the expression on Ilsa's face is hilarious!


Ilsa rounds a bend in the creek...


About this time, I decided that Ronin could be loose too - he didn't seem to show any signs of wanting to go AWOL. Tucked his lead into his pack and let him run freeeee!!!


Ilsa instigates a game of Chase Me!


But he ignores her... he wants to sploosh!


Dumb guy was sooo proud of himself... he never gets to carry the gear...


"I iz paramedic, I iz here to help!"


"Mommmm.... Ilsa won't leave me alone...."


"Ooh, fishie!"


Ronin faaaaar away... with perfect recall too!


Recall...


"I'm hot... oo water! I'll plop down right here!"


"Wut? Wut you mean I shouldn't get the pack all wet and steenky? Oh... Isorry..."


Time to go home...


THE END!

[BMorrison]

Awww! Such cute little puppers!

Thanks for sharing the photos!

[dr del]

Hi,

Love the photos - those expressions are priceless.


dr del

[frankykeno]

What great pictures! I love the proud expression on your male dobe with his job of pack carrying. I bet they were pooped and ready to nap when they got home.

I've never heard of these cooling jackets. Do you have a link to anywhere that explains how they work and so forth?

[JLC]

Awesome pictures! I didn't want them to come to an end. Absolutely beautiful dogs!! It's very sad about all the flooding, but at least you found a safe, fun place to play.

I've got a 7 month old red dobe girl...I need to get some recent pictures of her uploaded...haven't done that in way too long. She's such a clown...I call her my "Moose on the Loose".

[littleindiangirl]

Oh! Your pictures are always so nice and you had me chuckling at the captions to them, just awesome!

[sekaiNdobes]

Thanks everyone!

I've never heard of these cooling jackets. Do you have a link to anywhere that explains how they work and so forth?

There are various cooling coats on the market. There are four basic types - metallic mesh, chamois, gel and evaporative cooling. Ilsa's vest is made by Ruffwear, and uses the evaporative cooling system.

Basically, Ilsa's vest cools the dog in a few ways. First, it's light blue and semi-faceted to reflect heat and UV. Second, it is dual layered so it forms a layer where cool air can circulate. Third, the coat is highly absorbent, and when soaked with cold water it actually pulls the heat away from the dog - it works in the same way our sweat does, as it evaporates, it cools.

Link to Ilsa's vest

The mesh kind are very expensive, I've only seen them at dog shows, and all they do is reflect the sunlight.

The chamois kind are in vogue with the show folk right now, but they're heavy when wet and not well-suited for hiking. Now if the dog is being led around the show grounds, they work well. They do keep cold for much longer, and can be used in emergency cooling situations because they can be removed and balled up, and placed on the head or between the rear legs to provide emergency cooling.

Link to chamois cooling coats

And the gel kind... not even worth mentioning. Basically there are absorbent gel balls inside the coat, and when soaked with water they swell. They dry quickly, and the gel balls move around, creating large areas where the dog isn't being cooled at all. This is the method the "cooling bandannas" at Petsmart use... useless IMO.

[sekaiNdobes]

I've got a 7 month old red dobe girl...I need to get some recent pictures of her uploaded...haven't done that in way too long. She's such a clown...I call her my "Moose on the Loose".

Everyone told me about your girl when I first joined... I look forward to seeing photos of her (poke poke - upload time!)

Seven months is right around the age where DoberBrains turn off... and DoberLegs turn on! Beware, she's going to be a holy terror! But don't worry, she'll get half her brain as a birthday present when she turns 2, and the other half will come when she's 3 or 4.

[JLC]

Everyone told me about your girl when I first joined... I look forward to seeing photos of her (poke poke - upload time!)

Seven months is right around the age where DoberBrains turn off... and DoberLegs turn on! Beware, she's going to be a holy terror! But don't worry, she'll get half her brain as a birthday present when she turns 2, and the other half will come when she's 3 or 4.

She's definitely moving quickly into "brainless"...and her zoomies are a sight to behold!

I'm pulling some pics off my camera now...hopefully a few of them turned out! Will post a new thread soon.

[jknudson]

Gorgeous Dobes! They both look so happy!