MOLLY GETS HER FINAL SHOTS & FLATHEAD FUN

Today Molly and I went to the Flathead to get her final shots including rabies. She weighed 19.6 pounds, a gain of over a pound in a week. All systems are go. Now that she has her documents in order we may have to sneak up to Fernie in British Columbia to see what their snow is like. It’s usually very impressive.

The trip down the mountain was a real thrill. Slid half the way. I admit it scares the poop out of me. I bot a new Expedition last Fall because my 1999 Explorer was getting a bit long in the tooth. I really didn’t want an Expedition. They are like driving a Texaco tanker. I soon learned they don’t make the traditional Explorer anymore. The “new” Explorer is a crossover thing that caters to suburbanites. I looked at all the other SUVs. GM’s were the closest but their SUVs are all designed for passengers not cargo. You’d have to physically remove the third row seats for the cargo space. The Expedition was the only SUV that gave me good flat cargo space with press button folding seats. I had had very good luck with my Explorer so I went with Ford. I must admit the thing is like driving on a cloud on the highway. I do feel safer driving Slaughter Alley which is the two lane highway to the Flathead.

I was worried about how the Expedition would perform on the luge. The luge is  a hill on the unmaintained forest service road I live on. I was afraid that it’s weight would be a problem descending the mountain in winter.  Turns out I was right about that. It does fine on the snow but when we start thawing and freezing the road is like glass. The Expedition’s weight just won’t allow the studs to get any kind of grab. I just slide and hope for the best. Oh, and to make it an even more fun challenge the hill is an “S” curve. Going up, on the other hand, is a snap. The weight works in my favor.

After the vet we went to MURDOCH'S, a wonderful western states, ranch store. I could live in Murdoch’s. As it turned out Murdoch’s has the best price for the dog food the breeder recommended, CANIDAE ALL STAGES OF LIFE . This is some very good dog food and I was very impressed that a breeder would feed it. Usually, they go for a less expensive, brand like Nutra Nuggets. Understandably so. They have many mouths to feed. We really lucked out in that the Canidae was on sale! Around $13.00 a bag savings. Woo Hoo!

Another great thing about Murdoch’s is it’s pet friendly so Molly got her first in store outing. Koty used to love going to Murdoch’s for all the wonderful smells and all the wonderful attention. Molly’s experience was equal on both counts. Everyone was all over the adorable puppy. Sadly, I have no photos because people photos have never been my forte. I just never think of it. I’m going to have start training myself to think differently about what I shoot. People love people pictures especially people with adorable puppies.

I had read in my training research that you might want to present your dog with a variety of treats on a plate and let it choose it’s favorite. At Murdoch’s they have a treat display Molly could walk right up to. I thought great she can choose her favorite. I am ready to conclude Molly hasn’t met a treat she doesn’t like. A different experience for me because Koty could have cared less. If there were live animals in the store, like chicks, he’d be all over that scent and drag me to their location in a Minnesota minute.

It was a fun day with the pooch! We both enjoyed ourselves greatly.

Still no sign of Timmy. I am not at all hopeful I will ever see him again.

©Kinsey Barnard