Taking Advantage of the Sun

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It's been beautiful in Colorado the past few days! After a few weeks of bitter temperatures, the sun decided to help us out a little. It's still fairly chilly in the evening (perfect for sleeping), but now the days are very warm. The shade is still quite cool, but as son as you get into the sun, it's incredibly nice. I was even able to spend the day yesterday just lying in the sun in a t-shirt and shorts. While this doesn't bode well for the snow fall, it does mean that I can spend more time with the dogs before I freeze. Hopefully, it'll be nice for another month and then we get a big dump of snow.

Luma

Anyway, the dogs are relaxing in the sun and loving it. Instead of tucking into their barrels, they stretch out in their perfectly sculpted spaces. I say "perfectly sculpted" because most of the dogs have taken to digging, pushing, scratching, and rolling to create earthen beds throughout their individual spots. Naturally, this makes sense; why would you endure a hard flat surface when you can create a hole molded to your body. The puppies haven't quite gotten the art of comfort down. Instead, they tend to just dig for the hell of it. No finesse. No care. The older dogs take their time and work steadily. With the older dogs, a huge hole never just appears one day; it is a slow process with little scratches and adjustments each day. Luma is a master of comfort. She seems to have a different whole for different positions. If she wants to lie on her side, there's a relatively flat spot that she has transformed into a molding of her body. If she wants to curl into a ball, a deep, narrow hole awaits. Luma has even made a spot next to her friend Sasha so the two of them can lay next to each other with their backs rested upon an embankment. So much work just so Luma can be comfortable and lazy.
With the temperatures starting to plummet, it seems that the dogs are trying to soak up as much sun as possible. They're even willing to leave these beautiful holes in order to lie in the warmth. Usually, everyone stays alert and awake when I'm in the yard, just in case I offer a run. Osiris and a few others have decided that sleeping in the sun is a much better way to spend their time. Our biggest dog will stretch the entire length of his body out, only moving if the shadows start to overtake him. I'm sure this will come in handy when the only warmth in the winter will come from the sun's rays.

"Stop looking at your shadow!"

Meanwhile, I just noticed some of the younger dogs fascinated by their shadows. The dogs are so used to me now that instead of constantly following my movements with their eyes, they're becoming entranced by other things. Yesterday morning, the sun was especially bright out in the dog yard. The morning light was leaving extremely crisp shadows and Zion was having the hardest time figuring it out. He would walk into the light and spot his shadow next to him. Freeze. Not a tail twitch, not a head shake, not even a lift of a paw. He just stared down this apparent black dog rising from the earth. Finally, after a few intense moments, Zion would assume nothing was going to happen and shake himself out. Freeze. Not a tail twitch, not a head shake, not even a lift of a paw. This happened several times as I watched. Zion would have a quick moment of uncertainty, followed by intense scrutinizing, then he would give up; only to see his shadow move once more! Blast! Eventually, Zion gave up on trying to figure out who this strange entity was. He took a few swipes with his paws before deciding it wasn't worth it. Thankfully, by that time, I had already been forced to sit on Attla's barrel because I was laughing so hard. Zion did not seem to be offended by my laughter, only confused as to the source of it.

Myself, as well as the dogs, will be taking advantage of these last few rays. No frozen water, no frozen lead lines, and no frozen hands. It's only a matter of time before we'll be racing through the snow; alas freezing, but with a stupid grin on everyone's face.