Catahoulas in the Mist

This picture was taken last weekend in Boulder Creek. This weekend is supposed to be quite blustery, but we'll probably take a hike somewhere anyway. 

More guests came by tonight and Othello was quite hospitable. He is definitely becoming a more predictable dog around others. Usually when we come into the house, he is more accommodating then he otherwise is when someone knocks on the door. HE is definitely growing out of his wild you and life on the streets. He'll probably always have the Catahoula wild streak to him. Which is good. He is definitely an active dog.

Oh, and he's getting so much better running next to a bike too. He usually gets run a few nights a  week.

Catahoula Boulder Dog

Yesterday's hike took us down south a ways near Burlington and Darrington to the Boulder River Trail (#734). I am glad that the has become energetic and predictable on the trails, and outside of his familiar surroundings and subsequent nature of Catahoula territoriality, he is like a joyful little puppy.

After a two months, I though he  would need a bath,  but he hardly smells. Runs in the forests make him smell like a day at the beach.

Catahoula Snow Dog

This weekend we hiked the Tomyhoi Lake Trail from the trailhead (3,600') up into the snow around 5200'. Othello is a crazy dog in the snow. Once the snow got to three feet or so, we decided to turn back. Next week I need to remember snowshoes. After the hike, he sleeps the whole way home,and is a mellow Catahoula for the next day or so.

We went out on a pretty long bike ride tonight around town in the drizzly. A happy dog.

VW

I have an old VW that I work on during the raining evenings. Othello Moose helps too sometimes by bringing me things that I don't necessarily need, but I do appreciate. I do not think that Catahoulas can adjust valves on a VW.

He has plenty of toys and as I sit here typing, I see that he has strewn them about the living room. He has had his run tonight, so he should be tired.

Hannegan Pass

 I haven't written much, because there's nothing new going on. Three walks a day, a healthy Catahoula that smells and acts healthy and happy.

Saturday we hiked Hannegan Peak beyond Mt. Baker. Ten miles of about three thousand feet of vertical. Of course, Othello was a champ and ran three times the distance that we hiked.

Unfortunately, my camera died. So what was probably the best vistas of all of our hike, we had no pictures.

At this point of the week, we begin to plan for Saturday. The snow line will be pretty high, which is good for more mountain hiking. But not for Othello - he is like a little kid in the snow.

Catahoula Goat Dog

Today we hiked Goat Mountain off the Mt. Baker Highway. Problem is, it was very clouded in, as well as rainy. We both became quite moist, but the snow had melted from last week so we made about a thousand feet shy of the summit. But at the time it looked pretty close to the top. One of the best things about hiking now is that there are no people out, so we had then entire trail to ourselves. My estimate is eight or nine miles were covered today and an elevation gain of 3,000 feet. 

Othello Moose in one tired, yet happy dog tonight.

A Test

A friend came to visit this week. Othello Moose has had a checkered past with males coming into the house. He takes a while to get acquainted with some visitors intruding upon his space, and would other times be aggressive toward them with his intimidating Catahoula barking.

This visit went very well and he quickly took a liking to him, and in short order they were buds. I felt good about this, as when Othello first came into the home, he was very protective. My friend gave him a thumbs up and, being a dog person himself, got along great with him and took him out for walks around town.

Tomorrow we will go up into the hills or mountains. But haven't decided where yet. This picture was when we camped up at the foot of Mt. Baker a few weeks back.

Mooseday

Another Tuesday, and beginning to daydream where we'll hike this weekend. There is a trailhead at 2,000 feet that should take us back up high into the mountains. I have found that Othello is much mellower when he can release his energy on these hikes. And this time I'll take snowshoes.

When (if?) he finds a foster home, hopefully he can spend more time in the woods. I've had him for almost eleven months, and he has changed so much for the better. He still has his Catahoula edge and maybe always will. But everyone that knows hims tells me he's awesome in I should keep him. The decision is in the hands of fate.

Here is another picture taken on the High Divide trail but (obviously) below the snow line.

Excelsior Catahoula

This weekend's field trip was to High Divide Trail up to Excelsior Pass. We didn't make it all the way, just to the meadow. We left in the mist and ended up ten degrees colder and a few thousand feet higher.

Othello is all frisky in the snow and probably tripled the 6-8 miles that I hiked. Here's a picture right before we turned back. The snow was a bit too deep, and I needed snowshoes (unlike the Catahoulas, that have webbed toes). Hiking the mountains definitely mellows him out.

Tuesday

A wonderful thing about Othello is that he gets me out of the house every weekend in the woods. I used to bike a lot, but since this dog has come into my world, I have shifted more to hiking. As you know, he loves the woods, and around this time of the week I start planning which of the thousand places that we can hike (where dogs are allowed, of course) within an hour's drive. And that does include the thousand other turnoffs where you can hike down to a stream or up through a clearing.

The topic of dogs on trails came up at dinner tonight about dogs and being leashed and everything, and this site only says "...and keep pets from harassing wild animals." So I think I am safe.

Here's a picture taken on the trail before the October rains came. I think it's Rockport. 

Delayed

I haven't written for awhile. It's because I am transitioning computers. My batteries also died in the camera I was using to take pictures. I was also traveling back east to visit a sick friend.

But it was interesting when I pulled up to the house: My housemate was watching Othello Moose, and a storm had come through with pretty high winds over the past few days and blew the gate open, unbeknownst to him. Othello took advantage of this situation, and scouted the neighborhood. I guess he did no harm to anything, and when I pulled up to the house, he was sitting on the front porch a though he knew I was going to pull up.

It reminded me of doing post Katrina animal rescue in  St. Bernard Parish a few years back, and we found numerous dogs that had perished at the doors to their homes waiting for their owners to return. Probably the saddest sight of that journey.

But today we drove up into the mountains at the snow line somewhere near the Twin Sisters off Mosquito Lake Road. The log foot bridge across the creek was pretty precarious to cross, so we instead hiked around the creeks and rivers swollen from the recent rains.Yesterday he got to run through the woods at the off-leash area of  Lake Padden. He is getting better and better at coming on command, even when there are bikes, other dogs or children. 

The picture above was as we were coming down from the camping near the Coleman Glacier.

Snow

Othello Moose gets really frisky in the snow. This was taken a few weeks ago up near Mount Baker. I was sliding down this hill and he was right on top of me.

A late night. Othello came into work with me and laid at my feet for an hour or two.

Cycling

We are leaving in a few minutes to go for our nightly run.Well he runs, I bike. We check out the downtown Bellingham scene, or if he's not that full of energy we'll stick to the Lettered Streets and Sunnyland. Usually I run him until he comes to a slow trot. He likes it and so do I. It's a nightly ritual.

This video was taken last winter.

The Other Side

Here's his other side. I took this picture today up on Raptor Ridge. We stayed close to home. He also went to help me build some raised beds at a garden down in Fairhaven. He was able to run in the fenced in area, but later ran around outside in the grass. He never runs far, and usually comes on command. He likes to stay nearby, and never is far away. He's snoring in the room next door, so that's reminding me that I need to sleep too.

The Right Side

Othello has very unique markings. His right side has these beautiful merle markings; his left side is mostly brown. I don't know what other breeds are in him. Some say lab, and others say pit bull. I see more lab, but the more I look at pictures of Catahoulas, the more he resembles one. His curled tail with the very tip being white; his webbed toes, his floppy hound-type ears - all are the Catahoula traits, And there are a ton of pictures on the web that I've looked at, and he looks (and sounds) like a Catahoula. But we'll never know.

Today he helped me with a yard project and then to the dog park. He's great with the other dogs, although mostly he just like hanging out with people. A good day for Othello Moose.

This picture is up on Sauk Mountain a few weeks ago.

Protein

I feed Othello Taste of the Wild dog food. I liked the pictures of the wolves on the front and it came recommend to me. Plus, I could buy it as Hohl Feed and Seed in town and could carry a forty pound bag on my bike.

Problem was, it's very high in protein. And here's my observation. After a few months on it, Othello Moose started licking his tail pretty continuously. My housemate said he had Butt Munch, but I knew better. I had a fecal test for worms. Nothing. I took him to the vet and had his anal glands relieved. He stopped for a short while. They told me he didn't have fleas at doggie daycare. I bathed him withoatmeal shampoo, and this relief was brief.

Somewhere in my travels, I was told that sometimes when dog eat a lot of protein, their bodies generate excess heat. The places where the heat is released is the paws, ears and butt. And come to thik of it, he did lick his paws too. So after mixing in some Kibble & Bits that I had on hand, and some rice on occasion, the problem has been solved. After owning many Volkswagens in my life, troubleshooting a Catahoula can be just as perplexing.

The picture above was taken in the old growth of Rockport State Park a few weeks back.

Weekdays

As you can see, we strictly adhere to the AHS's policy of no dogs on the bed.

Okay, so maybe not, but Othello is warm and when the nights dip down to the forties, he is like having a warm seventy-pound sack of potatoes keeping you toasty at night. And plus, Catahoulas only have one coat of fur, so they can get colder before other dogs do.That's what I recall reading, at least. He wakes when I do, with his morning stretches (including his standard downward dog yoga pose) and makes his Cathoula noises. 

He was pooped tonight after we biked (well I did at least) and he trotted next to me all around Bellingham. A run at night for a few miles is what we both enjoy most during the week. He also gets his chances to stop and sniff, and we check out the bustling downtown Bellingham scene now the the college students have returned.  

I would call him a lucky dog, but anyone who has spent time in New Orleans knows what that is So I refrain from calling him one.

I hope the forever home that adopts him understands that although he began his life as a stray on the streets of Caldwell, Idaho, he adapted to his life as a spoiled dog, and as I said, I'm not the best dog trainer. But we have a moral duty to treat one another well in this life, and Othello should not be an exception.

Catahoula Cougar Dog

People ask me why I just don't adopt Othello Moose and give him a forever home. I think about
 that often, although I reconsider for two reasons: The first is that Othello requires better training than I am able to offer. One minute we are playing and then we start to get too rough and I tell him to stop. "You're sending him mixed signals," I'm told. And I realize, yeah, I do. Just one example of my inconsistencies in "training." I don't really have formal experience training dogs although everyone tells me how much he has improved in his demeanor and interaction with people..

The other reason I consider myself a temporary home is because I feel sort of guilty with him lying at home on the bed all day and only spending one day allowing him to run and play in the wilds. He probably doesn't mind, but I think I project my emotions onto him and he is probably content sleeping al day and guarding the house. I sometime forget to close the back door (although the yard is fenced) and he can come in and out as he pleases. But a place where he can run daily and at will would be ideal.

But this weekend he did come into the office with me and greeted others working. Then we were lucky to get to the mountains on Sunday up on Cougar Divide for a few miles of hiking. He did bark at some other hikers, but I think he was excited by another dog up on one of the lookout points barking incessantly. He sometimes (okay, most times) does not want to get back in the truck when it's time to leave; instead lies on the trail wanting more hiking. But I have taken treats with me and that can help to coax him to me when there are either others on the trail (I usually do leash him then) or when it's time to go.

Here is a picture from yesterday up on Cougar Divide. (click to enlarge)

Cascadian Catahoula

I am the foster home for Othello Moose. It is through the Alternative Humane Society located here in Whatcom County, which is a no-kill shelter that has no offices, just a volunteer staff with huge heart. Othello Moose was going to be put down unless a someone stepped to the plate. A lover of Southern Gothic literature, I figured, hell a living relic of the Old South living right her under my roof would be the coolest thing in the world as I lie by the fireplace in the winter reading "Go Down, Moses." What I didn't realize that Othello would require some training and be quite a challenge for my otherwise docile life.

The AHS offered the services of myriad trainers and Othello is turning into a more mellow Catahoula. And he just had his third birthday, so that is also mellowing out, although he still has a wild streak.


When he first arrived, he never went to the bathroom in the house. He would chew paper (including some books), errant CD cases and an occasional DVD case. I quickly crate trained him, and he became less destructive and gradually now had free rein in the house and yard. He also is good at finding a sunny spot on the porch to sun himself in the mornings. More soon...

Chewing

Here is a picture of Othello Moose somewhere up off the Mount Baker Highway a few weeks back. I realize how much he love running in the woods and being a working stiff myself (unlike Othello, who leads a life of leisure) and look forward to getting on the trails. Although it's fun to have others along, I love going just with Othello.

I got mad at the poor little guy today when he chewed my wallet. I think he was upset that I was in the backyard doing some fence work and left him in the house. There were chickens next door and he likes them - too much. With the fence taken down it would be too risky to have him out there. Everyone that meets him talks about how smart he is, and I think his level of emotions can run deep.(I heard the Catahoulas are used up at the border increasingly due to their intelligence.)

But oddly enough, he has never chewed or damaged anything personal of mine except ,my wallet. He frequently will bring a sandal or shoe or sock out from the bedroom, but just carries it around and drops it.  But I scolded him earlier, and now we are back on happy terms.

It's after eleven and he needs a walk. He usually gets three a day, and in the evening he runs while I bike. we cover a lot more ground and he comes home tired. And he deserves it.

Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Cur

My friend calls Othello a bad-assed dog and I do not need to lock the doors with him on guard. Othello is a Catahoula, or more officially a Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Cur. Here is a video of them doing what they were raised to do: fence wild boars and cattle.

Othello is a loyal, loving dog that will take a bullet for you if you are part of his pack. He can be very protective and consequently can also be aggressive towards other people whom he views as a threat to either the home or car. Out on the trails, he is happy as a clam. Same thing for the dog park or daycare - on and off leash, but better off leash. He is happy running the trails, although I need to get into the habit of calling him (with treats) when I see people. Not all are enlightened to the majesty of Othello Moose. He is a work dog and his job is to protect the home. And he can be quite menacing in doing so. He weighs in around seventy pounds.

And he keeps me warm at night. I read that Catahoulas only have one coat of fur, so I think he appreciates the fleece (and later in the season, electric) blanket that will keep him warm. Speaking of which...time to sleep.

The First Post

I felt like writing. I have a foster dog. I think about him often. His name is Othello. I call him Othello Moose, as he can be a bit larger and weighty than his medium-sized frame would suppose. I've had Othello since December of 2011 and he doesn't make the best first impressions when he goes on home visits.

You will hear more.

Tonight I wanted to start the web log. My one blog lasted almost a thousand posts, so I do not know how long this one will go. Hopefully until Othello Moose finds a forever home, or until  one of us give up the ghost. He has become a great dog, but he loves to run in the mountains and woods, and I am a city dweller in Bellingham, Washington, a mid-sized city of about 70,000 residents up near Vancouver, British Columbia.

More soon, but right now it is time to sleep. Mistake number one I that make as a foster home is letting him sleep on the bed. I spoil him to no end. And the picture above is up on Heliotrope Ridge a few weeks ago. During the week, we both dream of getting back to the mountains.