The Brand New Spanking Kipling & Zippy Report: 1st Spring Goose Patrol
Kipling turned six months this month of March and she’s almost half Zippy’s size and all sweet charm with a feisty side. Yes you can see Kipling here after she’s chased the two Canadian geese away from the pond . . . tongue out and in a hurry to catch up to Zippy. In this next shot Kipling is on a 30-foot leash for beginning training, to help give her the notion that she needs to come back to us when her name is called.
The beginning of Spring hit and with that first day came the early morning honk, so distinctive, of the Canadian geese who always arrive filled with spirit. These birds are unafraid of man, dog, or squirrel. They honk and glide closer to see if we are the kind of strange creatures who foolishly feeds them bread. Nope. Not a chance.
After letting Zippy and Kipling loose on shore around the pond I take to the water in the kayak to paddle closer and closer to the geese . . . If I don’t annoy them they will annoy us by covering the lawns with goose poop which the critters eat and then bad things happen . . .
And the long coat German shepherd pack takes to the pond . . . from here they have to race about a quarter of the way around the pond where the geese will start honking as I get closer to them by kayak. When my presence was close enough they flew up and across to the far side of the pond and then exited. Kipling was so startled she raced away a bit frightened and hid behind a swing before racing for the dock in the first photo. These two came back the next morning with two friends and we made another pass.
The birds honk and the dogs bark and the kayaking is really peaceful 🙂
This is a photo from the next morning, and Kipling is on the right here just staring at the four geese.
It’s been a dry Spring but the lake level is high and most summers here we don’t get much rain — even though we are 90 minutes north of Seattle.
Eartha Kitt’n loves to come down to the pond shore whenever she hears us or Zippy and Kipling racing about. She’s best mates to Zippy and she took in all the goose patrol antics from the cottage deck. Purrfectly amused.
I am in the middle of the final stage of publishing my first eBook, Sandcastle and Other Stories, and I hope you’ll stick with me her on the blog for more exciting developments. The book’s cover art is complete and I will be sharing a sneak peak of that when the due date approaches in three to four weeks. To say I am excited about this news is putting things mildly.
 Right before Zippy stepped down from the dock into the front of the kayak. Zippy loves riding in boats.
Eartha Kitt’n watched as Zippy made the front of the kayak sink low since he’s almost 100 pounds. Happy Spring to you all.
In this last photo you can just make out Kipling’s shadow form in the cattails as she follows my kayak’s progress. She’s yipping and bouncing along the entire journey. Zippy sits and is very content to be a guide dog. The pink of the orchard trees is beginning to show.
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Beautiful pictures Justin. All the furry critters are looking happy and healthy….but really…..Canadian geese….they are friendly ambassadors of the feathered variety. They leave little piles of poo to remind you of how great they are. When you are tracking it around the yard and into the house, you are reminded again and again and again….Canadians are so under appreciated we need to do something memorable to get noticed *grin*
Awesome is the only word to describe it. What an inspiring place to hang out and what a fine pair of dogs to share it with. Truly you are blessed.