COME DOCTOR!!

I am afraid to believe that Spring is actually here. I guess, officially it isn't, not until March 21st, anyway, but the way the sun has been melting the snow around here, it sure feels like it. We'd heard that the snow on the ski hill is sub par, so we decided not to take our snowboards up to Sunshine today. Instead we invited some friends, to bring their dog and join us on a road trip to Lake Minewanka (don't quote me on the spelling). This lake is in Banff National Park and it is a popular place for diving clubs, even in the winter. The water is exceptionally clear and there is supposed to be a small town down at the bottom of it,that divers love to check out.

Though, it is still officially Winter, there were plenty of divers at the lake today. The four of us and our dogs, were not at the lake to dive, however, we were there to take in the great outdoors! We unleashed our dogs and let them run freely through the mountian paths! What a beautiful day for a hike!!!! Yes, yes, we are those people, the ones who know your not supposed to let your dogs off leash in a National Park, but who do anyway. We consider ourselves "responsible dog owners" though as we always carry doggy bags so that we can clean up after Scout when she "eliminates" on the trail, and we hang on to her when others approach...when we can catch her! She is still mastering the whole "come" thing, and while her selective hearing when it comes to "come" is frustrating as hell for me, it has so far, rarely affected the fun factor of hanging out with Scout. Today, though, the fun factor was affected. We were hiking along when we noticed a family coming towards us. It appeared to be a large family, 4 adults and 4 or 5 kids. We met them, the dogs stuck close to us and the family waved, we smiled and exchanged pleasantries. Just when we thought we were passed the group, Scout noticed one of the kids hiding behind a tree. She must have been scared, but until Scout made eye contact with her, none of us knew she was there. As soon as she saw Scout see her, she let out a blood curdling scream! I mean this kid shrieked like she was being chopped up with an axe!!!! My heart was racing, I thought maybe she had seen a bear or a cougar. Scout and I realized she was screaming in fear of Scout at the same time. I lunged at Scout to grab her, so the girl would feel safe, but Scout felt threatened and began barking at the girl while the hair on her back stood straight up. The girl continued to shriek, Scout continued to bark and I continued to call for her to come. Eventually, I got close enough to grab Scout's collar and the girl ran past us to join her family, who by now was laughing their assess off at her. Thank God!!! They could have been really mad at us for having a "scary" dog, or for not being able to get her to come to us, but they were too busy making fun of the young girl's dramatic fear dance.

I was horrified, my heart pounded for at least 20 minutes after the event. I was upset that Scout had scared the girl, but I was mostly upset that I could not get my dog to come to me in an emergency situation. I need a "come" Doctor!!!!