Walking Like a Dog

Why must every dog walk be so stressful? If, like me, you have too many dogs (two geriatric females and one aggressive and strong young male), plus two kids, one of whom must be worn on your chest while walking said creatures and preventing them from fighting/chasing/going down ravines they can't climb out of anymore, this is not ever easy. Past debacles include dog bite when I was pregnant (the scar on my leg is almost faded now), multiple near misses with rattlers, mud baths due to ravine rescues and recently, two incidents where I had to carry my older dogs a mile in the heat after they suffered near stroke.

Today's story goes like this. What starts out as a leisurely stroll on a trail I know to be nearly deserted turns into a two-hour disaster when the youngster sniffs cattle upwind (if I'm lucky, I see them before the dogs smell them). Before I can stop him, he's herding them out of the bushes, on to the trail ahead. They all disappear 'round the bend, and I stand there waiting for him and the other dog to come back (the oldest can't chase anymore). "Uh oh!" I yell when a clatter of hooves and a cloud of dust precede the same group, now headed back in my direction. I'm not afraid of cows, except when there are 20 of them running straight for me. Rattlesnakes be damned, baby and I go tripping down the grassy hill to get to the other side of the cow fence. We make it, but the oldest dog doesn't. She stands there, and as proof that cows are not vengeful they proceed to herd her down the road, gently nosing her butt every time she slows down (15 years ago, she would have been nipping at their heels). Now my three dogs are scattered in different directions and I don't want to walk through the herd with the baby. In the end, I had to take a long detour to get back, constantly stopping so the oldest could catch up and calling for the youngest all the while. Turns out he was waiting for us back at the truck!