Very few people have lived their lives without the benefit of the love of a good dog. Those who have can't know what they are missing. I have had some GREAT dogs. Bob, a McNabb Border Collie, was, by far, the best dog that ever lived! Bob came to me as a stray, fully trained cattle dog. The only thing he didn't know was his name (or maybe we didn't know his name). He was smart, friendly, loveable, loyal, gorgeous, sweet, curious, and he knew how to clear the road of herd of lazy cows! Bob rarely barked. If he wanted my attention he would bark once. If I didn't come within 5 minutes he would bark again. The first time I ever heard him really go off we were driving through Wyoming. We were pulling into a Hardee's (think Carl's Junior). It was Family Night at the restaurant so they had a moose mascot out front enticing people to come in. Bob saw that moose and started barking and growling. I always wonder what he thought when he saw that weird looking, unnatural animal. He wasn't afraid of cows; he was a natural herder. But pigs were another story; he was terrified of them. Wherever we lived he made friends with the neighbor dogs. They would take off exploring the neighborhood or woods as a pack of fun-loving pups. When we wanted them to come home we just needed to call Bob's name and he would come running, followed by the other dogs, in the order of their ability to run (based on leg length and lung capacity). Bob used to accompany me everywhere. When I was in college at UCD, if I showed up at school without him people would ask, "Where's Bob?". I would ride my bike holding his leash with him next to me; he would turn the way I told him to avoid getting run over. I could whisper commands to him and he would comply immediately. As he got older and lost most of his hearing he learned my form of sign language. Bob lived to the ripe old age of 16 years. Losing him was devastating. He was like a son to me.
Before Bob there was Friskie. Friskie was also a stray. I remember coming home from school and seeing a puppy being chased by a big dog. I ran home and got my big sister. She came back with me to save the puppy. We fed him and he never wanted to leave. We named him Friskie because he was so active. He could jump five feet high! I'm not sure what kind of dog Friskie was. I just called him a wirehair terrier mutt. He was my best friend growing up and was my biggest defender. Other than my two other dogs, Friskie didn't like dogs, especially boy dogs, getting anywhere near me. I often thought that he didn't like most other dogs until I saw him through the window with our two neighbor black labs. He was hanging out with them and even let them eat his food. I guess that when I was with him he was just letting others know that I was his and they needed to just back off! When I was in middle school I had a huge fight with my best friend Becky. We were pulling hair, scratching and rolling around on the floor. Why? She told me her dog was better than Friskie and she wouldn't take it back! We didn't make up for almost six months!
I could go on and on about my dogs, as I'm sure that you could. Please let me know your best friend stories. Remember, have fun and write a nice log.
To find this cache go to the coordinates given on the page then follow your geosenses and these instructions to the cache. From the gate walk east-northeast up the trail about 245 feet. There you will see a rusty pipe in the ground to the right of the trail. Go up the hill and follow the fence line towards an approximately 25 foot tall rock. To the right of the rock, look for a Madrone and Grey Pine, the cache is between the trunks.
I have a goal for 2014 of hiding caches on days when the month and date match. I hid one cache on 1/1, two caches on 2/2, and three caches on 3/3. With luck and hard work I can keep it up all year. This is one of my eight August hides.
Feel free to share photos and stories of your best friends.