Foster Dogs' Namesakes: Kasha

Some of you may remember our foster girl Kasha. She's a beautiful gal who loves her lap time and now lives on Vashon Island in Washington State.

Kasha

So I was very excited to be visiting an equally cool Kasha - her namesake, the Kasha Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument. Ends up this beautiful dog was named after a beautiful place. We drove out yesterday and even just from the parking area there was a gorgeous view.

View of one of the tent rock mesas from the parking area

We weren't stopping in the parking lot though. There are two trails at the monument and the first is just an easy loop up to a cave that was used as a home by some pre-Pueblon person - you can see the blackened roof still from the smoke, and a ledge and small nook. Unfortunately you can also see the graffiti that idiots have carved into the soft stone.

Cave on the Cave Loop Trail

The Cave Loop Trail was a nice little walk but nothing compared the the more strenuous and incredibly beautiful Slot Canyon Trail. It was even mostly in the shade which was nice for a change. The canyon had 20-50 foot walls and at points narrowed to a V where the trail was so narrow that I couldn't fit my Keen sandal in the slot and had to use the walls to keep my balance. At spots we had to crawl under boulders and scramble of rocks. It was fun and mouth dropping gorgeous.

Slot canyon trail

Slot canyon trail

Hoodoos (tent rocks) from their base

And hoodoos from the top

At the end of the canyon the trail climbed sharply up to the ridge and followed the ridge line with beautiful views of Sandia, Jemez and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges. 

View from the ridge

Foster Dogs' Namesakes: Salinas

Entrance sign to one of the 3 separate units that make up this National Monument

Our beautiful and sweet foster dog Salinas is named after a very beautiful historic place called the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. The name "Salinas" originates from the fact that this area had several dried up salt bed lakes and the Pueblo peoples who populated the area starting in around 1100-1200 AD traded salt with the tribal people of the plains. It was a major trading center at the edge of the Pueblo lands which is why in the 1600's the Spanish set up several missions in the populated area.

Gran Quivira ruins

Inside the Gran Quivira Mission

Gran Quivira - pueblo in front, mission in the background. This is one of the rare National Park units that allows dogs on the paths

Large Mission churches were built around 1640 with native labor, and the converts to Catholicism built small communities adjacent to the churches. The Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument was first created to protect the Gran Quivira Ruins in 1909 and in 1980 it was expanded to protect the Quarai and Abo ruins as well. At the National Monument you can wander through the ruins of the mission churches and also see the footprints of the neighboring Pueblos. It's an absolutely gorgeous landscape and well worth a visit.

Quarai Mission seen from the footprint area of the Quarai Pueblo

Inside the sanctuary of the Quarai Mission Church

Abo Mission Ruins

We're having fun but can't wait for a few Salinas kisses when we return home.

Stay tuned for our visit to past foster dog Kasha's namesake...

Foster Dogs' Namesakes: Juniper and Mesquite

While we are in New Mexico visiting our son, our foster dogs are staying with other foster parents. They are all settling in and having a blast, and so are we. Over the course of our trip we'll be visiting the namesakes of all our current foster dogs and Junie and Skeeter are no exception.

While I can name the trees of Western WA with the best of them, I'm horrible about identifying the trees of the Southwest and can't pick out the mesquite tree from the other trees. However, we did pass by the town of Mesquite when we were driving to El Paso, TX.

Not a whole lot going on in Mesquite, NM

But here's Mesquite the pup and I hear he's had a lot going on - so much that he's worn himself out and likes to catch some snooze time in his temp foster dad's lap.

It's hard to miss juniper trees in central New Mexico since they are everywhere. Here are some near the Gran Quivira Mission and Pueblo Ruins:

Juniper trees around the Gran Quivira Mission ruins

I hope the Pueblo mothers also made up some diaper rash ointment from the Juniper berries since I'm pretty sure juniper bark would chafe. Ouch!

Miss Juniper the pup - hanging out in a harness since she's getting ready to go for a trail walk with her temp foster family

Stay tuned for a post about Salinas' namesake place in New Mexico...

Too Quiet

We are heading to New Mexico to visit our son at college in Albuquerque so this last week we've been super busy getting not just ourselves packed but the dogs also all packed up and ready to go to various dogsitters.

Our personal dogs, Frodo and Tilly, stay home at our house with dogsitters, but asking them to manage 6 dogs is a bit much so the four foster dogs are off to stay with other foster parents until we return next week.
 

Juniper examining a leaf... before she eats it

While we've been busy, the pups have also managed to keep themselves very busy as I'm sure you can see - busy being cute and busy bugging the other dogs.

Now they are all safely delivered to their foster homes and it is very quiet here. I'm not used to having such a fur-free household.

If you want to keep up with the puppies I'm sure you'll see some posts about them on their temp foster mom's blog.

And if we have time we will try to get a post or two in since we will be visiting Chima and Salinas' namesake places while in  New Mexico.

Rescue Railroad: New Dogs Arriving Tomorrow!

We have two new foster dogs who will be arriving in foster homes tomorrow and can't wait to welcome them to Washington.

Meadow

First arriving is Meadow. She's a sweet one and a half to two year old girl who has been waiting a long time for a foster opening. We are really glad we could get her into her permanent foster spot so we could look for a home for her. She's a New Rattitude girl now and I'm sure will find a home in no time. Meadow will be fostered in Marysville, WA.

Cony

And the other dog arriving on this trip is Cony. He's a six month old Rat Terrier puppy and weighs about fourteen pounds. Cony was found in a park by a good Samaritan and they took him to the vet and helped him heal up from the wounds he had. Apparently it looked like he had been attacked by some kind of animal, maybe another dog. The family then found rescue for him with New Rattitude. Cony will be fostered in Snohomish, WA and you can follow him on his foster mom's blog

Follow them on the New Rattitude Northwest Region Facebook page as well where we post weekly updates about the dogs currently being cared for in the Northwest foster homes.

Evasive Maneuvers

You might wonder what the other dogs in the house are all doing while the puppies tear around. Often these days the yard seems empty except for the pups whereas it used to be teaming with terriers.

Frodo, high up on a table so he is completely out of puppy range

Salinas, Tilly and Chima, keeping their eyes peeled for wandering pups

You can find them by looking to whatever point in the yard is furthest from the pups for the most part. Every once in awhile they will hang out with the puppies - mostly to steal a prized fir cone one of the pups might have happened upon - but they can only handle so much wildness.

So when the pups are wrestling in the ornamental grass or tearing around in circles in the yard the adult dogs can often be found up on the deck, keeping an eye on the pups so they can hightail it out of there should the pups decide they want some play time on the deck.

Wrestlemania

Like most pups, wrestling is a favorite game for the kiddos, however with their size difference, I am careful to monitor interactions. Juniper fights back with the best of them but the fact that her brother outweighs her by over 2 pounds puts her at a distinct disadvantage. The pups were weighed on Sunday at the vet and Juniper is up to 3# 6 oz while Mesquite is now 5# 8 oz.

Mesquite scores with a pin

But Juniper isn't giving up

And she's back on her feet, getting ready for a throw down!

The thing to watch for is that both dogs are taking equal time being the chaser and the chased, and that one dog isn't spending most of the wrestling match being pinned. These two do great at taking turns when chasing, however, when wrestling I occasionally step in to distract them and give Juniper a breather if she seems to be overwhelmed. Once she chooses to throw herself "back in the ring" I let them go at it for another round.