On recommendation from some local friends, I brought Ellie over to Bower Springs to explore. My friends had mentioned that not only was it dog friendly, but there is a pond that dogs swim in. I’d been trying to get Ellie to swim, but only succeeded once.
We pulled into the parking lot, and I immediately noticed how popular of a place it is. Lots of people and dogs walking around, most off leash. A dad with his two young sons climbed out of the car next to us, pulling fishing poles and a tackle box behind them.
I lead Ellie to the pond, where we ran into a lovely couple with their dog Max. Max was having a grand old time, chasing a stick twice his size into the water and dragging it back out again. Ellie watched Max with some interest, venturing lightly into the water, seemingly unphased by the fact that her paws were wet. To my surprise, she waded further in, deciding the water was tasty enough for a drink. She was in almost up to her chest, so I figured it was time to see what she would do if I let her off leash.
I removed her harness and her flea & tick collar, and let her go. At first she waded in, but then she became interested in the foliage around her, and dashed across to investigate new smells. After a few minutes of this and making me worry she was going to chase after something in the brush, I decided that maybe she needed some encouragement other than Max. I stripped off my hiking shoes and socks and waded into the water, calling Ellie to me. She came to my side, wading in as far as I could go in (up to my knees), never once worried or dashing out of the water. I think if I had been able to get all the way in, she would have swam with me.
Eventually another dog showed, and at that point I waded back out. Ellie pranced around the new dog, wanting to play, but the other dog wasn’t having any of it. She then focused her attention on the dogs owners, thinking it better to just get petted and attention from them. Shortly after, the new dog and her owners decided to move on, and suddenly I had to chase Ellie, barefoot, down the path, since she was following them and wasn’t listening to me call her back. I asked the owners if they would stop for a moment, since I recognized that Ellie was just following along because she thought she’d made a new friend. They stopped and called to their pup, and Ellie turned around and ran back to me.
I brought her back to the pond, and got her harness back on her, before turning to put my socks and shoes back on. She decided to wade back into the water before coming back. Another pup and her mom showed up, and Ellie had a new interest: the ChuckIt ball the woman was throwing for her dog that looked just like Ellie’s. Luckily I had her back on her leash, so I didn’t have to worry that she’d run off after it, though she tried. I chatted with the new owner for another minute, said goodbye to Max and his owners, and led Ellie down the path to explore more of the grounds.
I took a bunch of pictures while there. The grounds are beautiful, filled with a mix of woods and meadows; tall trees and wildflowers; butterflies and dragonflies alike. We spent the next 20 minutes just exploring, then headed out.
These are the times I enjoy most, just those peaceful walks in the woods with Ellie, listening to music and thinking. It wasn’t as long a walk as I wanted to take, but it was long enough to clear my head and ease my soul.
