I swear, looking at the number of deep holes dug in the various yards around here, you'd think we were actually running a gopher and badger sanctuary.
I took this photo one morning last week at 8:41 a.m. (so says the camera's data card) when I saw blind Samantha already napping in a super-sized hole. We had just put her outside not long before, but it was a sunny and hot summer morning and she was obviously looking for the coolest spot in the yard.
That particular hole was started at some point last year and by this past spring it reached into the adjoining yard under the gate. Two of our awesome volunteers from Montana, Laura W. and her sister LuAnn, were visiting us in April just when the snow had melted off and digging resumed, and they noticed one day the ground under the gate had been breached. They moved paving stones over to cover up the hole and stop the advancing miners. (You can see one of the stones above Samantha.)
We separate the dogs in the yards by personality and how well they get along with others; just like people, some dogs do better with others. In this case, in the yard on the other side of the gate, we have blind Patti who does not like Libby, who is in Samantha's yard. In the same yard with Patti is Travis with the fused jaw, who loves to taunt Mitch the blind husky who is in Sam's yard; Mitch would instantly roll and pin Travis to the ground if given a chance. (Travis fails to understand this.)
So, as the saying goes, "good fences make for good neighors." Which is why big holes under them are not a good thing. Except as a cool spot for napping.
Sam, who is mostly deaf these days, somehow managed to hear the camera clicking away, and started to come out when she heard me:
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Thank you so much! We just won $1,000 for getting the most votes in week 3 of the Shelter Challenge!
The current Shelter Challenge started on July 4th and ends at midnight on September 18th. Grand prize in this round is $5,000, plus $1,000 for weekly winners and $1,000 for state winners. There are also other categories ... please see the Shelter Challenge website for details.
And remember, you can vote every day, so consider bookmarking the voting page to make it easy.
You can vote in the Shelter Challenge here.
Please note: Use Rolling Dog Ranch for our name and NH for the state and our listing will come up. [Yes, we are still listed as Rolling Dog Ranch for the purposes of the contest, not Rolling Dog Farm.]
Because of your votes, we just won $1,000 as a weekly winner in the last Shelter Challenge. Please help us win more money for the animals here by voting every day, and by encouraging your family, friends and colleagues to vote every day, too. Thank you!
I love dear Samantha. And, I love that look...very pleased with herself.
Posted by: Lisa | August 12, 2011 at 01:41 AM
Oh, the doggy soap operas! HA!
Posted by: Reta Davis | August 08, 2011 at 11:19 PM
Love Smilin' Sam! And these hole posts make me think of Hogan's Heroes for some reason....
Posted by: Lynne Parker | August 08, 2011 at 07:05 PM
What a comical look on that face! Maybe some of your dedicated diggers will unearth some fossils or interesting artifacts.
Posted by: Tonya Allen | August 08, 2011 at 04:10 PM
I read this post just after coming in from doing yardwork and commenting, "if you can teach a dog to chase sheep, but not catch them, or retrieve birds but not eat them, how come we can't tell them 'if you're going to dig holes anyway, could you do one here?' Sam is quite a skilled engineer.
Posted by: Janet | August 08, 2011 at 01:20 PM
Great post! Love that face.
Posted by: Lisa K. - San Diego | August 08, 2011 at 01:09 PM
Smilin' Sam is as beautiful as ever!
Posted by: Dawn | August 08, 2011 at 11:42 AM
Will think of you as the Rolling Dog Soap Opera Ranch today after these tales of strife!! :) Gimmie me that dugout, says Libby - I've got my feelings, you know.
Posted by: Angela | August 08, 2011 at 10:54 AM
So great to see Sam first thing this morning....looking good you beautiful girl!!
Posted by: Chloe | August 08, 2011 at 10:10 AM
That is one supersize hole! Sam is no little dog and she fits in it just fine. And that look on her face! You can just tell someone woke her out of a sound sleep as she was having dreams of bones and toys. Good photo.
Posted by: Barb Ribinski | August 08, 2011 at 08:08 AM
Sam is popping up like a merkat as if to say, "You think I did this?" I think the mud on her paws give her away. How funny! So glad they're not having to be out in triple digit temps as we're having here!
Big hugs all around,
ginger, Tobias & Tlingit
Posted by: ginger young | August 08, 2011 at 07:40 AM
I love the look on Sam's face...she looks more like "Smirking Sam" and I can picture her thinking "ha ha, I got into this hole that you probably didn't want me in!" She's such a sweet girl!
Are you going to fill that hole back up again?
Posted by: Ann | August 08, 2011 at 12:29 AM
LOVE YOU Smiling Sam!!!
Posted by: Shirley * James/Portland, OR | August 07, 2011 at 09:33 PM
The look on her "exit" face says it all! What hole? Who Me?????
Posted by: Diane McCornack | August 07, 2011 at 09:26 PM
Fabulous post!! Thanks for all the mini updates. Glad to know Mitch is in a yard with other dogs. And beautiful Sam... what a sweetie! What's with Patti not liking Libby???
You simply must reconsider writing a book!
Posted by: Lynn (in Louisiana) | August 07, 2011 at 09:18 PM
It's great to see Smilin' Sam's face again. ;-)
Posted by: Janet in Cambridge | August 07, 2011 at 08:32 PM