Together

Together (see in Gallery / Store) | Image by Bruce Harris

We have coyotes in our area, but not in our yard. Not that I've seen anyway. I don't know if it's because of Ollie the Dog, a half-blind Portuguese Water Dog. Vicious hunter he is not. I'm pretty sure I can hear the rabbits and chipmunks and squirrels laughing at him as he b-lines in their direction only to go sharply left when they go right.

Maybe the coyotes avoid his smell. That I can believe. It could be habit, avoiding our property due to the dogs we had previous to Ollie. One was a one-hundred-forty pound half Newfoundland, half Standard Poodle. The other was a French Bulldog that was convinced he was a one-hundred-forty pound half Newfoundland, half Standard Poodle. Those two... a coyote or any other intruder (no bears or wolves here) didn't stand a chance.

The point is, since Ollie's entrance into our lives, the chipmunks and squirrels have found heaven. Trees and nuts galore. Shade. Water. An abundance that can only be described as squirreltopia. No warring neighbors here. Constant games of chase up and down the oaks and tightroping the fence lines, and as caught in this image, an occasional respite from the never-ending games and search for food.