Last Updated on November 16, 2011 by James Dziezynski
Border collies -- and herding dogs of all types -- have been selected for their intelligence, strength and alertness.
Time: 2:04:42
Distance: 6.2 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1,997 Feet
Fremont’s Good Citizen Grade: B
Today’s Play List: Good Conversation
Day 3 of the Sanitas challenge mixed it up a bit, with the same opening run up the Linden connector to the valley trail but then a more casual hike up the Mount Sanitas trail. Joining Fremont and me were Sheila and Mystic and I’ll take good company over a chilly solo run any day, especially with an early morning start.
I enjoy hiking with Sheila as she is strong, spirited and we often enjoy great conversations along the way. However, when we have the two border collies with us, we need to shift our focus a bit. Both pups were adopted through rescue shelters but Fremont gets an asterisk since he was born into the rescue and has had nothing but loving friends from day one. Mystic is a sweet dog, a magnificent athlete and a true rescue story. He was found, barely a year old, wandering remote farm roads near Fort Collins. Thanks to Sheila’s patience and love, he’s become an exceptional canine (and the inspiration for my choice to adopt a border collie).
But Mystic still has some wild in him. At home he’s a casual alpha but on the trail he’s the guardian and ace herder. Most of the time, we can see the deer or coyotes before he does but when we don’t, Mystic enters the trance of the chase. Fremont tries to keep up but Mystic is just too fast, too driven. Plus all this chasing stuff is a game to Fremont, whereas it’s serious business for Mystic. If it weren’t for the fact that the chase is bad for the animals, could be dangerous to Mystic and Boulder’s rangers are especially keen to ticket even minor offenses, one could marvel at the precision, speed and focus that comes hardwired in Mystic. Instead, we need to be vigilant to ensure no conflicts.
We were able to keep the pups in check but at the expense of deep conversation. Sheila is a keen people watcher as opposed to me, who has run right by good friends without noticing. The people that catch her attention often spurn great discussion; not gossip but better things. The woman with the walking poles leads us to muse over the virtues of complex metal alloys. The man with the weathered face and craggy smile takes us to Germany, where an elder gentleman tried to maintain a cobbler’s store in the heart of a growing and impatient city. And so on.
Only mildly meaningful conversations emerge as we are disrupted by a valiant charge to investigate a chipmunk (by the dogs of course, Sheila is more intrigued by pikas). The air is cobalt-cold and still, perfect outdoors weather for me. Our summit stay is brief and we retreat down the same side of the mountain, both somewhat amazed at how many people rally to get up and peak this early in the morning. Soon we part ways and Fremont and I run back up the valley trail, with Fremont constantly looking back to see if his friend and “border colleague” are going to catch up.
I sometimes wish I had a big, open free mountain in my backyard where the dogs could be dogs, chase and ramble without hesitation. Those who study dogs say that border collies aren’t just good workers, they love it. And as the cliche goes, if you never want to work a day in your life, find a job you love. That’s why sometimes, just once in a while, it’s fun to let Mystic and Fremont tap into their primal yet sophisticated genetics and rip across an open field to spook a meandering herd of deer, just enough to push them out of some unseen diametric boundary. It is a game played out by nature for hundreds of years, a small stakes chance to test doggie teamwork and move the way dogs are supposed to move. And it is splendid to behold.
