Sindy-T.S.R
Jedi
I am a trekking enthusiast, and in my case, I have had both positive and negative experiences with dogs I have encountered in the mountains.
For example, here in Italy, there are laws that make owners responsible for any damage their dogs may cause.
But yesterday, I had an extraordinary experience with a dog I encountered when I started walking in the morning.
This dog is very likely a 3D candidate for his next life. He is intelligent, empathetic, well-behaved, and sensitive, which is incredible to me. He was truly excellent company.
I am usually very cautious and prepared to defend myself when a dog approaches me, but I remain calm because fear is something they feel too.
The dog approached me, I greeted him and petted him, then he started walking close to me. There came a point when we started walking together, he was always ahead of me, implying that I should follow him, that he knew where I was going.
(But I used the GPS app on my cell phone anyway.)
I'm sure this dog has done the same thing with many other hikers.
The hike I did was only a few kilometers, but with the deep, fresh snow, the climb with snowshoes is more difficult.
When I stopped to change clothes, the dog also stopped to rest. He was about 10 meters in front of me. I felt that there was something behind me and turned my head quickly to look, but I didn't see anything. He came up to me to see what I had seen.
After walking a few meters, he started chasing a fox.
Further up the trail, I saw a group of three people who had taken another path, but he stayed behind me so that the others wouldn't notice him, which I found strange.
Several times I tried to give him water, but he didn't accept it. That probably means that the owner trained him well not to accept anything from strangers (of course, we'll see if he doesn't eat a succulent steak...
).
The incredible thing was that when we were almost at the top, he had been in front of me the whole way up, but when we were just a few meters from the goal, he always tried to stay behind me, letting me know that I should reach the top first, not him.
At the top, he also behaved very well. There was a moment when he stood looking at the landscape as a human would see and enjoy it.
On the way down, there was a moment when I trusted the dog as my guide and instead of following my GPS (there are many intersecting paths in that area), I turned left instead of right.
And it cost me a grueling walk through the snow to reach the point on the mountain where I had to arrive to finish.
At that moment, I mentally blamed the dog for this, but then I realized that it was my fault, at the moment and place where I veered off, and it was something that seemed very strange to me that I noticed about the dog, as he was always behind me. It was as if he wanted to warn me that it was not the same path we had taken before.
Another strange thing about this dog is that I never heard him bark.
He was also paying close attention to the sound of a rescue helicopter that passed near us.
When I was at the top with the dog, petting him and congratulating him, I saw on his collar the cell phone number and the town where his owner lived, but not the dog's name.
He accompanied me for about 10 km or so.
I would really like to meet this dog's owner, to congratulate him and give this dog a big, juicy steak for the unique and fantastic moment I experienced yesterday in the mountains!
Here are some pictures:
For example, here in Italy, there are laws that make owners responsible for any damage their dogs may cause.
But yesterday, I had an extraordinary experience with a dog I encountered when I started walking in the morning.
This dog is very likely a 3D candidate for his next life. He is intelligent, empathetic, well-behaved, and sensitive, which is incredible to me. He was truly excellent company.
I am usually very cautious and prepared to defend myself when a dog approaches me, but I remain calm because fear is something they feel too.
The dog approached me, I greeted him and petted him, then he started walking close to me. There came a point when we started walking together, he was always ahead of me, implying that I should follow him, that he knew where I was going.
(But I used the GPS app on my cell phone anyway.)
I'm sure this dog has done the same thing with many other hikers.
The hike I did was only a few kilometers, but with the deep, fresh snow, the climb with snowshoes is more difficult.
When I stopped to change clothes, the dog also stopped to rest. He was about 10 meters in front of me. I felt that there was something behind me and turned my head quickly to look, but I didn't see anything. He came up to me to see what I had seen.
After walking a few meters, he started chasing a fox.
Further up the trail, I saw a group of three people who had taken another path, but he stayed behind me so that the others wouldn't notice him, which I found strange.
Several times I tried to give him water, but he didn't accept it. That probably means that the owner trained him well not to accept anything from strangers (of course, we'll see if he doesn't eat a succulent steak...
).The incredible thing was that when we were almost at the top, he had been in front of me the whole way up, but when we were just a few meters from the goal, he always tried to stay behind me, letting me know that I should reach the top first, not him.
At the top, he also behaved very well. There was a moment when he stood looking at the landscape as a human would see and enjoy it.
On the way down, there was a moment when I trusted the dog as my guide and instead of following my GPS (there are many intersecting paths in that area), I turned left instead of right.
And it cost me a grueling walk through the snow to reach the point on the mountain where I had to arrive to finish.
At that moment, I mentally blamed the dog for this, but then I realized that it was my fault, at the moment and place where I veered off, and it was something that seemed very strange to me that I noticed about the dog, as he was always behind me. It was as if he wanted to warn me that it was not the same path we had taken before.
Another strange thing about this dog is that I never heard him bark.
He was also paying close attention to the sound of a rescue helicopter that passed near us.
When I was at the top with the dog, petting him and congratulating him, I saw on his collar the cell phone number and the town where his owner lived, but not the dog's name.
He accompanied me for about 10 km or so.
I would really like to meet this dog's owner, to congratulate him and give this dog a big, juicy steak for the unique and fantastic moment I experienced yesterday in the mountains!
Here are some pictures:
