Beagle Shaq 10/13/96

Beagle Shaq

10/13/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy all,

Sorry it has been so long since I published an update on the Antics of Shaq. Shaq and I have been very busy in Boise and I must admit that I have been somewhat lazy. So I accept all blame. But here goes anyway.


Yesterday was a lovely Saturday. Nice 70's, partly cloudy, dry just a nice day. Not to hot not to cool. So Shaq asked if I would take him out for a hike. Being deer season I told him we could not go to our
favorite hiking trails but would have to find something a little closer to town and safer.

He suggested going to Camel Back Park, which is nice, but it was way to crowded. Then he wanted to go to the foot hills, but they are recovering from a fire and a mess for him to go running in. So we settled on going for a hike up to Table Rock. For those of you not from Boise, Table Rock is a high point that over looks all of the Treasure Valley and is accessible from a series of trails behind the OldPenitentiary.

So off we went to hike up to Table Rock. Shaq was all excited when we turned up the road. When we got to the parking lot there were no other dogs around so I let him out of the car without his leash. He loves this because he gets to bolt out of the car (for those of you who have not seen Shaq exit a car the best advise is to get out of his way).

He went and sniffed all the trees and shrubs while I got my hiking shoes on and packed a bottle of water and a small dish for him.

So off we went. The start of the hike is a bit steep, but Shaq ran it several times. Going up to the top and then coming back down to see what was keeping me. And of course marking the trail just in case we got lost and had to find our way home. Such a thinking dog he is.

We got up to a place that was sort of a plateau before the final climb to the top. Here Shaq got his nose to the ground and smelled something he had not smelled before. I was not sure what he was doing, but he was on a sniffing spree. And he sniffed with a vengeance. He sniffed on the trail, he sniffed off the trail, he sniffed branches, bushes, trees, dirt, rocks, he even sniffed the air, he just about sniffed everything.

Then all of a sudden tail went up, head picked up, ears went forward and he started bounding through the brush. He was more hopping over things with a pogo like jump. Each up swing he would look around and change his direction accordingly. After a few seconds I realized he was chasing a Rabbit. He was having the time of his life. He was all over the fields. I saw him chasing one then another appeared. He seemed to want to split in two so he could chase each one. He stopped and looked both ways for a second then took off again. You would have thought he was part Beagle.

We never made it up to the top of Table Rock. Shaq was having such a good time and I was not about to interrupt his play time. He finally came back and said he was ready to go. His tongue was dragging on the ground and he was tired. He drank his water and back we went.

So that is the story of Beagle Shaq.

Cheers to all and don't give up the chase.
Ray & the Beagle Shaq