Be-el's sprained ankle

Towards the end of last week, Be-el, our big black lab cross, started limping. By Tuesday she was getting worse, so off we went yesterday to the vets. Doctor Brenda gave her leg a thorough going over and told me that the ankle was swollen, but she was unable to tell if it was a fracture. So poor old Bubba had to stay for an X-ray. Turns out that there was no fracture and it is probably just a sprain, and Bubba is going on to metacam for a few days. We already have a cheaper generic version of metacam for Jenny who has Hip Dysplasia, so at least the drugs didn't cost a fortune, but there was still the office fees and x-rays to pay for. Having pets is not cheap.

Be-el probably sounds like a strange name for a dog. It is short for Beelzebub which we choose because she was a little devil when she was a puppy. But like most of our critters she has other nicknames too. I usually refer to her as Bubba and Pat calls her Betty. We generally reserve Be-el for when she is being bad.

Cape George Hiking Trails

I took a day off yesterday and did a spot of walking on the Cape George Hiking Trails. The first trail I took started at Cape George lighthouse and looped inland and back to Ballantyne's Cove. There were some splendid views from atop the hills, due in part to the clear cutting that must have taken place there a few years ago. It is interesting to see the forest is rejuventing itself and I wonder what the views will be like in twenty years from now.

From Ballantyne's Cove I had to walk back along the road, not the best idea, but preferable to walking back along the same route. This gave me time to drive down to the trail head at Cape George Heritage Schoolhouse. From here there is access to several looped trails, and the route I took led me along small brooks and up through mature hardwood forests. At higher elevations the rivers were dry, but judging by some of the gullies I walked through there must be a good flow of water in the spring. I would like to visit again next May to see the landscape in a different season.

I took Maggie with me, the smallest of our four dogs. I wasn't planning to, but when she saw that I was packing my back pack she started getting really excited so I broke down and said she could come. She was very well behaved, and not at all like the hyperactive monster she is at home. She did very well on the 20km that we covered, though she curled up and napped at every rest stop I took, and slept on the back seat of the car nearly all the way home.