Ken's Dog

Photos of me and dogs

[kensdog]

Meet Ginger! I was attending the Lafayette Peach Festival for the first time in ten years… and seeing friends I hadn't seen in ten years! It was a happy reunion of undergrad friends. As we strolled through the rows of vendors, I saw a lot of good dogs, but Ginger stood out for being a vizsla, my favorite breed. She happily posed for a selfie with me.

After my friends and I went our separate ways and I was on my way back to my car, I saw yet another vizsla, but this one was too tired from a long day of peaches for a photo. Fair enough — one vizsla a day is more than I can hope for!

[kensdog]

Meet Kona! Some friends were visiting from Texas and Utah, so we all got together for breakfast at the Dushanbe Teahouse in Boulder before heading to the Media Archaeology Lab. While at breakfast, I couldn't help but glance over my shoulder and notice this gorgeous fellow diner! He quietly accepted my skritches before he and his owners went on their way.

Coincidentally, four years earlier, I interviewed an indie game developer about their computer game, Kona — any relation?? 🤔

[kensdog]

Meet Kota! She and his family were present for the grand opening of The Wandering Jellyfish bookstore in Niwot, Colorado, which was founded by my co-worker Amanda's sister. Amanda flew in from Georgia for the occasion, and my co-worker Velda happened to be in town from Utah, so we all met up to enjoy some books! Kota had the same idea, except I think she was more keen on what the ice cream truck was doling out. Oh, Kota!

[kensdog]

Meet Pepper! A friend and I were returning from a day hike in the Rocky Mountain National Park when we stopped in downtown Estes Park for ice cream. While strolling through town, we noticed this gorgeous pup waiting to welcome us to the Gemfire Gallery. I didn't see any staff around, so I wasn't able to get the dog's name.

I happened to be back in Estes Park a few weeks later and stopped by Gemfire again. There was no dog this time, but a clerk told me his name was Pepper, and they'd only been dogsitting for a few weeks. He's back home now!

[kensdog]

Meet Phoenix! She and her owner were sitting outside the Garden of the Gods visitor center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which I figured would be a beautiful and low-altitude way to introduce a visiting friend to the area. Upon spying Phoenix, I immediately recognized her as a vizsla, my favorite breed, so of course I had to stop and say hello. Her owner said she loves hunting quail! That makes sense, since vizslas are a hunting breed, so my vegetarian self will give her a pass.

[kensdog]

Meet Chelsea! I'm currently nomading in Alameda, California, just a mile from a co-worker who's graciously let me use her home address to receive my postal mail. I cycled over to her house to pick up the latest batch, only to find the front door had been completely removed. Nobody was in sight… until this pupper came running around the corner! She belongs to the renovators who were helping my co-worker prepare her home for sale. If Chelsea were meant as a guard dog while the front door was missing, she did a terrible job, as she was quite happy to make my acquaintance.

[kensdog]

Meet Olen! He's a 5-year-old male Golden Retriever who's being dogsat by a co-worker while Olen's owners are overseas. We took Olen and my co-worker's dog Argo to the Point Isabel dog park in Richmond, California. They had a grand time romping around, playing with each other and with other dogs. And Olen, true to his name, loved chasing balls! He utterly destroyed the ball that came with my Pooch Selfie, so on the way out of the park, I stopped by the dog groomer and bought some spare tennis balls to keep in my trunk. My mistake for showing up with just the one!

[kensdog]

Meet Moya! Or "Brindle Butt", as my co-worker calls her. 😆 Moya belongs to a friend who recently moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Crescent City in northern California. I stopped there for a month on my way from Portland to Alameda to take in the massive trees at nearby Jedediah Smith Redwood Forest and to visit my friend and her dog and chickens. We didn't get to take Moya on walks or hikes together, but this quiet pup and I had a lot of fun in the backyard!

[kensdog]

Meet Libby! I'm stopping in Bend, Oregon, for a month to visit my friend Peter. Not only do Peter and his spouse have kids, but Peter also has parents who have a dog! We all went to a Rockridge skate park where the little ones could ride their scooters. I was probably supposed to help keep an eye on the kids, but I was too enamored of this gorgeous golden retriever. Even on such a cold day, Libby was happy as can be to enjoy the great outdoors.

Along with visiting the world's last remaining Blockbuster video, seeing Peter and his family — Libby included — was a highlight of my time in the Pacific Northwest.

[kensdog]

Meet Daisy! She's a blue heeler mix that lives up the street from me in Havre, Montana. Every time I walk past her house, she quietly saunters over to the sidewalk and studies me. She doesn't jump or bark or otherwise interact, but she clearly wants some attention.

She has a more vocal companion, though: 12-week-old Lila. When Lila saw me giving Daisy all the pets, little Lila barked up a storm! I told her she could have some love, too, at which point she cautiously came over, tasted my hand… then backed off and started barking again!

Oh, well — I'm a developed taste. Daisy just must not have a very discriminating palate!

[kensdog]

Meet Bella! I was sitting in my living room early one Thursday when I saw her walk past my house unaccompanied. Some dog owners allow their pets to go unleashed, so I waited for her owner to come into view. Instead, Bella was followed shortly thereafter by… another dog!

Still in my bathrobe (and not much else), I dashed outside, not thinking fast enough to grab the leash hanging by the front door. I ran after the dogs, following them a block south and jumping through some sprinklers along the way. I finally caught up to Bella, who came over to say hi. Once we both proved friendly, she was more than happy to get all the pets and belly rubs.

Still in a bit of a morning fog, I kept asking her, "Who do you belong to?" as if she could answer. Eventually a pickup truck pulled up and Bella's owner got out. Turns out I'd caught up to her right in front of her home! The two dogs had escaped before, but of the two, Bella was harder to catch, the owner told me. Even though Bella knew her way home, I'm glad I was able to help ensure she stayed there.

[kensdog]

Meet Mae! I met this 8-month-old Brittany Spaniel in South Dakota. My digital nomad itinerary had me driving from Madison, Wisconsin, to Havre, Montana, so I decided to take a week off to hike the Black Hills National Forest. Today I hiked from Sylvan Lake to Black Elk Peak, with a detour to Little Devils Tower. I was surprised by how narrow and scrambly the trail became near the top, but I had two hikers behind me who were familiar with the path and who assured me I wouldn't be alone if I fell. We all made it to the top, at which point they introduced me to Mae, who was very happy to make my acquaintance!!

[kensdog]

Meet Sachi! She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, which I moved to two weeks ago as part of my digital nomading. I live right near a bike trail and see many beautiful dogs pass by, but since we're all practicing social distancing, I never ask if I can pet them. I do go for long walks every evening, though, and tonight I walked by a house where Sachi and her owners were enjoying a pleasant evening on the porch. When Sachi approached me and I asked if I could pet her, I was delighted that the answer was yes!

Sachi is a four-year-old retriever. She loves "porch time" because it means she can say hello to all the strangers who walk by!

I don't know what other dogs I might be allowed to meet during my five weeks here, so I noted Sachi's address and will be sure to include her on any routes my future walks may take.

[kensdog]

Meet Frankie! She works at Crimson Bikes in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her owners were busy helping other customers, so I didn't get to learn much about her. But she frequently pops up on the bike store's Instagram account!

[kensdog]

Meet Buzz! He’s a 12-year-old yellow lab who lives outside of Pittsburgh. At 90 pounds, he’s a big boy, and some vocal issues make him a heavy breathier. Some vision issues also make steps challengin. But none of this seems to bother him, and he remains as happy and friendly as ever.

[kensdog]

Meet Bulla! She's a 110-pound St. Bernard who lives with a co-worker of mine outside Pittsburgh. I'd never met a St. Bernard in person before, and endless Saturday morning cartoons had me looking for a small cask of alcohol on her collar. While Bulla didn't come so equipped, it wasn't exactly a dry situation, either: plenty of drool had me happy to have a napkin handy.

Bulla is named after Miss Balricker from the 1981 movie Porky's. Having never seen that movie, I don't know how similar the characters are, but I appreciated this Bulla's inquisitive nature.

[kensdog]

Meet Kepler! I was driving from Durham to Pittsburgh and decided to break up the trip with a hike in West Virginia — the only continental state I'd never been to. After hiking New River Gorge National River's Endless Wall trail, I migrated to the Long Point trailhead. As I was sitting in my car, reviewing my map, this beautiful 11-month-old black lab and his owner wandered by. He growled a bit when I first stepped out of my car, but only because he saw he as a distraction to the hike. Once I got down to his level, though, he was very excited to meet me! I was so overwhelmed that I neglected to ask Kepler's owner if he was an astrophysicist! Kepler then bounded down the Timber Ridge Trail, dragging his owner with him.