Dreams of a Cattle Dog

 Not bad today. Low 40's, little wind, and mostly sun. We decided to hike out to Jackson Hole to make sure no cattle had come back and were at the beach or in the pond on top. When we got to the bottom of the driveway there's the cowboy's truck with two sets of horse prints heading out to Jackson Hole. Probably means they are going to round up the 100 cattle that are out there and move them to join the main herd on the way to Lockhart Basin.

As we come over the hill there are 20 or so cattle standing by the Jackson Hole turnoff. Jax takes off right into the middle of them scattering them in all directions. I'm calling Jax but he's having so much fun he ignores me. Unfortunately he's chasing them mostly toward the boat ramp and pond the two places I don't want them to go. I change the tone of my commands and Jax returns. We have to hike down the creek to the beach and boat ramp and come back towards Hull's Place to keep Jax from chasing cows the wrong way.

As we get out towards the Twin Towers just before you go over the hill and into Jackson Hole there are 20 more cows minding their own business and Jax charges into them sending them fleeing back towards Jackson Hole. He comes back and starts jumping up and down on me and trying to fight me he's having so much fun. He's undoing all the work the cowboys have spent the morning doing. To return and avoid cows we're going to have to drop in the canyon or take the overhang trail. I pick the overhang.

Shortly after we get back to the lodge I can see the whole herd coming over the hill from Jackson Hole. Best to take the beater truck to the bottom of the hill to keep any of them from veering up toward the lodge by blocking the road. The cows come by herded by two cowboys,  Curtis and Ricky, and three dogs. I open the truck door. Jax runs over to the dogs. There's a brief meeting, they all smell Jax and he smells them. He's been accepted and they're off to keep the cows in line. Jax chases a few cows back into the herd then runs back and jumps up and down on me, hear's the dog whistle and runs back to the herd to chase more cows, then back to me and over and over. He is crazy happy. When they exit the driveway Jax heads back but he don't want to.