When you live in the mountains or the country  like I do, regular hikes are fun, good for the health and something we look forward to most days. When you are owners of two zany Weimeraners it’s  a requisite. And trust me they remind you constantly. I just finished up a hike yesterday and had Taupe and Gandalf back in the rig after a beautiful albiet cool, misty fall hike.

Dogs, as canine owners know, get a peculiar smell after they have been rained on or have cruised through a stream or pond. Our dogs tend to have  a smell much like wet wool socks. It’s not really offensive but you are definitely aware of the smell.

Yesterday, after our jaunt,Gandalf was sitting in the backseat poised regally and stinking to high heaven. I knew the smell but couldn’t put my finger on it right away. It wasn’t until I saw the grass-green streak running down his shoulder that I knew he had rolled in elk poop. Let me tell you, fresh elk poop can bring you to your knees when it’s up close and personal.

There's nothing like a large glob of elk poop on your dog's collar to get your senses fired up.

I said something like, ” oh, Gandalf not again”. And there he sat proud as ever.

Then I couldn’t figure out w why such a small amount of feces could smell so bad. On further inspection when I got him out of the car at the office I discovered the culprit. It was a golf ball-sized clump of poop desperately clinging to his dog collar. I took the collar off, received an embarrassing glance from Gandy and proceeded to dump the collar in a bucket of hot water and deodorizer soap. Then I took a long deep breath of the fresh fall air.

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