Built in GPS is a good thing

[tlambert]

Took my new buddy up to my parent's place in WI for the second time. Last weekend I took him up there and we spent quite a few hours in the woods looking for sheds, bunnies, and squirrels. Didn't find much of either. This weekend I took him back up since he seemed to have such a great time running around in the woods. At my place I need to keep him on a leash but up there he can run free. Well, yesterday we were about a mile from my parents house way back in some big hills. We had driven there and then walked in for about an hour. Well, all of the sudden I notice that Spot is gone(he usually sticks fairly close) and I see some deer running through the woods in the distance. Great I thought, he better not be chasing deer. Well, I called and looked for him for about an hour and a half and decided I better go get my dad to help. Walked back outta there and was pulling out with my truck when my dad pulled up. He was coming to tell me that lunch was ready and that Spot was at the house! He had trekked about a mile through the hills and woods to end up back there. I thought that was pretty good for an 8 month old dog that had never been up in that area. I was pretty relieved since I figured he'd never find his way outta there. I did find one year old shed saturday morning while I was taking him out for his bathroom break...it was within sight of the house! I pointed it out to Spot and he grabbed it right up and went prancing around like it was the greatest thing ever. Better try him on sheds some more. Sad to say I didn't have a camera with me then, didn't plan on finding one like that.

Here he is attempting to track a squirrel I saw.

 

[River1]

I have an uncle who went through something similar. His lab Maggy went missing at my cousins house 7 miles away. She was back home when he went back that night. Maggy then started making treks back and forth between his place and my cousins on a regular basis. When she'd be gone, he'd call my cousin and tell her Maggy was on her way over. Might not sound like much, but it's near Rhinelander Wisconsin. The timber is a jungle up there, as easy a place to get lost as there is. The dog never followed a road back and forth.


A man usually only gets one good dog in his lifetime, she was a good one.

 

[Iowabowtech]

An old coon hunter's trick is to leave a coat or something with your scent on it at the last spot you saw the dog in a worst case scenario. Sometimes you'll find them curled up in it if you've gotta give up and come back the next day. GPS has made it easier though no doubt.

BTW,
Happy B-Day tlambert!