Mara returns to the Mountains

[Bill Ryan]

Dear Friends, I have a most wonderful little story to share. I thought it needed a thread of its own, and I dared to post it under Earth's Living Things — which seems a little grandiose! But I wanted this to be available for everyone to see.

For those who may be unaware of the history of injuries and problems besetting Mara, my dog, it's all chronicled in a members-only thread called Mara's travails. I'll summarize all that immediately below, because a prequel really is needed.

For longstanding members who know all about this already, skip ahead to the section below headed Mara returns to the Mountains.


Mara's Travails

She's now 10 and a half years old, the equivalent of a 63-year old human. But in her younger years she was a Mountain Dog Supreme. She was fearless, agile, had extraordinary stamina, and accompanied me on all my mountain explorations, going as high as 15,000 ft in the local mountains.

First, back in 2019, she injured her eye. The vet did all he could, but couldn't save her eye. However, just one eye worked fine for her, and she never had any problems judging distances when leaping around on the rocks. It wasn't really a handicap.

Then, in 2020, she had two surgeries (having fallen out of the rear window of my 4x4 into traffic ), and had platinum tendons grafted into both her hind legs. After that, we embarked on a rigorous rehab regime, where at first she could only walk 100 meters or so, but then 150 meters the next day, then 200, and so on. A few months later she was back in the mountains again as if nothing had happened.

And then, OMG, last year (2022) she lost her other eye. Once again, the vet tried his best but could do nothing. She was blind.

I fixed up my house with soft foam padding on every sharp-edged door and table leg, while she learned her way around using her nose (and memory) only. Pretty soon she wasn't bumping into things any more, but clearly her mountain days were over. She'd had a great active life, and was now retired. The transition was harder for me than for her, as I had to learn to be in the mountains all on my own. That was tough (it really was), but I adapted, and so did she.

I trained her to be happily at home on her own (in the garden, at first safely tied up, but later free to roam), for 4 hours, then 5, then 6, then all day — allowing me to venture out on longer and longer hikes, all by myself. She was quite happy. And every day I;d take her for what was now her only hike, a few hundred yards down a dirt road where there were never any vehicles, which opened out into a large open sloping field where she could run around quite safely. She navigated everything superbly, trotting along the dirt road like she was on tramlines. If she veered off course a little and bumped her nose into any vegetation, she'd just course-correct and continue.

Mara returns to the Mountains

She was doing so well that I began to dare to wonder if she could ever go into the higher mountains again, if I could just somehow find the optimum place which would be safe and had minimum obstacles. I carried the thought for months, and eventually scoped out a route where I was hopeful she just might be okay, even if just for maybe 5-10 minutes.

So yesterday, summoning all my courage, I asked some friends to come with Mara and myself, their presence an added safety factor in case anything suddenly went wrong. And my friend's teenage son had a drone, so he was excited about using it to make a video of the whole thing.

Well, we had a most wonderful, wonderful day. The video is below. We went miles, climbing a full 1000 ft, and all of Mara's doggie mountain memories came right back to her. We didn't encounter a single issue. Apart from the fun (and superb!) drone footage, my helpful friends were redundant. Now I know Mara and I can repeat this any time we want to.


Do take a look at this video. If short on time, you can skip around and dip into the different part of it. It's all something quite astonishing. It's almost impossible to believe that Mara is 100% blind.

There are three sections to it. In the first we were just setting off. I was watching her really carefully, but there wasn't a single problem. It was all fairly easy ground, on mountain grass, thick in places but without a real hazard anywhere to be seen.

The second section kicks in at 1:51. This is now all very different. Now we're on a rocky path by a large waterfall, with steep drops not too far away. I never for a moment thought we'd ever get this far, but Mara was totally happy. Watch this with the same amazement I was feeling when we were there.

There's just one tiny section at 4:06 where I have to help her up a steep little rocky step — which of course she could not see. Then at 4:46 she finds a little pool of water in the stream which she immediately heads for and sits in — as she always used to, every time, in her earlier mountain days.

Then, at 4:56, we emerge into a large open grassy valley with a huge beautiful lake, surrounded by rocky mountains. It was a cloudy, gray day, but in the sunshine this is a magical, spectacular place to be. This is all at 13,500 ft, now way above the treeline. We went half a mile further than the end point of the video, and we could have gone further still, but by then I was so flabbergasted by the whole thing I wanted to make absolutely sure we quit when we were winning.

Here's the video. Be amazed. Remember, Mara is 100% blind. It's a large file (220 Mb, 7 minutes), so it may take a while to buffer and load. (It might be faster to download it and then play it on your device. A big screen is an asset. )



https://projectavalon.net/Mara_returns_to_the_Mountains.mp4

[Pam]

Oh Bill, I will never be able to express my joy seeing her back in the mountains. I am so glad you had the courage to attempt it and am absolutely blown away at how well she is doing maximizing her other senses to compensate. You have your hiking buddy back!!! It is just amazing how well she is able to navigate and this is her first trip back!!!! This absolutely made my day to see the two of you together doing what you both love. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Give her a big hug for me. She is a very special girl and you have been the absolute best buddy she could ever have.

[Kryztian]

Thanks for sharing this with us Bill. So happy that your hiking companion is back with you, enjoying all the scents and sensations of nature again. And what beautiful hiking trails those are!

[angelfire]

What a wonderful recovery she has made to be able to accompany you again on mountain hikes. Am so happy for you both.

[pyrangello]

Way cool Bill and way cool for Mara, these are the experiences in our lives that make it so special being here. I'm so happy to see her doing this, they are truly amazing . Here's a pic of my last lab I had to say goodbye to last week, her name was Snoop, she couldn't walk with her hind legs anymore, she was 16. Her breathing was getting much heavier as well. It was time. ........ I would like to say she was about 1 when she showed up at my shop door one day, her and another dog. She had a 8 ft pony rope tied to her neck and I could see her ribs. I fed her and let her sleep in my office for a week, she never wagged her tail once. I decided to take her home to my other labs, it took her a month to go down the hallway of my house she was so traumatized from her past growing up wherever she did.. I ended giving her a home for the next 15 years, what a great pup she was. Thanks for the video

[Miller]

I LOVED that Bill. My only criticism would be that it wasn't long enough! And yes, it's hard to believe that Mara's blind; she must have a sixth sense and also helped by the sound of your voice and feet/sticks on the walk. My palms got a little damp when she went too near the edge (bet yours did too), and I noticed her tail wagging a few times showing her enjoyment. The scenery itself was spectacular. Was it the same lake where the strange atmosphere was, as mentioned in another thread a few weeks ago?

[wondering]

Well, Bill, what a wonderful thing....thanks for sharing. So good you followed your hunch and took her out again....I'd love to know what she was thinking...✌️❤️😁

[Pam]

pyrangello, I am so sorry about your loss. The very strange thing is she looks like a female version of my boy, Booh that I lost almost a year ago. We would drive to locals where we we could hike and I always remember looking at him in the back of the car in my rear view mirror and thinking he was the most beautiful dog in the world. Believe it or not, I still cry every day about losing both my dogs within months of each other. I miss them and love them so much. She is a very beautiful girl. I like to think of them in a realm where they can wander, sniff and do all their dog things in a beautiful environment. Dogs have been my greatest joy and comfort in this world. They are so very special in so many ways. She had a good long life and I am sure she was deeply loved.

[Mercedes]

Thank you for posting this Bill, this is soooo goood to see!!! She looks so happy wagging her tail, enjoying the walk it's just wonderful to see her enjoying, smelling, feeling, thank you for this uplifting post.

[Mercedes]

Posted by pyrangello (here)
Way cool Bill and way cool for Mara, these are the experiences in our lives that make it so special being here. I'm so happy to see her doing this, they are truly amazing . Here's a pic of my last lab I had to say goodbye to last week, her name was Snoop, she couldn't walk with her hind legs anymore, she was 16. Her breathing was getting much heavier as well. It was time. ........ I would like to say she was about 1 when she showed up at my shop door one day, her and another dog. She had a 8 ft pony rope tied to her neck and I could see her ribs. I fed her and let her sleep in my office for a week, she never wagged her tail once. I decided to take her home to my other labs, it took her a month to go down the hallway of my house she was so traumatized from her past growing up wherever she did.. I ended giving her a home for the next 15 years, what a great pup she was. Thanks for the video

Always good to read great stories like this, thank you on behalf of that beautiful puppy you rescued, they never stop being puppies.

[wondering]

Dear Pyrangello, Such a beautiful dog - Snoop's face is a joy to look at...you must miss her very much and she is so grateful. In some way we don't really understand she is talking about what a great experience she had with you and how very lucky she was.

[Arcturian108]

Bill,
I loved watching the video, and thought that maybe the trail had a human scent that she picked up on? What a joy to renew a custom that you thought was long over!

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

Lovely Bill, thanks for sharing that. Mara's amazing. Dogs have a remarkable capacity for recovery, they really do. It requires a loving human hand to make it happen, but they can bounce back from almost anything. Dogs truly are gifts to humanity and they should be treasured as such. So pleased to hear you and Mara can once more enjoy hiking in the mountains together!

Although...that steep ledge. I'd have been to scared to let her off the leash!



Slight pity the video had no audio though, would've loved to have listened to the sounds of that rugged, beautiful landscape. Looks much like Scotland!

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

Posted by pyrangello (here)
Here's a pic of my last lab I had to say goodbye to last week, her name was Snoop, she couldn't walk with her hind legs anymore, she was 16.

Very sorry to hear of your loss. But you did a wonderful thing taking her in, and giving her the life she deserved. And what a life. 16 years!

[pabranno]

Beautiful. This is beauty. There is beauty in life. Thank you for sharing that. Makes my heart so glad.

Pamela

[Mari]

This is beautiful. I can see she's finding trust in herself, her abilities - her hearing, smell, direction and sense of where she is. But most importantly, she trusts you. And after this 'initiation', you can begin to trust her.

Well Done!!

[onawah]

That was a wonderful surprise, to see Mara wagging her tail so happily, just trekking along and even showing you the way!
I hope there will be many more such adventures for Mara and you to come.
Thanks for sharing, Bill.

[Pam]

At risk of going off topic, I have been thinking about the way you raised Mara, Bill. I have spent my whole life with dogs, done huge amount of volunteer work with them and fostered dogs, till I found them a good home. I was thinking of the many strategies and the courage and compassion you have used in dealing with her health issues and or injuries. How graciously you have handled this.

I don't think I have ever known any dog person that had the skills and courage you have demonstrated with the way you carefully dealt with each issue. Always, to her benefit in the end. Always moving along with her at her pace to give her the maximum benefit and opportunity to be a dog. I personally, would have been weakened and made ineffective by my emotional responses, you did the opposite. You carefully and intuitively led her to maximize her life with the senses she has and look at the miracle of the whole dang thing.

No matter how hard it was on a personal level you did the best and well thought out plan to give her the best quality of life. You really have been a role model and example for me on a personal level with your dealings with her and the hardships you two have gone through. As I recall, and it is not any of my business, but I seem to recall that you have not always had dogs and yet you handled this in a most beautiful way.

I am even looking at this at a fractal level and have learned a lot from you in other areas of my life in the way you have dealt with her. The balance between emotionality, practicality and unconditional love. Your sharing this story has had a big effect on me at a number of levels.

You have inspired me to the point I feel like I could return to the fostering of dogs again, possibly with dogs that have physical conditions inspired by you patient, common sense approach. You restore my belief in the potential of humantity, which has been deeply challenged of late. What if each and every one of us took on a task like you have with Mara, what a different world this would be.

Ok, now I promise to step off the soap box...It is just so nice to feel the beauty of humanity paired with sentient beings. So dang uplifting.

[pyrangello]

Yeah thanks everyone , I've had to put down 6 dogs in 3 years, 3 in the last 6 months. Got a bit tough there. One was a chiuwawau ( inherited after mother in law passed )named gringo, he was 18 or 19 , he also too became blind his last year. But even at that, he would still go out with the other dogs and play with the other ones too. We never moved anything in the house so he knew his coordinates. Thats why watching this video with Mara was so special , they say dogs can smell 200 times more than us. You can only imagine what other senses Mara was using on this hike. Bill she's truly a special friend. Thanks so much for that video again.

[Icare]

Oh Bill, that's just wonderful. You can see Mara is enjoying herself and she feels safe with you. Thank you for sharing, this is so heart-warming!




And Pyrangello, I'm truly sorry for your loss. Losing a pet is like losing your best friend. I'm happy you gave your Snoop a loving home for 16 years. I have been told we get to see our pets again when we cross over and I like to believe that's true, so this was good-bye, but not farewell I trust.