Today the wee little doggie and I took a drive to Lake Champlain. It is about a one hour drive from Stowe to the small town of Colchester where there are a variety of beaches open to the public. One is pet friendly Niquette State Park.
So off we went, the wee little doggie snoozing on the blanket, folded up and then nicely rumpled to be oh-so-comfy, behind the passenger’s seat. I got lost once on the way and we found a little snack shack on a side road serving doggie ice cream – with two milk biscuits. Of course, I got her one, which she deigned to taste just a bit of.
Upon arrival a park employee cheerfully informed me where the on-leash and off-leash trails were as well as the sand beach and the cove with a rocky shore. Pets are most certainly welcomed here!
Off we went, taking the ½ mile trail to the sandy shore. Me being me, I took a few photos 
on the way down and some at the shoreline. I hadn’t brought along cash to rent a canoe, kayak, or other type of boat – never thought of it, truth to tell. Further, I don’t have a life-vest for the little doggie. Meanwhile, herself was convinced the waves were mouths with teeth snapping at her little toes. So she settled in under a picnic table, out of the sun, well away from the surf of Lake Champlain.
I heard a bit of commotion off to my deaf side and realized there was a police officer there accompanied by another park employee. “I suppose you’ve heard,” he said. The woman who’d been cleaning up the beach detritus answered with a shake of her head.
Seems there was a 35 pound dog 35 feet up a tree. Someone called the police. The police called animal control, but they could not respond. The fire department wasn’t up to getting a dog out of a tree in a state park because it isn’t their territory. And so on and so forth – animal rescue, and finally the vet. Only the vet said, “I know that dog. You’re going to need a muzzle!”
The Colchester police officer – a fit gent in his late 50’s with silver hair and ‘stach – shook his head about needing a muzzle to get the dog out of the tree. I asked, “Do you have a tranquilizing gun?”
He patted his taser, and said, “This is all. And it has 25 foot wires. So remember, if you’re ever running away from the police keep at least 26 feet away.”
I suggested that if the dog got itself into a tree it could probably get itself down. Time was probably his ally. The officer said he was getting pressure to do something immediately. He and the park personnel tried to figure out where the dog might be.
I didn’t ask, but if the vet knew the dog then he knew the owners. Where were that dog’s people?
Conversation centered around how to get the dog out of the tree without the officer getting mauled. What a situation! Clearly, the officer was an animal lover, but he was also pragmatic about the his options.
I never did find out what happened. He left to try to figure out how a 35 pound dog could climb 35 feet into a tree and get stuck – and then figure out how to get the dog down safely. I hope he didn’t get bitten and the dog didn’t get hurt. Destiny the Pibble is a climber and her Mom had to remove bits of tree to keep her out of trouble. If you don’t know about Destiny, her story is one that will bring tears to your eyes. I follow her life on FaceBook. Bet she never got 35 feet up in a tree!
After an hour of attempting to coax the wee little doggie closer to the water with no particular success, we hiked back up the hill, jumped in the car and headed back to Stowe.
Every day’s a new adventure. And every day I get more mosquito bites. (sighs)
On The Toad Again 