Nikki is a lazy dog

[LePetomane]

We took what is probably our last trip to the north shore of Lake Superior as we will be leaving Minnesota in 8 months. The temperature was cold, sometimes dipping to minus 12 degrees F. I didn't get a lot of shooting as the sun was so bright that everything was either underexposed or blown out. I did get these.

[Shadowman]

Very lyrical caption, nice set of images.

[NorthernFocus]

Moving is always a mixed blessing. Sweet looking dog.

[LePetomane]

Thanks for the kind comments. This little dog is a lot of fun. She has a lot of energy but when she goes down, she goes fast. Turns into a lazy slug.

Dan, this move is a mixed blessing. We've been going back and forth between Wyoming (for fun) and Minnesota (for work). I am getting tired of it. The bad news is that I will be leaving my son in Minnesota until he is done with college. I was thinking of pulling the plug on work a little early but there is a big payout from our group restructuring if I stay until September. We're looking forward to living in Wyoming full time. Good hunting, fly fishing and photographic opportunities.

[NorthernFocus]

... there is a big payout from our group restructuring if I stay until September...

That's not a bad way to leave a job. If I'm not mistaken Wyoming has the lowest population density of any state but Alaska. My kind of place.

[xpatUSA]

If I'm not mistaken Wyoming has the lowest population density of any state but Alaska. My kind of place.

Me too. I live three miles down a dirt road with three residences on it, then a left turn onto 50 acres where I'm the only permanent resident. Wife hates it. Not quite like 'The Last Alaskans', but I love it.

[LePetomane]

We're looking forward to it. I spent a lot of my vacation time as a "trout bum" traveling to Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon in search of the perfect place to retire to. A lot of the places I liked were ski towns which makes things pricey. We narrowed it down to Bozeman, Montana and Sheridan, Wyoming. Last year we finished our house which is about ten miles from Sheridan at the base of the Bighorn Mountains. We're 6 hours from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and 4 hours from my daughter in Bozeman.

[NorthernFocus]

...I spent a lot of my vacation time as a "trout bum" traveling to Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon in search of the perfect place to retire to....

We also spent a good deal of time trying to decide where we wanted to spend retirement. No kids/grandkids to chase and couldn't make our minds up so decided to stay in AK and do the snowbird thing. We looked at Bozeman during out search as well and liked that area. But for now we're staying put.

[lovelife65]

Nice photos of a sweet looking dog.
Good luck PD.

[LePetomane]

Thanks for the kind comments. My wife got this dog to hunt with. She did some training with her but it is an ongoing process. Every time we take her out she is looking for birds.

She is small for her breed. On her last visit to the vet she weighed 25 lbs. The others from her litter are over 30 lbs. She is healthy so that's all that matters.

[NorthernFocus]

...My wife got this dog to hunt with. She did some training with her but it is an ongoing process...

Tell your bride she needs to get in touch with the dog's inner self in order to tap her natural potential. For example our Grace is a german shorthair. They are often trained to point various species of game bird, to retrieve ducks from boat/blind, and to run as hounds on various furry prey. Often the same dog can be trained to do all of the above. In Norway the breed has also been raised to world championship level in skijoring competition. But in spite of bloodlines etc, it is still necessary to work with the dog's personality and natural desire in order to achieve its full potential. For example, with Grace we've realized her innate love of dog biscuits, her strong instinct to immediately adopt any sort of stuffed animal as her own, and an incredible stamina to stay on point for hours if necessary until we recover any ball that may have rolled out of her reach under a piece of furniture.

We realize of course that not everyone can/should aspire to reach this level of performance from their canines

[xpatUSA]

Tell your bride she needs to get in touch with the dog's inner self in order to tap her natural potential.

I was about to throw up, until I read on ...

For example our Grace is a german shorthair. They are often trained to point various species of game bird, to retrieve ducks from boat/blind, and to run as hounds on various furry prey. Often the same dog can be trained to do all of the above. In Norway the breed has also been raised to world championship level in skijoring competition. But in spite of bloodlines etc, it is still necessary to work with the dog's personality and natural desire in order to achieve its full potential. For example, with Grace we've realized her innate love of dog biscuits, her strong instinct to immediately adopt any sort of stuffed animal as her own, and an incredible stamina to stay on point for hours if necessary until we recover any ball that may have rolled out of her reach under a piece of furniture.

We realize of course that not everyone can/should aspire to reach this level of performance from their canines

LOL.

[LePetomane]

Nikki has been bird hunting for the last 4 days. She covered 22 miles per day which is a lot for a little dog. She did well, flushing quite a few birds. It is hard to see her point as she was born with only a little stubble of a tail. Here she is taking a well earned rest.